


RWBY: A Knight To Remember

by ForceCommanderJoe, Jack_Simpson, Megapanda25



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-23
Updated: 2019-09-21
Packaged: 2019-09-25 05:18:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 67
Words: 384,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17115233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ForceCommanderJoe/pseuds/ForceCommanderJoe, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jack_Simpson/pseuds/Jack_Simpson, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Megapanda25/pseuds/Megapanda25
Summary: All his life, Jaune's wanted to be a Huntsman. Now, with the help of his best friend, he's gained entry to the most elite and prestigious Hunter Academy in the world, Beacon Academy! However, it appears as though life at a combat school full of girls who have a surprising amount of interest in him may be more of an issue then he originally guessed.





	1. Prologue: A Knight and a Gunslinger

"And that is how I got to Beacon!" Jaune Arc finished, beaming at his fellow passenger as the two looked out the side of the bulkhead taking them to Beacon Academy for their first day of training to become Huntsmen, warriors that defended those who couldn’t protect themselves. Daniel, his friend and second-year huntsman rubbed his temples, and then turned to Jaune with a thin smile.

 

"Jaune, buddy. What is it that I asked you for when I told you to try and join up with me at Beacon?" His friend asked, his tone tense and annoyed. Jaune flushed red, and coughed into his hand, fighting of the nausea from the motion of the swaying bulkhead, and the anger in his friend’s eyes.

 

"D-don’t do anything crazy?" He answered cautiously, earning a quick nod from the man.

  
"Right, exactly! Now, tell me, Jaune. Does leaving in the dead of night, taking only two sets of clothes, an antique sword and shield that are NOT suitable for actual combat, and some hand me down armor, only leaving a single, half paragraph note on why you left your father, mother, and four overbearing huntress sisters, as well as three younger sisters sound crazy to you? ‘Cause lemme tell ya, it sounds pretty batshit to me!" Daniel responded with a half-psychotic laugh.

 

Jaune looked even more uncomfortable, shifting slightly, still blushing. It was definitely starting to sink in how badly he handled coming "I’m sorry, Daniel. I...I just needed to get out of there."

 

Daniel sighed, and rubbed his eyes before turning back to Jaune and putting a hand on his shoulder. "Look, I’m still on your side, Jaune." He said, smiling at his childhood friend. "I’m with you, through and through. We’re gonna make a Huntsman out of you yet."

 

Jaune smiled at Daniel, feeling grateful that his friend was still willing to help him, despite the trouble it would bring.

 

"That being said, there is a few things you should know about Beacon, or more specifically, the **Huntresses** at Beacon." Daniel continued, avoiding eye contact with Jaune. Jaune cocked his head to the side, not understanding what his friend was trying to convey. Daniel noticed, and groaned, searching for the right words. "Ok, I’m trying to say this without being an asshole...some girls at Beacon can be a tad...boy crazy."

 

Daniel looked over at Jaune to see if he got the gist. He didn’t.

 

"Boy...crazy?"

 

"For the love of...THEY’LL WANNA BONE YOU, JAUNE!" Daniel shouted, drawing the attention of several other passengers, who quickly distanced themselves from the pair.

 

Jaune, who finally understood the dreadfully clear message, blushing an even deeper shade of red. "W-what? Why? I’m not remarkable or anything!"

 

"That’s the point, Jaune."

 

Jaune looked confused again, causing Daniel to groan and mutter about being far too sober for this before continuing. "Jaune, these girls...no, these **women** are training to become the most efficient and respected fighters of this world, they will have ‘ _extraordinary_ ’ for the rest of their lives. A boy like you is what they’ll crave. Normal, unremarkable, not interesting at all."

 

"Wow, thanks." Jaune deadpanned, drawing a chuckle out of his fellow passenger.

 

"C’mon, Jaune. You know you’re great. Just remember to be a little...careful, alright? I can’t always protect you, not anymore."

 

"Hey, I am plenty capable of protecting myself! Besides, I am becoming a Huntsmen." Jaune snarked, waving his hand dismissively. "I can handle a few women."

 

As their bulkhead landed, Jaune and Daniel stood up and made their way off. Daniel stepped of without a second thought while Jaune took one step off, and immediately face planted. Daniel looked down a Jaune, and facepalmed once more.

 

"Capable my ass."

 


	2. Meet the Reaper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaune makes his first friend at Beacon.

"So, does your face still hurt?" Daneil asked smugly, eliciting a groan from the knight beside him.

  
"Shut up, Daniel."

 

Daniel chuckled and said his goodbye as he left to find his fellow second-year classmates, while Jaune was left in the main landing zone with the other freshmen students. He and Daniel had landed on the other side of the plaza, so they had to walk an extra amount to get to the main landing zone. By the time they had made it there, most of the other students were also arriving. As Jaune followed the other students, he scanned the crowd of departing students on the off chance of seeing a familiar face. While he did leave without his family's permission, he wondered if they were going to be angry enough to come after him.

 

Jaune was pulled out of this thought by a shrill yell to his left. "The nerve of... Ugh!", a girl with white hair shouted as she stormed past Jaune, several other men following closely with what seemed like her luggage. As he turned to see where she had came from, he saw another girl with black hair and wearing a red cloak sitting on the ground, looking sad. He frowned, wondering why no one seemed interested in helping her, and walked over, offering her a hand.

 

"Hey... I'm Jaune. What’s your name?" The girl’s eyes widened noticeably at Jaune when he offered her his hand, but she quickly accepted it an stood up.

 

"T-thanks. I’m Ruby. Ruby Rose." There was brief awkward silence before Jaune spoke again.

 

"So, are you new to Beacon?"

 

"Yeah, actually! I came here with my sister, Yang, to become a Huntress!" the short, hooded reaper said happily, making Jaune snicker at her childish tone. She actually looked kinda young, but he wasn't one to judge by looks.

 

"Well, typically, that is what people come to Beacon for." 

 

"Heh heh, yeah…" She muttered, flushing slightly in embarrassment. Jaune realized that his comment was a bit rude, so he quickly decided to take a nicer approach.

 

"I’m sure you’ll make a great Huntress, Ruby." He said, prompting Ruby to look up at him, a small blush crossing her face as she smiled at the meaningful vote of confidence.

 

"Thanks, Jaune! I know you’ll be a great Huntsman, too!" She cheered, making Jaune smile again, not noticing Ruby’s blush intensifying in reaction. Ruby quickly brought up a topic to prevent Jaune from noticing her blush. "So, um, I have this!"

 

Ruby pulled out Crescent Rose and stabs it into the ground, while Jaune watched in shock and amazement.

 

"Whoa! Is that a scythe?" He asked in awe, making the girl beam in excitement.

 

"It's also a customizable, high-impact sniper rifle!" She said happily, before noticing Jaune's confused stare.

 

"Come again?"

 

"It's also a gun." Ruby added, making Jaune grin in understanding.

 

"Wow, that’s really cool!"

 

Ruby blushed once again at Jaune’s genuine interest, avoiding looking him in the eye. "S-so, what’s your weapon?" She asked, noticing his smile fall slightly as he brought out his weapons.

 

"Oh! I, uh...I got this sword, and I've got a shield, too!" He said with mild enthusiasm as Ruby cocked her head and tapped the shield gently.

 

"Cool...what does it do?"

 

"Well, the shield gets smaller, so when I get tired of carrying it, I can just... put it away..." He trailed off, his smile slipping further.

 

"But... wouldn't it weigh the same?" Ruby asked, making Jaune's smile slip completely.

 

"Yeah, it does…" Jaune admitted as he slumped with the admission, wishing he had a more impressive weapon than an antique sword and shield. Ruby only giggled, and put a hand on his shoulder.

 

"Well, I like it! Not many people have an appreciation for the classics these days."

 

"Yeah, the classics…" Jaune muttered, his smile returning slightly. 

 

"Well, I'm kind of a dork when it comes to weapons, sooo... I guess I did go a little overboard when designing mine." Ruby said with a shy giggle, peaking Jaune's interest.

 

"Wait - you _made_ that?!" 

 

"Of course!" Ruby said, looking surprised at his question. "All students at Signal forge their own weapons! Didn't you make yours?"

 

"Not quite..." Jaune admitted, before he got an idea. "Hey, since you made such a cool weapon, do you think you could help me make a better one?"

 

Ruby’s eyes lit up at the prospect, and she grabbed Jaune by his breastplate and pulled him closer, until they were only an inch apart. "Are...Are you serious? Do you really want **_me_ ** to help **_you_ ** make a better weapon?"

 

"Um...yes?" Jaune said, a bit uncomfortable with the girl's sudden mood shift. There was brief silence, than Ruby let out an excited squeal and wrapped Jaune in a hug, jumping up and down excitedly.

 

"YES, YES, YES! I’D **LOVE** TO HELP YOU!"

 

Jaune made a series of noises that were meant to be protests as Ruby’s body rubbed against his as she jumped up and down. Despite his hormones demanding that he focus more on that feeling, Jaune pushed all dirty thoughts back in the gutter as he pried himself from Ruby’s grip, who still looked ecstatic. "I’m glad you’re so eager to help, Ruby. I really appreciate it."

 

"No problem! When should we get started?" Ruby asked, her eyes shining like stars with excitement.

 

"Eh, probably in a week. Enough time for us to get settled in so we can manage the important stuff first." Jaune mused, eliciting a hum of agreement from Ruby.

 

"Yeah, good idea!" She agreed, before pausing for a moment, and turning to look at a scorch mark where she had been sitting minutes earlier. "So, Jaune? Why'd you help me out back there? In the courtyard?"

 

Jaune cocked an eyebrow at the question, but smiled and shrugged. "Well, why not? My mom always says, 'Strangers are just friends you haven't met yet.'" 

 

"Hmm, I guess you’re right." Ruby hummed, smiling and blushing faintly at the prospect of having Jaune as a friend. Then, she looked around, an realized that they were alone. "Hey, where are we going?"

 

Jaune turned to her, a look of realization crossing his face. "Oh, I don't know! I was following you. You think there might be a directory? Maybe a food court? Some kind of recognizable landmark?" He mused, pausing as he noticed Ruby's subdued giggles. "Is, uh... Is that a 'no'?"

 

Ruby just continued giggling and shook her head, placing a hand on Jaune’s shoulder and pushing him along. "That’s a no."

 


	3. Introductions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaune meets a few more of his fellow classmates.

"AH HA!" Ruby exclaimed, looking at Jaune triumphantly. "I knew this is where we were supposed to meet!"

 

"Huh, guess you were right." Jaune hummed, taking in the view of the immense crowd of people before him. "Wow..."

 

Ruby and Jaune entered Beacon Academy's giant auditorium, filled to the brim with people. Ruby scanned the room, looking for someone before a shout caught her attention.

 

"Ruby! Over here! I saved you a spot!" A blonde girl called from the middle of the corwd, waving at Ruby, who emmidiatly started waving back.

 

"Oh! Hey Yang!"  Ruby called with a smile, and began to move towards her sister before stopping and turning to Jaune and offering a hand. "Do you wanna meet my sister?"

 

Jaune thought about it for a second. On one hand, it couldn’t hurt to get on Ruby’s sister’s good side and say hello. On the other, he had no idea what she was like, and he was bad talking to normal girls, let alone Huntresses. Still, another friend couldn't hurt. He nodded, and took Ruby’s offered hand. "Sure. Lead the w-AHHH!"

 

Jaune didn’t finish his agreement as Ruby used her semblance to quickly zip to her sister through the crowd. She weaved expertly between the other students until she ended up next to her sister, smiling proudly. "Hi Yang! I made a friend!"

 

"So, is that who that is?" Yang asked with a smirk, gesturing at her feet. Ruby looked down to see Jaune on his knees, clearly trying to keep from hurling. She blushed at the realization that she probably should have warned him about her semblance before taking off.

 

"S-sorry! I should have warned you about that!" 

 

"I’m-(cough)-I’m fine." Jaune wheezed, clearly very not fine. "Just the motion sickness. Gimme a sec." Jaune continued to compose himself, missing the sly grin Yang shot Ruby.

 

"C’mon, Ruby. You make your first friend and you’ve already almost broke him?" She teased, smirking at her sister, who promptly flushed a deeper shade of red.

 

"Yaaaaang! Don’t embarrass me! It was an accident!"

 

Jaune chuckled at Ruby’s disdain at being teased, knowing exactly what it was like to have an older sister make fun of you. "Need a hand, blondie?" Yang asked, offering Jaune a hand, which he gladly took as she pulled him to his feet. As he finally regained his composure, he finally looked at Yang and came to a stark conclusion: Yang was very, **very** attractive. Her long blonde hair, her dazzling smile, her huge...assets. "Enjoying the view?"

  
Jaune jolted with the realization that he had been staring. He flushed red and stuttered out a panicked response. "N-no! I mean, yes! I-I mean...um…"

 

Jaune’s panic screeched to a halt as he heard Yang laughing loudly, her lilac eyes shining with amusement. "Relax, lover boy. I’m kidding! You’re almost as easy to tease as Ruby."

 

Speaking of Ruby, she shot Jaune and embarrassed grin and rubbed her neck anxiously. "Sorry about Yang. She can be a little...flirty."

 

That was flirty? Jeez, maybe Daniel was right about Huntresses. "It’s fine, I probably should apologies for staring anyways." Jaune said, rubbing his neck in embarrassment.

 

"Apology accepted!" Yang said, playfully punched his arm to prove as much, which sent him stumbling into another girl. She whipped around and shot him an angry glare.

 

"Watch it, tall, blonde, and scraggly!" She hissed, making Jaune flinch at her icy tone.

 

"S-sorry, I didn’t mean t-"

 

"YOU!"

 

Jaune jumped at her shout, and realized she was looking past him at Ruby, who had jumped into her sisters arms at the sound.

 

"Oh no, it’s happening again!" Ruby muttered fearfully, while Yang looked confused.

 

The girl moved past Jaune, stalking over to Ruby and Yang with an infuriated expression. "You're lucky we weren't blown off the side of the cliff!" She growled, her blue eyes flashing in rage. 

 

"Um, someone wanna fill me in?" Yang asked, her eyes flicking between the girl's present.

 

"Your DOLT of a sister nearly blew up half the courtyard when she sneezed dust powder which she spilled!" The white-haired girl spat, glaring at the cloaked reaper, who blushed in embarrassment.

 

"Oh...wow…" Was all Yang could mutter as Ruby slipped out of her arms, looking embarrassed.

 

"Weiss, it was an accident! What can I do to make it up to you?!" Ruby cried, making the other girl sigh, and cross her arms with an unamused expression.

 

"You really wanna start making things up to me?"

 

"Absolutely!" Ruby said, her expression remorseful. The girl, apparently named Weiss, handed Ruby a pamphlet for the Schnee Dust Company.

 

"Read this, and don't ever speak to me again."

 

Ruby looked crushed, and Yang seemed like she was about to retort when Jaune spoke up. "Woah, that’s not really fair. Maybe you could-"

 

"I’m sorry, who are you exactly?"  The girl growled, turning her attention fully to him. Jaune faltered under the heiresses' withering gaze, but when he noticed Ruby’s somber expression, he continued.

 

"I’m Ruby’s friend, and I think she should be treated with respect, miss."

 

Weiss’s eyes narrowed on the boy, who now squirmed thoroughly under her glare.

 

"What did you say your name was?"

 

"Um, my name is Jaune. Jaune Arc." He said nervously, still uncomfortable under the girl's gaze. After a few seconds of tense silence, a smug smile grew onto the girl's face.

 

"Alright, Jaune. Since you’re so insistent, explain to me **why** I should respect this obnoxious, annoying child? And please, make it quick."

 

"W-well, um..." Jaune started, feeling himself begin to sweat at the knowledge of the position he was just put in. Essentially, he was arguing for why his first friend at Beacon should be forgiven for a simple mistake, and the consequences for being wrong would be making an enemy of a relatively powerful girl. However, Weiss wasn’t going to wait for him to organize his thoughts, so he took the most logical approach he could think of: shower her in praise. "Well, you seem like a smart, respectful, and civil lady. Wouldn’t it just be better for you to just be the bigger person, accept Ruby’s apology, and move on? Wouldn’t that be proper manners from a prestigious girl like you?"

 

Weiss remained silent after Jaune spoke, her eyes still narrowed in his direction. However, she seemed to compose herself and sighed in acceptance, turning to a surprised Ruby and intrigued Yang.

 

"Very well, I suppose it is only proper that I give you a chance and accept your apology." She said, before turning to Ruby, and extending a hand. "Ruby, if you try your best you prevent things like this from happening again, and **try** to be a little more mature, I will consider forgiving you."

 

Ruby beamed and quickly shook Weiss’s hand excitedly. "I promise I’ll do better, Weiss! You won’t regret this!"

 

"I already do..." Weiss groaned, before snarling at Ruby again. "You can stop shaking my hand now!"

 

Ruby and Weiss continued to bicker back and forth, Jaune grinned to himself. He just prevented a fight, and it felt pretty dang good. He jumped slightly as he felt Yang nudge his shoulder, and noticed the small smile on her face. "Hey, I appreciate what you did there." She said, beaming at him. "You easily would have stayed out of that, but you helped my sister out anyways. She's...a little awkward, but she really does mean well. I guess I’m just trying to say thanks for standing up for her."

 

"Always happy to help a friend, Yang. What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t help where I could?"

 

"Yeah, I guess you’re right." Yang said, before smirking at Jaune. "Thanks for being a ‘ _Jaunesome_ ’ friend to my sis."

 

Yang’s pun, mixed with the shit-eating grin on Yang’s face were enough to make Jaune wheeze with laughter. Unbeknownst to them, Headmaster Ozpin had already finished his speech, and students were to head to the mess hall and prepare for bed.

~~~~~

"C’mon, c’mon! I couldn’t have been this stupid, I couldn’t!" Jaune groaned as he dug through his duffel bag, checking frantically for a pair of pajamas that he had been sure he had packed, but was nowhere to be seen. Finally, he made to the bottom of his bag, and his heart soared...and than sank like a rock. There was a pair of pajamas, but not the ones he had packed. Instead, there was a pair of baby blue Pumpkin Pete footie pajamas, along with a note from Daniel. Jaune picked up the note and read it.

 

_Hey Jaune, how’s your day been?~ Probably a little worse now. Just remember, this is for your own good. Enjoy Pete’s company._

_Love, Daniel_

_P.S. Don't fuck up. Vague, I know, but also very important._

 

Jaune let out a dry laugh, and shook his head. "Such an asshole." He sighed as he quickly undressed and slipped into the onesie. Luckily, it fit just fine, so it at least looked semi-natural. Jaune repacked his bag and left the restroom, only to run headfirst into another girl who was reading a book. They both fell back, Jaune dropping his bag, and the girl her book. Jaune recovered first, and quickly offered a hand to the girl. "Sorry, sorry! I should have been paying attention!"

 

The girl seemed to regain her senses, and looked at Jaune with defensive yellow eyes. For a moment, he thought that she would slap his hand away, but she eventually took it, standing back up. "It’s fine, I should have been paying attention too." She said, her voice even and stoic. "My apologies."

 

Jaune than got a good look at the girl. She had long black hair, with a black bow. He then realized that she hadn’t picked up her book, which he quickly scooped up. He read the title, and smirked. “The Man Of Two Worlds? You have good taste." He handed her back the book, and noticed that her stoic expression had softened and a small smile grew on her face.

 

"Thank you, not many people seem to be fans of this sort of literature. It’s nice to find a fellow bookworm." Jaune smiled at comment, and the girl returned with a small smile of her own. Jaune extended his hand again.

 

"Jaune Arc."

 

"Blake Belladonna. It’s a pleasure."

 

"Pleasure’s all mine." Jaune said, trying to sound suave. Instead, he sounded like an idiot, but the girl's smile remained on her face as she took his hand. The two shook hands, and brief silence followed before Jaune spoke again. "Well, I’ll let you be on your way. Sleep well, Blake."

 

"Sleep well, Jaune." She answered, with that, the two parted ways, Jaune traveling one way with his bag, Blake the other with her book. Before he reached the end of the hall, he heard Blake’s voice again. "Oh, and Jaune?"

 

He turned to face her, and even from a distance recognized the sly grin on her face. "I like your pajamas."

 

With that, she turned and continued walking, leaving a flushed Jaune to his devices.

 


	4. Initiation P1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The students of Beacon are put to the test.

"Ridiculous!  There's no way I put my gear in locker 636 yesterday! I would've remembered having to count that high! Why does this have to happen today?" Jaune cried out angrily.

 

The wannabe knight paced the locker room, searching for his gear as the other students prepared for initiation. Finally, he found the locker from the day before and retrieved Crocea Mors and his shield. As he shut his locker, he noticed Weiss and another girl nearby. Weiss appeared to be in some kind of evil monologue.

 

"This will be perfect! The smartest girl in class combined with the strongest girl in class! Together we will be unstoppable! I can see it now! We'll be popular! We'll be celebrities! We'll get perfect grades! Nothing can come between us now!" She exclaimed.

 

Jaune cocked an eyebrow and scoffed in disbelief.

 

"Wow, what comes next, marriage?" He asked sarcastically.

 

Weiss and the other girl turned and stared at him, as he realised that he said that out loud.

 

_Oh shit! Why’d I say that!? How do I fix this? Um...Um..!_

 

"Which is what I would say, if that train of thought you were having was creepy...w-which it wasn’t!" He hastily corrected himself, finishing with a weak smile. Weiss just rolled her eyes at the blonde’s ridiculous attempt to cover his ass, but the other girl laughed softly.

 

"Of course it wasn’t. I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name." She asked softly. Jaune was surprised at the girl’s sudden interest. Her emerald eyes locked with his as he spoke.

 

"Um, my name’s Jaune. Jaune Arc. And judging by your armor and weapons, I’m guessing your name is...Spartacus?" He asked, half-jokingly. Before the girl could respond, Weiss entered the conversation, looking agitated yet again.

 

"Jaune, is it? Do you have any idea who you're talking to?" The heiress questioned, a slightly biting tone in her voice.

 

"Not in the slightest, snow angel." He replied, honestly.

 

 _"This_ is Pyrrha." The pony-tailed girl indicated the redhead.

 

"Hello again!" Pyrrha waved politely.

 

"Pyrrha graduated top of her class at Sanctum!" The other girl continued, oblivious to Pyrrha's slight discomfort as her achievements were being listed off.

 

"Never heard of it." Jaune admitted, much to the whitehead's shock.

 

"She's won the Mistral Region Tournaments four years in a row! A new record!" The girl tried again, scoffing at Jaune's obliviousness.

 

"The what?"

 

Weiss looked like she was about to explode with rage when a familiar voice called out.

 

"She’s on the front of every Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes box, you dork."

 

Jaune turned around to see his friend approaching, wearing his own silver-gold armor, complete with a black cape.

 

"Daniel! You look awesome!" Jaune cried, before turning back to Pyrrha. "And they only put star athletes and cartoon characters on Pumpkin Pete’s! You must be pretty awesome!"

 

Pyrrha flushed at Jaune’s genuine praise, while Weiss glared at Daniel with surprising venom.

 

"Hello again, Daniel." She spat.

 

"Huh, it’s been a while, Weiss. You’ve grown. Into more of a pain, anyway." The older boy snarked back easily.

 

Jaune than noticed the intense glares the two were shooting at each other.

 

"So...you’ve met before?" He asked, uncertainly.

 

Daniel turned to Jaune, a small smile appearing on his face.

 

"Yeah, I ran some missions with her sister last year. Pretty intense girl, but we worked well together. Speaking of which, how is Winter, Weiss?"

 

Weiss scoffed, and turned away.

 

"As if I’d tell YOU, you foolish ass."

 

Daniel just laughed at the insult and shook his head.

 

"Always so prim and proper until someone pushes your buttons. Well, give her my best. Jaune, you mind if I talk to you for a sec?"

 

"Hm? Oh, sure. See you later, Pyrrha. Bye, Weiss." He waved goodbye to the girls.

 

As Jaune and Daniel walked away, Pyrrha waved weakly while Weiss continued to pout.

 

"Bye..." Pyrrha whispered.

 

Back with Jaune and Daniel, Jaune finally asked Daniel an important question.

 

"So, why are you down here?"

 

Daniel’s consistent smile fell as responded.

 

"Well, there was an...incident. My team from last year has been disbanded, so I’m actually going into initiation alongside you!" He explained.

 

Jaune stopped mid step, and turned to Daniel with wide eyes.

 

"Wait, so does that mean...we have the potential to be partners?!" He asked, rather excited at the prospect.

 

Daniel’s smile returned, and he shrugged in a dismissive motion.

 

"Don’t get too excited. I heard old Ozzy has some weird protocol for how partners are selected this year." He tried to calm Jaune's enthusiasm.

 

Suddenly, a speaker nearby crackled to life.

 

 _'Would all first-year students please report to Beacon Cliff for initiation? Again, all first-year students report to Beacon Cliff immediately.'_ The voice of Glynda Goodwitch ordered over the speaker.

 

"Well, that’s our cue. Yours, anyway." Daniel explained.

 

"Heyyy! Jaune! Wait up!" A new, younger voice called out.

 

Jaune and Daniel turned to see Ruby and Yang approaching, also headed for the cliffs.

 

"Missed you this morning, lady-killer." Yang greeted him, before turning to Daniel. _"_ And you are..?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

 

"A friend of Jaune’s, something I'm guessing we have in common. So, who’s ready to become a hunter-in-training?!" Daniel exclaimed near the end, in an effort to psyche them up.

 

"YEAH!" Jaune and Ruby both cried out, clearly hyped up.

 

"Eh, sure." Yang responded, sounding rather less enthusiastic that Daniel would've liked, but he ignored it.

 

"That’s the spirit! Onwards, merry men!" The gunslinger exclaimed.

~~~

"So, after you find and make eye contact with your partner, you are to find a relic near the northern end of the forest. After retrieving said relic, make your way back to the top of this cliff. Any questions?" The headmaster finished his explanation, his impassive gaze sweeping over the assembled students.

 

Silence hung over the cliff-side as the students processed their mission and it’s consequences. Silence...except for one voice.

 

"Only four steps? Can’t be too hard." Jaune shrugged his shoulders.

 

Two dozen eyes fell on Jaune Arc as he realised yet again that he had spoken aloud without meaning to. While Glynda, a staff member of the school, looked displeased, Ozpin wore a thin smile.

 

"I’m glad to see you’re confident, Mr. Arc. Thank you for volunteering." The silver-haired man smiled lightly at the prospective student.

 

As Jaune pondered what he meant, he heard a distinctive hiss of air as the silver square he was one sank slightly. He realized what was about to happen, and let his head droop.

 

"Oh, son of a biiIIIIITCH!" He screamed out as he was flung about thirty feet into the air by the pressurised pad.

 

The other students watched, wide-eyed, at the wannabe knight falling down into the forest under the eyes of the teachers. Ozpin, for his part, simply took a sip of his drink before turning to the other students, some of them noticeably more nervous than before.

 

"Now then." The headmaster asked. "Who would like to go next?"


	5. Initiation P2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaune fights his first Grimm and gains some unexpected attention.

The sky over the Emerald Forest was peaceful, an long stretch of blue with scattered white puffs throughout. A calming silence filled the air...followed by the screams of a still falling Jaune Arc, who continued to spiral towards the ground at an accelerated rate.

 

 _WHAT DO I DO? WHAT DO I DO!?_   He screamed to himself mentally. _OK, OK. LEGS FIRST? NO, I WOULD BREAK MY LEGS. HEAD FIRST? NO, THAT’S WORSE! SHIT SHIT SHIIIIIIIIIIIIT!_

 

Jaune continued to scream internally and externally as he rocketed into the ground leg first. Dust shot up into the air, marking his landing known to the other students. Meanwhile, Jaune climbed out of the crater he created, breathing heavily and thanking whatever god was out there that allowed him to use his Aura as a shield at the last second. He bent his legs reflexively, and sighed in relief when he realized they weren't broken.

 

"Ok, still alive and in one piece. Great start." He groaned, shifting as he slowly pushed himself to his feet, scanning the forest for any of his fellow students "Alright, just gotta find someone to be my partner. Ruby’s nice, but she might prefer to be with her sister...Blake seemed nice, but she was a bit intense...maybe Daniel’s out here somewhe--!"

 

Jaune was cut off by the sound of a growling of a Grimm. He whipped around, coming face to muzzle with an Ursa which let out a mighty roar, causing Jaune to stumble backward. He quickly equipped Crocea Mors and his shield backing away from the Grimm slowly, remembering Daniel’s advice.

 

 _Remember, fighting the Grimm is like fighting a bully..._ Jaune recalled. _Ok, maybe a bigger bully then normal. Move faster than them, look for the weak spots, typically the stomach or underside. Most importantly, never be afraid. They feed off of that shit, so stay strong._

 

Jaune took a breath, and began to circle around the Ursa, which tracked him with haunting red eyes. Than, it leap forward, swiping right into Jaune’s shield, throwing him to the left. Jaune dodged a second swipe, and stabbed at the Ursa’s stomach. It must have cut the skin, because the Ursa roared in rage and swiped right into the shield, making a visible claw mark as it flew from Jaune’s grasp. Jaune swiped in return across it’s face, disorienting it as he landed another stab right in it’s side. The Ursa howled in pain, and then disintegrated. Jaune wheezed as he caught his breath, one thought running through his mind.

 

"I...I did it. I killed an Ursa!" He cheered, raising his arms in celebration.

 

"You sure did."

 

Jaune jumped and let out a girly scream at the appearance of Pyrrha behind him. He blushed at his blunder, before realizing they had made eye contact. "So...partners, huh?" He asked gingerly, surprised as the girl beamed at him excitedly.

 

"Guess so."

 

Jaune couldn’t help but return the smile the green-eyed girl offered him, nodding in acceptance. "Well, I think we’ll do great together."

\---------

Line Break

\---------

 

"NOT GREAT, VERY NOT GREAT!" Jaune screamed this while he was on the top of a Deathstalker that was currently chasing his partner through the forest. In hindsight, maybe a glowey thing in a creepy cave WASN’T a great thing to try and grab, but hey! They were looking for artifacts of some kind, right? Jaune continued to hack at said glowey bit on the end of the Deathstalker’s tail, no damage being inflicted. "WHY! WON’T! YOU! BREAK?!"

 

Right on que, a metallic snap echoed through the forest as Crocea Mors broke, half the blade lodged in the Tail, the rest of the blade attached to it’s hilt still in Jaune’s shaking hands. Jaune's wide eyes flicked to the hilt, than at the blade lodged in the tail.

 

_Dad’s gonna kill me._

 

This was Jaune’s last thought before the Deathstalker flung him into the sky, sending him crashing into another solid object. As he landed in a tree, he noticed what, or whom, the other object was. "Ruby?!"

 

"Jaune?" The younger girl asked, smiling as she recognized him. "Oh, hey! Little busy at the moment, but it’s good to see you!" Ruby then zipped out of the tree, knock Jaune from his precarious space onto a bigger branch. He looked out from the tree and noticed three things.

 

#1: Ruby had joined Yang, Blake, and two other female student’s nearby, standing near some kind of ruins.

 

#2: Along with the Deathstalker chasing his partner, a Nevermore was now also attacking them. Fantastic.

 

#3: Weiss was now falling from the sky, apparently having been dropped by the Nevermore. She was falling **fast**.

 

Jaune knew that the others couldn’t catch Weiss at the moment, and immediately went into a sprinting position, and starting to run towards the end of the branch.

 

"I’m the boss, I’m the boss, I’m the boss." He mutter, before jumping of the branch with all the might in his legs "I’M THE BOSS!"

 

Jaune than leapt off the branch, catching Weiss mid-air, extending his shield, and falling to the earth below, landing on his side, fully protecting Weiss. As they both sat up, she stared at him in surprise and confusion. In response, he shot her a wink and shrugged. "Just, uh, dropping in?"

 

Before his pun could fully be registered, Jaune was almost knocked back over when a girl with orange hair and turquoise eyes zipped over to him, eyes wide with excitement.

 

"That was AWESOME! How’d you do that?!" The new girl asked excitedly, only for the girl with black hair pulled her away slightly, a stoic expression on her face.

 

"Nora, please. Give them some space. They just fell from the sky." She 

 

"Actually, only Weiss fell from the sky." Yang quipped, offering Jaune a hand. "Blondie just fell on his ass."

 

Jaune gratefully took Yang's hand, and rose to his feet. As he and Weiss stood up, Pyrrha landed at their feet, looking exhausted. Jaune offered his partner a hand, smiling bashfully. "Sorry, I kinda forgot about that."

 

"Great! The gang's all here! Now we can die together!" Yang cheered in a mock-happy tone, before Ruby rushed up beside her, loading Crescent Rose.

 

"Not if I can help it!" She said, before shouting a battle cry and rushing towards the Grimm.

 

"Ruby, wait!" Yang shouted, starting after her brash sister, followed by Blake and Weiss. Meanwhile, Ruby, still screaming, fired Crescent Rose and charged at the oncoming Deathstalker. When the two met, the large Grimm swiped Ruby away and knocked her back. Ruby got up slowly _,_ groaning a quick, "D-Do-Don't worry! Totally fine!" before turning back to the monster and shooting it in the skull, running away from it and sheathing her scythe as the Death Stalker chased after her.

 

"RUBY!" Yang called, her heart pounding at the sight of her sister in danger. Ruby rushed towards Yang, but the Nevermore that had been circling the fight cawed above them, flapping its wings and releasing lines of sharpened feathers with points that simultaneously caught on Ruby's cape and prevented Yang from reaching her. "Ruby, get out of there!" Yang cried again, blasting at the feathers with he gauntlets.

 

"I'm trying!" Ruby cried, still struggling with the cloak.  Jaune was now panicking as well, noticing the Deathstalker getting closer to Ruby. He quickly thought of what to do before an insane idea hit him. Daniel often talked about semblances, how cool they were and the awesome stuff they allowed their users to do. Jaune recalled a familiar one, the one belonging to Mistral's Champion.

 

"Pyrrha, your semblance is polarity, right?" He asked hastily, surprising the redhead.

 

"Wha-yes, why?"

 

"Ok, um, Nora, right?" Jaune asked, turning to the hammer-wielder with newfound determination. "When I say go, use your hammer thingy, and hit me with all of your force, and Pyrrha will use my breastplate to guide me further."

 

The other students looked shocked, and look ready to protest, but Jaune cuts them off. "No time for a debate! Get ready!"

 

Jaune prepared his shield and what was left of his sword in a forward striking position, and Nora readied her hammer. Pyrrha, still nervous, gazed fearfully at Jaune. "Jaune-"

 

"GO!" He shouted, and with that, Nora threw all of her might into swinging her hammer, hit Jaune right on the back of his breastplate, sending him flying. Pyrrha quickly broke out of her stupor, using her semblance to guide Jaune further, right onto the Deathstalker’s armored head, distracting it from Ruby. It screeched in rage as he trust the remains of his sword into it’s eyes repeatedly, using his shield for extra force. "Please die, please die, PLEASE DIE!" He screamed, half angry and half terrified.

 

The Deathstalker continued to howl and scream until it stopped moving, shuddered, and than fell with a mighty groan. Silence engulfed the field as the Nevermore seemed to lose interest, put off by the death of it’s fellow Grimm, and retreated for the moment. Jaune, for his part, climbed of the Grimm and fell to his knees, breathing heavily.

 

"That...actually...worked?" Jaune asked breathlessly, a semi-delirious chuckle slipping past his lips before he was interrupted by Ruby, who was now free and scanning him rapidly searching for injuries.

 

"You just...you could have…!" Ruby fumbled, before she gasped, noticing his shattered blade, now even more damaged than before. "Y-your sword! It’s ruined!"

 

Jaune noticed tears welling up in Ruby’s eyes, and he quickly brushed the flowing ones away. "Hey. HEY."

 

Ruby met his eyes, cool silver and warm blue meeting in a calming trance. "It’s fine, Ruby. That was just a sword. It’s replaceable. You’re not."

 

Ruby flushed red at this admission, but was interrupted as Yang scooped Jaune into a surprising hug.

 

"You, Arc, are something else!" Yang cowed, beaming at the blushing knight. "You just saved my baby sister in possibly the most **badass** display I’ve ever seen! I could kiss you right now!"

 

"Well, I’m not stopping you." Jaune said, blushing an even deeper shade of red as he realized what he said. Yang, however, only looked surprised for a moment before grinning widely.

 

"You’re absolutely right, lover boy!" She agreed, and without another word, Yang’s lips crashed into Jaune’s, who let the human equivalent of a “Fatal Error” sound. As she pulled back, she couldn’t help but grin at Jaune’s entirely red face and swirling eyes.

 

"Yang, did you have to break Jaune?" Blake asked, unamused with her partner's antics. "I had my own praise to give."

 

"As did I!" Pyrrha said, crossing her arms in slight irritation. "I never expected such an ingenious plan from him!"

 

"Me too! That was even COOLER than the first thing he did!" Nora cheered, practically vibrating with excitement.

 

"Even I must agree with Nora here, his actions were quite impressive." Lian added, a small smile forming on her face.

 

"I suppose it was a bit impressive." Weiss muttered, flinching slightly as six pairs of doubtful eyes glared at her as she held up her hands defensively. "Ugh, FINE! It was impressive, now stop trying to guilt me!"

 

Jaune finally came out of his stupor, shaking his head to clear his mind. "Really, guys, it’s fine. I just protected my friend. Nothing any of you wouldn't have done."

 

Now seven sets of eyes glared at Jaune in doubt, all of which he did his best to ignore. "C’mon, we need to grab those relics and get back to the cliffs." He said, offering Ruby his hand, and pulling her to her feet. Ruby grinned at Jaune taking charge, and nodded in agreement.

 

"You heard him, girls! Let’s get moving!" Ruby cheered, and with that, they were off.

 

~~~~~

"Jaune Arc. Lian Ren. Pyrrha Nikos. Nora Valkyrie." Ozpin announced, the chatter of the other freshman teams dying down as he spoke. "The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team JNPR."

 

Amid the clapping of the crowd, Nora laughs and gives Ren a hug as Ozpin continued, a small smile on the man's face. "Led by... Jaune Arc!"

 

"Huh? L-Led by...?" Jaune stuttered, completely shocked that **he** was assigned as leader. 

 

"Congratulations, young man." Ozpin hummed, nodding to him respectfully. A grinning Pyrrha offers a friendly shoulder bump to Jaune, who looked confused, but also thrilled. The four hurried back to their spots, excited to see the last team announced.

 

"And finally: Blake Belladonna. Ruby Rose. Weiss Schnee. Yang Xiao Long.  The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team RWBY." Ozpin annoced, smiling once more as he continued. "Led by... Ruby Rose!"

 

Weiss, to her right, looked surprised, where Ruby is obviously in shock as Yang leaned over to hug her sister and Blake smiled approvingly. "I'm so proud of you!" Yang cheered, ignoring her sister's groans.

 

"It looks like things are shaping up to be an... interesting year." Ozpin hummed, before walking off stage, leaving the applauding students to their devices.

 

 _Couldn’t have said it better myself, Ozpin._ Jaune thought to himself, smiling as he leaned back in his seat, shutting his eyes. _It really was going to be a crazy year._


	6. Jaunedice P1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaune makes an enemy, and a deal.

At the moment, Jaune Arc had a pretty awesome life. He was currently training to be a Huntsman at Beacon Academy. Originally, his plan had been to simply join up at Beacon with his best friend Daniel, and ride it out solo once Daniel graduated. However, that was before he met Team RWBY, Pyrrha Nikos, Nora Valkyrie, and Lie Ren. Now, not only did he have a group of spectacular friends, but he was also leader on a team of trainees. LEADER! Who would have thought?

 

The first week of classes had flown by with little difficulty. Jaune and his friends met their teachers and gotten into the routine of what Beacon would be like. There had been a small incident between Ruby and Weiss near the start, but they made up quickly, and have been working well since. That being said, there was one problem in Jaune’s life right now. That problem’s name was Cardin Winchester.

 

At first,  it started out small. Cardin would make passing remarks and jokes at Jaune’s expensive, than it escalated to Cardin physically bullying Jaune. So far, no one else has noticed the bullying occurring. Jaune could fight back, but in the end, he knew it wouldn’t help. He’d just get in trouble and make Cardin hate him more, so he just powered through it. That was working out fine...until his friends started asking questions.

 

"Jaune? Are you okay?"

 

Jaune blinked as he noticed his partner and Ruby were now staring at him as he played with his food in the mess hall. "Huh? Oh, yeah! Why?"

 

"It's just that you seem a little... not okay..." Ruby commented, frowning slightly at her friend. At this point, all members of both teams were staring at him, causing him to sweat nervously. He quickly faked a smile and gave a weak thumbs up.

 

"Guys, I’m fine, seriously!" He said with forced enthusiasm, only to be met with doubtful glares until another voice spoke up behind him.

 

"Could’ve fooled me." Daniel quipped, Jaune suppressing a groan as he turned to look at his best friend, whose smile seemed a bit thinner than usual. "Jaune, Cardin's been picking on you since the first week of school!"

 

"Who? Cardin Winchester?" Jaune asked, feigning incompetence. "Nah... He just likes to mess around! You know, practical jokes!"

 

"He's a _bully_." Ruby said with a growl.

 

"Oh, please! Name _one_ time he's 'bullied' me." Jaune said, only to be met with a chorus of examples.

 

"He smacked your books out of your hand for walking near him."

 

"He got you lodged in a doorway with your own shield!"

 

"He trapped you in your locker and shot you into the sky." Blake said, all heads turning to look at her with that example, and then back to Jaune.

 

"Did he now…" Daniel seethed, a hand falling on his cannon, which was currently holstered. Jaune noticed the legitimate anger in Daniels tone, and quickly tried to laugh it off.

 

"I, uh, I didn't land far from the school!"

 

"Jaune, you know if you ever need help, you can just ask." Pyrrha said, her eyes softening on her leader.

 

"Ooooh! We'll break his legs!" Nora crowed, cackling evilly at the thought. Daniel also grinned, nodding in approval.

 

"I like the way you think, pinky."

 

"Guys, really, it's fine!" Jaune protested, trying to keep things from escalating. "Besides, it's not like he's only a jerk to _me_ ; he's a jerk to everyone."

 

They all jump slightly and look over as nearby laughing grows louder, mixed in with cries of pain from a rabbit girl when one of her ears are tugged on by Cardin.

 

"Ow! That hurts! P-please, stop!" The girl cried, tears slipping down her face. Cardin just continued laughing as he turned to his teammates.

 

"I told you they were real!" The bully said, a twisted smile on his face.

 

"What a freak!" One of his cronies, Russel, jeered.

 

The two teams watched this display in disgust, Weiss muttering “racist pig” while Blake looked ready to skin Cardin alive. Turns out, she’d have to get in line.

 

"Ok, that’s it."

 

Jaune suddenly rose to his feet, a look of anger on his face before a hand clapped on his shoulder, and he turned to see Daniel, who's expression was just as pissed.

 

"Sit this one out, buddy." The gunslinger growled. "I'll show you how it's done."

 

With that, he stalked over to where Cardin sat, still pulling on the girl’s ears, and slapped his hand away from her. Cardin recoiled in surprise, than rose to his feet, followed by his cronies.

 

"Hey, what gives?" Cardin gassed, glaring at Daniel. "I was just having a little fun with the freak!"

 

"I think she’d disagree with that statement." Daniel said, his tone ominously calm. "Now, you are going to apologize to Ms. Scarlatina, and pay for her lunch that you ruined."

 

Cardin barked a harsh laugh at this, making Velvet wince while Daniel’s glare stayed strong. "Oh yeah? Or else what?"

 

Daniel also laughed, before his demeanor became stern once more. "Or else **this.** "

 

On the word “this”, Daniel clocked Cardin in the nose, twisted his right arm behind his back, and slammed him into the table with a loud crash. Russel Thrush and Sky Lark looked ready to defend their leader until they found themselves looking at the business end of Daniel’s hand cannon, nicknamed “Destiny”.

 

"So, ready to be more of a gentleman and apologize?"

 

"You freak-loving pri-" Cardin snarled, before shouting in pain as Daniel increased the pressure on his arm.

 

"That doesn't sound like a **sorry** , Cardin."

 

"Alright, alright!" Cardin shouted, clearly done with the torment. "I’m sorry, Velvet. I’m sorry!"

 

Daniel released Cardin, who chucked out some Lien and spat on the floor. "I’ll remember this!"

 

"Yeah, I’m sure you will, asshole." Daniel growled as the bully's retreated, handing Velvet the Lien, and gave her a two-finger salute. "Stay safe, V. Tell me or my friend Jaune if you have anymore problems, ok?"

 

Without waiting for a response, Daniel walked away and returned to Team RWBY and what remained of Team JPNR, who looked shocked. "The nerve of some people, really. Someone otta...why are you guys staring at me?"

 

"That was...awesome! You kicked his ass!" Ruby cheered, making Daniel arch an eyebrow.

 

"That was very kind of you, Daniel." Blake commented, tilting her head in thought. "Many people wouldn’t have help Velvet in that situation."

 

"I agree with Blake. Taking action on behalf of Velvet was very gallant of you." Pyrrha added, smiling at the boy, who looked genuinely surprised at the praise , and shrugs dismissively.

 

"Eh, I just did what I thought was right. Just like...Jaune?" Daniel excused, trailing off when he realized that Jaune was nowhere to be seen. "Hey, where the hell did Jaune go?"

 

Pyrrha and the others also looked around, noticing that Jaune had left without making a noise. "I...didn’t realize that he left...Maybe we should look for him."

 

"Good idea, P-money." Daniel agreed, earning a "HEY!" from Yang. "If you guys are up to it, we could--"

 

"MR. WILSON!"

 

Daniel visibly sagged at the sound of the Glynda Goodwitch's pissed tone, turning in his seat to face her. "A word, please."

 

Daniel audibly groaned, but nodded, standing to follow her, tossing a parting remark to the RWBY and the others as he left.

 

"Looks like it’s up to you to find Jaune. If I’m never seen again, tell Jaune that Dark Hood comics are  better than X-Ray and Vav. It’s not true, but it’ll piss him off."

\---------

Line Break

\---------

 

Jaune stalked the hallways on the way to his next class, feeling physically deflated. He could have helped Daniel deal with Cardin, he SHOULD have helped Daniel, but he was a coward and left instead. He wasn’t like Daniel. He wasn’t strong, or badass, or a crack shot. He was just a kid. His thoughts continued to spiral until he made contact with something solid, stumbling slightly. As he saved himself, he realized who had tripped him.

 

"What do you want, Cardin?"

 

"C’mon, Arc. I just wanted to chat." The bully said with a fake jovial tone. Jaune growled in frustration, trying to move past the bully.

 

"Yeah, I’m good." He growled, sick of Cardin's games.

 

"Excuse me?" Cardin asked, before grabbing Jaune by the back of his hoodie, only to have Jaune bat his arm away and face him, obviously furious. Cardin just laughed. "So, you’ve finally grown a pair, huh Arc?"

 

"We’re not doing this anymore. You can’t keep tormenting me for no reason." Jaune hissed, his hands balling into fists.

 

"Oh, I can, and I **will**." Cardin growled, before he shoved Jaune, causing him to stumble and fall on his ass. Again, Cardin laughed loudly. "You’re pathetic. You don’t even deserve to be here."

 

Jaune slumped at his harsh, and potentially true words. Than, he set his jaw and met Cardin’s eyes.  "Well, if I’m so pathetic, than it wouldn’t hurt you to make a deal, would it?"

 

Cardin tilted his head, but listened with mild interest.

 

"We fight in combat class on Friday." Jaune explained, his eyes hard. "If you win, I’ll let you keep doing this, and I’ll never say a word. If I win, you leave me alone and never, EVER hurt me **or** my friends again."

 

Cardin mulled over the proposition, then grinned sinisterly. "Alright, twerp. You got a deal. Let’s shake on it."

 

Cardin offers a hand, which Jaune accepts, only to have Cardin drop him back on his ass after they shake. "See you on Friday, loser!" With that, he left Jaune, who sat on the floor for many more minutes, wondering just how he was going to beat Cardin in a fight.

 


	7. Jaunedice P2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaune get's ready for his fight with Cardin, but his stress gets to him and he snaps.

"Jaune, are you alright? You seem...stressed."

 

Jaune snapped out of his stupor at Ruby's remark, and stopped pacing. Teams RWBY and JNPR had met in the library to study for Oobleck’s latest test, but Jaune had only studied for a few minutes before standing up and proceeding to pace around the entire library for about twenty minutes. At this point, both teams looked thoroughly concerned with the blonde knight's state.

 

"O-oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to distract you guys! I just have...something on my mind." 

 

"Do you mind filling us in?" Wiess huffed, setting down her text book with a look of annoyance. "It’s not like we’re getting much work done anyways thanks to your pacing."

 

Jaune sighed, and spilled the truth about why he was so stressed. He told them about his altercation with Cardin, and the deal he had made. However, his friends didn’t seem to concerned. Nora was especially vocal on that point.

 

"So what if that bully wants to fight you?" Nora asked, her typical jovial nature still present. "You’re our fearless leader, just WIPE THE FLOOR WITH HIM!"

 

"Nora, it’s not that simple." Ren interjected "Cardin isn’t some Grimm Jaune can stab a few times and be done with. He’s a human...an obnoxious, racist, prick of a human, but a human nonetheless."

 

'Exactly!" Jaune groaned, finally slumped into a chair, looking defeated. "He’s smart, strategically speaking. That's why he’s a team leader, for Oum’s sake! He knows how to fight, and last I checked, the most impressive move I pulled off with my weapons was break them. I’m just not prepared to fight him!"

 

A pregnant silence fell over the library for a moment, before the red reaper spoke up. "Well...what if we helped you get better?"

 

Jaune perked up slightly as he and the rest of his friends turned to Ruby for clarification. "Think about it! We all have certain strategies that we use for combat, so if we teach them to Jaune, he’ll be prepared to fight Cardin, and anyone who comes after!"

 

Another brief pause occurred as the members of both teams glanced at each other, until Jaune shot up, a huge grin on his face.

 

"Ruby, you’re a genius!" he cried. "You and Blake could be the fast moving targets, Yang and Nora could be the heavy hitters, Pyrrha and Weiss could be the strategists, and Ren and Daniel could be the ranged attackers! It all works out!"

 

Jaune crossed over to Ruby quickly, wrapping her into a hug. As he released her, he beamed at her with exceptional joy. "You’re the best, Rubes! Never let anyone tell you otherwise."

 

Jaune tilted his head in confusion after he pulled back, noticing Ruby’s face was a darker shade of red then her cloak. However, he was interrupted by a cough from an unamused looking Weiss. "Are you just going to assume that we all agree to this?"

…

"Well, I’d love to help Jaune." Pyrrha stated, smiling warmly at Jaune.

 

"Yeah, I’m in too." Yang agreed, grinning widely at the knight.

 

"I can’t see why we shouldn’t help." Blake added, followed by Ren.

 

"I’m in as well."

 

"LET’S DO IT!" Nora cheered, now on one of the chairs they had been using.

 

"YEAH! WHAT AM I AGREEING TO?!"

 

Jaune and Ruby jumped at Daniel’s sudden appearance next to them. "Oh, hi Daniel! We’re were just discussing helping Jaune get better at fighting for his duel with Cardin on Friday."

 

"A duel, huh?" He mused with a grin. "Well, count me in! I got a few tricks up my sleeve that Jaune could use to knock that prick on his ass."

 

At this point, they all turned and glared at Weiss, who hadn’t yet agreed to the arrangement. After a moment, she huffed and visibly caved. "Fine, I’ll help as well! I don’t know why I’m always the one who see the flaws in these plans!"

 

"Sorry, Weiss. You don’t have to help if you don’t want to. I’m sure the other will teach me plenty." Jaune said bashfully, not wanting to bother her. However, Weiss just waved her hand dismissively, an accepting smile on her face.

 

"It’s fine, Jaune. Besides, you would be at a disadvantage without my guidance."

 

Jaune chuckled, and returned Weiss's smile, once again missing the girl's blush. "Well, I can’t argue with that. So, how do we do this?"

 

With that, the two teams and senior student began to plan how they would train Jaune for the fight. They set it up so that the first day Pyrrha, Ruby, Nora, and Ren would train Jaune, day two Weiss, Blake, Yang, and Daniel would train him, and on day three, they’d all train Jaune in teams of two. After it was decided, they all went their separate ways for the evening.

 

Over the next two days, they put their plan to action. The first day went well, Jaune learned a bit from each of his friends and their combat forms. While Ruby was fast paced and kept him moving, fighting Nora was about moving exactly at the right moment and attacking when she’s distracted. Fighting Ren required lots of blocking with his shield, while fighting Pyrrha didn’t have a particular counter, and was more just about adapting to her style and staying alert. Overall, he learned a lot and was glad his friends were helping him.

 

On day two, however, training went less well. While fighting Blake was similar to Ruby, her semblance also made properly tracking and countering her attacks. Weiss fought in a more offensive nature than he had expected, as she used her glyphs to move quickly and add force to her strikes. Yang was friendly during her fights, quipping as she and Jaune traded blows. However, Yang also hit hard, and had the benefit of ranged attacks thanks to Ember Cecilia. This combination of these factor made fighting Yang a workout on it’s own, draining Jaune of most of his energy before his final fight. Daniel’s fights wasn’t as had as Jaune had expect, thought this was their first time sparring. Since Daniel’s main attacks came from his hand cannon,  the only challenge was blocking his shots and striking without getting hit. Obviously, dummy rounds were used for training, but they still hurt like a bitch. Regardless, while the sparring was helpful, he still needed to train more before he could fight Cardin.

 

Finally, the third day rolled around. It was the last day Jaune had to train before going head to head with Cardin, and to say he was stressed was a gross understatement. After barely getting any sleep, suffering through Oobleck’s test and the rest of his classes, Jaune met up with his friends in the training arena for their final session, looking about as friendly as a starved Ursa Major.  The members of RWBY, NPR, as well as Daniel eyed him warily.

 

"You alright there, Jaune?" The gunslinger asked, concerned about his friend's appearance. "You look a bit...how do I phrase this nicely…"

 

"Like shit?" Jaune finished. Ruby and Pyrrha visibly flinched at Jaune's harsh tone, much to his surprise. He sighed, and quickly offered his friends a thin smile. "I’ll be fine, guys. So, what’s the plan?"

 

"Well, we didn’t have any particular plan for today, sooooo, what do think, Jaune?" Ruby asked still a bit suprised by Jaune's attitude.

 

Jaune thought for a moment, before shrugging and nodding to Yang. "I still need to be prepared for Cardin, and he strikes me as a brawler. You up for a spar, Yang?"

 

Yang shot Jaune a broad grin, cracking her knuckles in anticipation. "You know it, blondie! Let’s kick it!"

 

Jaune nodded with an unprovoked expression, much to Yang’s disappointment. The two made their way down to the arena while the rest of their respective teams and Daniel took their seats near the platform. Jaune equipped his shield and the replacement sword he had been provided after Crocea Mors had broken during initiation. It wasn’t much, but it worked for training. Jaune contemplated when he would get together with Ruby to repair his sword, but that would have to wait. Yang primed Ember Cecilia, and met Jaune’s eyes, smirking.

 

"Ready, lover boy?" She asked wittily, before Jaune gave a weak thumbs up, and Yang’s smile fall in response.

 

"3...2...1...FIGHT!"

 

Yang quickly launched herself forward with a few shots from her gauntlets, landing a kick into Jaune’s shield as he braced himself. He launched her off with a shove, as she flipped in the air for dramatic effect, coming down feet first, straightening out with a dramatic flourish. "And she sticks th-WOAH!"

 

Yang quickly leaned back as Jaune’s blade swished right through the area she had been standing in post fall, stumbling and trying to regain her footing. She looked up at Jaune’s face prepared to protest, but stopped dead in her track when she saw his face. He looked...angry. His blue eyes seemed darker then before, and his stance was borderline menacing. Before she could analyze him further, he lunged forward once more, thrusting his sword towards her. She blocked the slash with her gauntlet, and threw her own punch, only to meet the cold metal of his shield. She hissed in pain, but was thrown off again as Jaune kicked her, sending her back farther than she had expected. She was fairly sure she heard a gasp one of her teammates, but ignored it, get back to her feet.

 

"Ok, Arc." She growled, her eyes flashing red. "The kiddie gloves are coming off!"

 

Jaune didn’t respond, only bringing up his shield in a defensive stance. Yang fought the urge to sneer, and charged at the knight. He blocked the first few blows, slashed once at Yang, and then her fist met his face. There was an audible _CRACK_ as Jaune flew back, eliciting a gasp from both teams. Yang’s satisfaction quickly transitioned into fear as she realized what she had done, quickly rushing to Jaune’s side. To her surprise, Jaune sat up on his own, shifting to his knees and trying to stand up.

 

"‘M fine. We can keep going." He groaned, before hissing at the apparent pain in his jaw.

 

Yang sputtered in disbelief, shaking her head as she pushed him back down as gently as she could. "Yeah, no. We’re taking a break, Jaune."

 

Jaune seemed annoyed, but was quickly overruled as the rest of their teams closed in, making sure he was alright. "I said I’m fine. Now can we please get back to-"

 

"Nope! Not happening!" Ruby interrupted, followed closely by Pyrrha.

 

"Jaune, you’re in no condition to fight! If you didn’t have aura, your nose would be broken right now."

 

Jaune frowned at this, and practically growled his response. "Well, I DO have aura, and I still need to get better at fighting, so let's just keep going."

 

At this point, both Ruby and Pyrrha looked pissed at Jaune’s blatant disregard of their warnings. Nevertheless, he began to stand up before a hand landed on his shoulder, belonging to Daniel.

 

Daniel: Jaune, at least take a breather for a few minutes.

 

Jaune glared at his best friend, and shrugged the hand of his shoulder in an aggressive motion that shocked all of them. Daniel specifically narrowed his eyes, but said nothing.

 

"Look, you guys said that this training would help me beat Cardin, and I clearly can’t beat him yet, so I need to keep going!" Jaune spat, before turning andheading back to the stage when a hand grabbed his wrist, holding him back.

 

"Alright, what’s else is going on with this fight?" Yang asked, frowning deeply at him.

 

"What are you-"

 

"Did you bet Lien? Something personal?" She pressed, her grip growing tighter.

 

"What? No! Why would I-"

 

"Than why are you so invested in this?! If it was the bullying, than we could help you, we **would** help you!" 

 

"That’s not it…" Jaune muttered. Up until this point, the two had been arguing in normal tones, becoming gradually aggressive much to their friend’s discomfort. Suddenly, Yang yanked Jaune closer and gripped his arms tightly, keeping him in place.

 

"Than what is going on? Why the hell are you so damn invested in this? WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO PROVE?!"

 

" **I’M TRYING TO PROVE THAT I BELONG HERE! THAT I AM STRONG ENOUGH TO BECOME A HUNTSMAN, THAT I CAN PROTECT PEOPLE! I JUST WANT TO HAVE SOME WORTH FOR ONCE IN MY DAMN LIFE!** " **  
  
**

Jaune roared all of this right into Yang’s face, shocking her and the other students. The absolute rage in voice practically shook the room. After he finished, Yang let him go and he fell to his knees, and slumped backwards next to a bench. "I-I just want to help people. Why is it that no one thinks I can?"

 

The silence after the shouting match was deafening, as the teams looked at each other in shock, trying to decide what to do next. Finally, Ruby stepped up, crouching next to Jaune and speaking softly.

 

"Jaune, I’m sure that’s not true. I know that people believe in you! What about your family?"

 

"I...I had to leave for Beacon in the middle of the night." He confesed, tone cracking with emotion. "I left a note for them to tell them where I was going. Only my Dad thought I should go. Everyone else, my Mom, my sisters, they all said that I wasn’t ready."

 

"W-well, what about your teachers?" Ruby podded further, though gentally.

 

Jaune scoffed before continuing. "I told my all my teachers that I had sent an application to Beacon. All but one of them laughed at me, and the one that didn’t was my combat instructor. He just patted my shoulder and wished me luck wherever I ended up."

 

At this point, Jaune met Ruby’s eyes and smiled sadly.

 

"You know what the worst part is, Rubes? They're right. I don’t deserve to be here."

 

"Jaune, that’s not-"

 

"I forged my transcripts."

 

Time itself seemed to freeze. Ruby’s wide eyes locked with his as Jaune chuckled bitterly. "Wha...you…"

 

"My combat tests were never good enough to get me in, my scores always just a bit lower than they should have been." Jaune whispered, barly keeping his tears back. "So...I got my hands on some fake transcripts, submitted them, and waited."

 

Jaune’s eyes finally came to rest on the floor, and Ruby stood up, not quite sure how to handle this revelation. The rest of teams RWBY and JNPR were silent as well, and quietly began to file out of the room. Jaune stayed silent, know that this was only fair. After several minutes of silence, a single pair of footsteps echoed through the room as Daniel came to Jaune’s side.

 

"Jaune...is that true? You really forged your transcripts?" He asked quietly. Jaune winced visibly at the disappointment in his friend’s tone, but nodded in acceptance. Daniel sighed, and crouched down to Jaune’s level. While he expected a lecture or a harsh reprimand, Jaune was meet by a comforting hand on his shoulder and a thin smile. "It’s ok, Jaune. I still believe in you."

 

Just like that, the dam broke. Tears poured from Jaune’s eyes as he latched onto his friend, bawling into his uniform as Daniel hugged him. After several minutes, Jaune finally composed himself as he and Daniel sat next to each other on a bench next to the stage. "Why do you still believe in me, Daniel?"

 

Daniel arched an eyebrow at this question, and then burst into laughter. When he notice the confused look on Jaune’s face, he coughed and quickly composed himself. "Sorry, sorry. Ahem. Jaune, you are accident prone. You’re a dork. You can make mistakes, and you do so often."

 

"Wow, really buttering me up, huh?" Jaune deadpanned, making his friend chuckle.

 

"Shush. As I was saying, you can make mistakes...because you are human." Daniel expleained. "You are just a guy trying to reach his goal, and you know what? Your goal are to protect people. You, Jaune Arc, have a heart of gold. Maybe not pure gold, but pretty damn close."  
  


Jaune gazed at his friend’s confident smile with watery eyes, thanking whatever god blessed him with a friend that had his back through everything. Still, he had his doubts. "But after what I did, do I deserve to be a Huntsman? Huntsmen are supposed to be loyal, moral protectors. Do I deserve that title?"

 

Now, Daniel’s face fell completely, confusing Jaune. Daniel’s hand landed on Jaune’s shoulder, and looked him dead in the eye.  
  


"Jaune, I’m about to hit you with a truth bomb, so please, listen to me. Huntsmen and Huntresses are NOT pure beings. We have flaws, and we can do bad things. We can hurt people, Jaune. Not Grimm, people. We... **We can kill them.** "

 

Daniel’s eyes seemed to glaze over with that last sentence, an serious expression frozen on his face. Jaune debated internally why Daniel was talking like this. Sure, he was two years older than Jaune, but Daniel had only been a Beacon for a year, not counting the year he left early for “specialized training”. Jaune still had no idea why Daniel had left school a year early for that, but he’d have to ask later. Right now, he had a pressing question on his mind. "Um, Daniel? You're...ok, right?"

 

Daniel blinked, and leaned back. A smile crept back on his face, but it seemed...strained, now. Like he wanted it to be genuine, but couldn’t quite make it real.

 

"Yeah, I’m fine. Just...got some things on my mind." He admitted, before chnaging the subject. "Anyway, that’s not important. You, sir, need to go apologies to your friends, and figure this thing out. If you lose your friends over this, Cardin wins no matter what."

 

Jaune’s eyes widened and he launched up, looking terrified as he realized how he had yelled at his friends.

 

"You're right! I-I need to go apologies, right now!"

 

"Go, I’ll be waiting for you here. Good luck, man!"

 

With that, Jaune ran from the room, intent on finding his friends as apologizing for his actions. Daniel chuckled at Jaune’s eagerness, and stood up, prepared to leave when he heard a familiar voice behind him.

 

"Nice speech, man! Almost brought a tear to my eye." Cardin Winchester quipped, making Daniel roll his eyes and groan dramatically as he turned around, facing him, as well as Sky and Russel.

 

"What do you want, Cardin?"

 

Cardin shrugged, a far to smug smile on his face. "I want you to tell that moron Arc that even if he wins tomorrow, I’m still just gonna wide the floor with him later."

 

"Yeah, no. Not happening." Daniel said, an onch of heat entering his neutral tone. "Jaune’s gonna dunk your ass, and if you try to mess with him again, than I, RWBY, and JNPR will collectively break your legs, as well as your friends there." Daniel glanced at the boy flanking Cardin, and narrowed his eyes. "Hey, wasn’t there four of you?"

 

Cardin ignored Daniel, and instead took a step forward, still smiling. "So what? You’re gonna fight me if I try something?"

 

"I’ll kick your ass right now, Winchester." Daniel said idly, maintaining a calm tone.

 

Cardin’s grin grew, and he cracked his neck in preparation. "Alright, but there's one thing you should know first."

 

Daniel cocked an eyebrow and raised hands expectantly, but was thrown of guard when a needle plunged into the back of his neck. He shouted in pain, fell to his knees as whatever was in the syringe drained into him. Everything started to get fuzzy, and Daniel felt weaker, like his aura was being...nullified. The last coherent through in his head was looking up at Cardin and his now three goons, all looking ready for a fight.

 

" **I don’t fight fair.** "

~~~

"And I’m sorry that I yelled at you guys. I lost my cool, and that wasn’t, um, cool. I just want to...um...to…"

 

Jaune sighed as he faltered for the third time outside of RWBY’s dorm room. He needed to apologies, but he just didn’t know how. A regular ‘sorry’ didn’t work here, and he needed to show how sorry he was. "Come on, Arc, you can do this. You care about these people, you want them to like you, so stop pussing out over this and say that you’re sorry!"

 

Suddenly, the door opened, and the entirety of RWBY and the rest of JNPR stood there, watching him with sad eyes. Jaune felt his face flush as he realized that not only had they been in the room the whole time, but they had heard all his apology attempts.

 

"I-I’m sorry, guys." He stuttered, his chest feeling tighter than usual. I let you down and I know I can’t just fix it, but I want to try...i-if you’ll let me, of course."

 

Both teams exchanged glances, but before they could respond, a cry from the other end of the hall attracted their attention.

 

"Jaune, JAUNE!"

 

Jaune turned, surprised to see Velvet of all people practically sprinting towards him.

 

"V-velvet? Woah, slow down, what’s wrong?" Jaune asked, confused on her sudden appearance.

 

Velvet stopped for a moment when she reached Jaune catching her breath before she turned to him, her eyes wide with fear.

 

"It’s-it’s Daniel. He turned up in the medical bay a few minutes ago. Jaune...it’s bad."

 

Jaune’s eye widened, and he when he turned to Ruby, she met his eyes instantly.

 

"Let’s go."

 


	8. Jaunedice P3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaune reconnects with his friends, earns a new admirer, and begins his fight against Cardin.

Glynda Goodwitch never considered herself a “ _normal woman_ ”. She was preparing the next generation of warriors to combat forces of unimaginable power and numbers. She didn’t have time to appreciate the fine things in life, she had to ensure that there would be fine things to appreciate at all! Essentially, she was not known for her friendliness among students or staff. However, when she noticed Jaune Arc in a patient’s room during her rounds, she still felt a brief pang of concern. It seemed the patient was a long time friend of his.

 

Had anyone harmed her friends or colleagues like that, Glynda would be by their sides with a similar concern for their recovery.

 

She composed her thoughts as she approached, knocking softly on the door as she entered.

 

"Mr. Arc, while your compassion for your friend is commendable, I’d suggest getting some rest before class today."

 

Jaune jumped slightly, before turning and smiling at his teacher, who attempted to stop the happy flutter that rose from her chest when he did so. "Oh, hi Miss Goodwitch. I guess you’re right, I should-wait, today?"

 

Jaune glanced at the clock, and let out a short chuckle when he realized it was now midnight. His gaze returned to his fallen friend, who breathed steadily in his sleep. Glynda turned her own gaze to the man, and winched as she noticed his swollen face.

 

"I’m..I’m sorry about Mr. Wilson." She muttered softly, her normal tone slipping into a more sympathetic one.

 

Jaune nodded weakly, his smile now gone as he watched his friend’s chest rise and fall periodically. "Three cracked ribs, a broken arm, a fracture in his leg, and a busted up face weren't enough to keep him down. Apparently, he got a few punches in. Not enough, obviously."

 

Jaune sighed and slumped further, rubbing his eyes in exhaustion. Glynda felt another pang of sympathy, this one she allowed. She laid a hand on Jaune’s shoulder, causing him to jump in surprise. He seemed to calm down once he met her calm green eyes.

 

"Daniel will be alright, Jaune. He’s dealt with worse, trust me." She stated, her confidence restored. 

 

Jaune’s smile returned, and he placed his own hand over Glynda’s. "Thank you...and I do, you know. Trust you."

 

Now, Glynda had been teaching a Beacon for many years now. She had seen dozens, hundreds of students come and go, and yet, one boy genuinely admitting that he trusted her filled her with an indescribable feeling of hope. However, she was knocked out of her thoughts when she noticed Jaune was speaking again, now looking confused.

 

"What do you mean he’s dealt with worse, thought?" Jaune asked, tilting his head in confusion.

 

Glynda’s eyes widened as she realized that she let such information slip. If Ozpin was there, he would be in between scolding her and laughing at her infatuation. She blushed, yes, _blushed_ and quickly deflected.

 

"I-I must have misspoke. I’m sorry, Jaune. Perhaps you should head to bed now."

 

Jaune cocked an eyebrow, but smiled and nodded, standing and stretching as he prepared to leave.

 

"Yeah, you’re right." He agreed, standing and dusting himself off. "Thank you for coming to get me, Miss Goodwitch."

 

Despite the fact that she hadn't set out with the intention of finding Mr. Arc, the genuine appreciation in his voice caused Glynda to flush once more, and quickly turned away to hide her blush. "Of course. Rest easy, Jaune."

 

Jaune nodded, and began to leave for his dorm, but stopped half way, tossing a parting statement to the Huntress.

 

"He was drugged, you know." Jaune whispered, before his eyes flicked to hers. "The doctor said it was some new street drug, Nightlight. They said that it disorients it’s user, and nullifies aura. I...I know it’s a lot to ask, but if you could even think of whoever would have that type of drug, just please...please ask around. Thank you...Glynda."

 

With that, Jaune left Glynda to her thoughts. Glynda frowned as she also made departure, debating the prospect of Jaune’s words. Normally, she would never go off just the word of a student to launch some kind of investigation. However, Jaune Arc was no ordinary student, that was clear.

~~~

Jaune quietly shut the door to his dorm, and tiptoed quietly to his bed, shifting under the covers softly, fully prepared to fall asleep...as he noticed a two pairs of eyes above him. Before he could scream, a hand was over his mouth, and a sack over his head. With a burst of speed and motion that almost made Jaune puke, he found himself tied to a chair in a dark room. Before he could speak, a familiar voice addressed him.

 

"We had some questions for you, Mr. Arc."

 

"Um, Ruby? Why do I have a bag on my head?" Jaune asked, a bit confused by the sudden theatrics.

 

"O-oh! Sorry, forgot about that!"

 

Ruby quickly plucked the hood off Jaune, who took in his surroundings, noticing the rest of his team and team RWBY around him in their dorm. "So, why am I hear exactly? No offense, I’d just like to be sleeping before...well, you know."

 

"Well, we just wanted to let you know how we feel about your...confession." Ruby stated, looking a little awkward.

 

Jaune’s heart dropped as the shame of his actions returned. He had snapped on his friends, and acted like they didn’t even care about him.

 

"Guys, I’m-"

 

"Sorry. We know, Jaune." Blake interrupted, her tone unamused, but a small smile on her face. Yang stepped forward next, looking slightly embarrassed.

 

"I’m sorry too, Jaune." Yang added, twirling her hair as she spoke. "I shouldn’t have pushed you so hard, I just wanted to make sure that you were alright."

 

Weiss, Pyrrha, and Nora muttered similar concerns, all looking embarrassed, to Jaune’s surprise. He had been dreading this moment, believing that they would hate him for being so concerned with his own time rather than theirs. Instead, they had already forgiven him.

 

"Yang...thank you, for caring about me. Thank you all."

 

The group all flushed slightly at Jaune’s smile and praise, including Ren, who was sitting next to the rest of the girls, a smile on her face. Pyrrha was the first to speak after a brief pause.

 

"Now, with that out of the way, we have a more important matter to discuss. Your fight with Cardin."

 

Jaune scoffed and shook his head in defeat. "It doesn't matter. It’s just a spar. In the end, I’ll deal with Cardin regardless. I don’t need to beat him to know that I deserve to be a Huntsman, and I belong at this school."

 

"Damn straight, lover boy!" Yang cheered, her typical smile back on her face.

 

"I’m glad to see that you understand, but regardless, we know that you’re going to beat him." Pyrrha commented, smiling warmly at her leader.

 

Jaune cocked an eyebrow, but the rest of his friends agreed enthusiastically.

 

"Yeah! Cardin has nothing on Jaune!" Ruby crowed.

 

"That knuckle-headed fool won’t even be a challenge for you." Weiss added.

 

"You’ve improved far over Cardin’s level of skill, Jaune. You can beat him." Blake said.

 

"BREAK HIS LEGS!"

 

Everyone looked at Nora, who shrugged with a huge smile on her face. "What? You have your way, I have mine. Right, Renny?"

 

Ren nodded in agreement, offering her own smile and thumbs up before turning over and falling asleep again. Jaune laughed, and smiled at his friends once more.

 

"Thanks guys, I’m glad to see you believe in me. I have one last question, thought."

 

"Oh? What’s that?" Ruby asked, tilting her head in thought.

 

"Did you and Nora wait for me to undress before you brought me here?"

 

The other girls looked down and saw that, sure enough, Jaune was only wearing a white shirt and boxers. Their gazes than flew to Ruby and Nora, one who was blushing bright red, the other just smiling proudly.

 

"Yep! Thanks for the show, fearsome leader!"

 

"Goddammit, Nora."

~~~

"First spar of today goes to Cardin Winchester and...Jaune Arc."

 

Glynda was visibly confused as she scanned the room, noting Jaune and Cardin standing up without a word, and heading to the locker room to get changed. Though she hid it well, on the inside she felt concern for Arc. Winchester was an efficient fighter, and Jaune, despite his records, was decent at best. She sighed internally, and waited for both boys to return. When they did, they were both fully suited up in their respective armor. Both boys looked completely stoic and prepared for the spar. As they waited for Glynda to start the spar, Cardin smirked at Jaune menacingly.

 

"Still sure you wanna do this, Arc?" The bully taunted. "If you tap out now, I promise I’ll only hit ya half as hard!"

 

"Not a chance, Cardin. We’re finishing this, today." Jaune said, glaring at the other boy, who barked a laugh.

 

"Ha! You got some fight in you! More than **he** did anyway!"

 

For a moment, Jaune cocked his head, not understanding Cardin’s statement. Than, it hit him. Who would have had motive to attack Daniel, to beat him senseless in a way that would ensure pain. Jaune’s fists clenched as he met Cardin’s cold indigo eyes met his. Jaune felt something well up inside him, something dark and primal. He felt **RAGE**.

 

"Gentleman, begin in 3...2...1...FIGHT!"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it. Last chapter before the fight to change probably very few fights. Prepare yourselves for Jaune V. Cardin!


	9. Jaunedice FINALE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaune and Cardin fight, and Daniel receives some news.

"Gentleman, begin in 3...2...1...FIGHT!"

 

Jaune sprang forward, blocking the first swing of Cardin’s mace and dodging the second. He swiped at Cardin’s arm, hitting between the armor plates before Cardin batted Jaune away with a mighty swing. Jaune rolled with the momentum of the swing, steadying himself at the edge of the stage. He did a brief aura check, noting that he was at 82% and Cardin was at 95%. He turned back to Cardin just in time to dodge another swing, whacking Cardin with his shield, putting some distance between them. Jaune revised his strategy, deciding to go for Cardin’s legs, hoping that would destabilize him. He blocked another strike from Cardin’s mace, but was caught off guard by a punch to the face, sending him spinning before a mace strike hit him, sending him and his shield flying in different directions. He sat back up, noting his aura was at 45%, while Cardin still had 76%. He needed to get some hits in, fast. Jaune thought about what his friends had taught him.

 

" _Always think ahead, plan your moves."_

 

_"Only strike when you know you can!"_

 

" _Aim for the weak spots, and hit’em hard!"_

 

" _Never stay still for long, keep moving."_

 

" _Break everything they don’t need!"_

 

" _Don’t get distracted. Stay focused."_

 

" _Stay confident, we believe in you!"_

 

He charged at Cardin, sliding under his mace strike and slicing his leg through a gap in his armor, causing Cardin to fall to his knees. Jaune landed a second strike to Cardin’s back, knocking him over. Cardin flipped to face Jaune, only to have the point of a sword to his throat. Jaune stood over him, glancing at the aura meters. Jaune was at 45% and Cardin was at 40%.

 

"Miss Goodwitch, should we continue the match?" He asked, glancing at his teacher.

 

"I don’t believe that is necessary, Mr. Arc." Glynda answered, a small smile on her face. "Clearly, Mr. Winchester is in a position that aura or no, he cannot continue fighting. Well done, Mr. Arc."

 

Team RWBY and JNPR, as well as other assorted students that weren't fond of Cardin, clapped as Jaune walked off stage, heading to the locker room to change. Cardin made his way off stage as well, but as he did so, he nodded to his team, who discreetly followed him into the locker room. It was time for Plan B.

~~~

Jaune was getting dressed after his shower when he heard someone enter the locker room. He had a fair idea of who it was. "Good spar, Cardin. I’m glad we’ve finally settled this."

 

Cardin barked a laughed and shook his head. "This doesn't change **shit** , Arc."

 

"Actually, it does." Jaune said, straightening his uniform. "I’m not going to let you push me, or anyone else around anymore. You’re supposed to be a Huntsman, not a bully. Act like it." As he finished straitening out his uniform, Jaune turned to Cardin, noting that Sky and Russel where next to him, but Dove wasn’t with them. "Where’s your other friend?"

 

"Don’t worry about him, he’s on his way." Russel snarled, and the three students pulled out their weapons and Jaune realized how serious they were. However, a familiar voice from behind him eased his panic for a moment.

 

"Yeah, don’t count on that, Mohawk."

 

Jaune turned to see Daniel in combat gear, flanked by Glynda and Velvet Scarlatina, who was holding an unconscious Dove Bronzewing. While aura had healed most of Daniel’s injuries he still had a black eye, and a cast for his arm. Cardin sputtered in surprise, and his goons backed off.

 

"What?! How are you awake already?!" Cardin hissed, backing away. "That Nightlight was supposed to keep you down for a week!"

 

Daniel shrugged in his nonchalant fashion, smiling smugly. "I guess you miscalculated your dose. Luckily, Velvet here agreed to help me find you assholes before you hurt anyone else. However, we didn’t expect to run into big G here, already taking care of your backup plan. Even when you lose, you try to cheat, huh Cardin?"

 

Cardin’s hands were shaking at this point, his eyes wide with rage. His gaze turned to Jaune, who was looking at his friend. Suddenly, Cardin launched at him. " **THIS IS** **_YOUR_ ** **FAULT!** "

 

Cardin grabbed Jaune and raised his fist, but before he could strike, a single blast of fire hit him in the chest, sending him flying back into the lockers. As Jaune turned to look who had protected him, he saw Daniel wielding Destiny, which was currently outlined by fire, as was Daniel. Daniel advanced on Cardin, pointing his still flaming hand cannon to the boy’s head.

 

"Wanna try that shit again?" Daniel hissed, the rage in his tone audible. "Or are you gonna behave yourself, you little racist **cunt?** "

 

Daniel growled this out, as Cardin finally looked afraid and raised his hands in a surrender motion. Daniel’s fire simmered as he holstered his weapon and hauled Cardin to his feet, pushing him over to Glynda, who already had Russell and Sky next to her.

 

"Thank you for your assistance, Mr. Wilson, Ms. Scarlatina. I’ll handle it from here."

~~~

Afterwards, Team CDRL were transferred to Shade Academy and privately charged with the assault of a student. Team RWBY and the rest of JNPR were worried when they were led out of the locker room without Jaune, but found him inside thanking Velvet and Daniel. Both teams spent the rest of the day celebrating Jaune’s victory. The next day, Jaune received a message on his scroll from Daniel telling him to meet at the landing zone. Once he got there, he found Daniel waiting with his bag and a small satchel, fully armored up.

 

"Um, Daniel? What’s going on?" 

 

Daniel smiled sadly at his friend, and shrugged weakly.

 

"Well, I guess I should just say it. I’ve been expelled from Beacon."

 

Jaune’s eyes widened, but before he could freak out, Daniel gave him the situation.

 

"Technically speaking, I’ve run out of chances here at Beacon." He explained, rubbing his neck on embarrassment. "I assaulted Cardin twice, not to mention an...incident that happened last year. Three strikes, Jaune. I used all of them."

 

"But-but he drugged you! His team beat you senseless!" Jaune cried, throwing his arms up in disbelief.

 

"And from what I’ve heard, they’ll be punished accordingly at Shade." Daniel said, before continuing. "However, I still instigated this whole event after the lunchroom incident. Therefore, I am ultimately to blame."

 

Jaune slumped, now filled with sadness. Not only was his best friend now leaving, but now he wouldn’t even become a Huntsman! "I’m so sorry…"

 

"Don’t be, I wasn’t done yet."

 

Jaune met Daniel’s eyes, which now shined with excitement.

 

"I’ve been offered a...unique opportunity at Atlas." He said, grinning once more. "A friend of my got me a place in some kind of elite program, something about a specialist? Eh, I didn’t listen to closely, I was busy celebrating the fact that she called me, heh."

 

Daniel was beaming at this admission, as was Jaune.

 

"Daniel, that’s great!" He cheered, making Daniel's smile grow.

 

"Yeah, I really owe her one for that. Anyway, that’s why I asked you to come here. She's picking me up soon, and I wanted to give you a few things before I say goodbye."

 

Daniel opened his satchel, and pulled out his first parting gift...a large black book. He handed it to Jaune, who eyed it with curiosity...and than confusion.

 

"Um, Daniel? Why are you giving me a copy of “Ninja’s of Love: Extreme Edition”?"

 

"Figured you might get some use out of it in the future, if you know what I mean." Daniel said with a wink. Jaune cocked his head, and opened the book to a random page. It must have been a spicy one, because his face instantly went red, and he slammed the book shut while Daniel laughed.

 

"Ha, figured you’d like it."

 

After Jaune composed himself, he asked Daniel what was next. His smile fell as he reached into the satchel, and handed Jaune a small flash drive.

 

"Jaune, in all seriousness, I have...done some things. I’ve seen more than I wanted to, and lost things because of it. This life, life as a Huntsman...it’s not gonna be easy. You’re going to be up against some real whammies, not just the Grimm. **You are going to lose sometimes.** "

 

At this point, Daniel’s hands were on Jaune’s shoulders, as cobalt eyes met brown. After a few moments, Daniel’s smile returned.

 

"That being said, I know your gonna be great Huntsman, and great person. However, if there ever comes a time where, Monty forbid, **something** happens to me, this will tell you everything that I can’t."

 

Daniel leaned back and relaxed visibly, like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Jaune inspected the flash drive for a moment, before slipping it into his pocket.

 

"So, um, what’s that last thing?" He asked, noticing Daniel smiled widely this time, and pulled out his hand cannon, offering it to Jaune, who was awestruck. Daniel had owned that hand cannon for years, ever since his dad passed away. The fact that he was giving it up was… "Daniel, I- I can’t just-"

 

"Yeah, you can." Daniel interrupted, smiling at Jaune. "You know how to use it, and more importantly, you need a ranged weapon if you’re gonna be a Huntsman. Besides, I won’t need this in Atlas, you know they have all the cool toys."

 

Jaune took the cannon carefully from Daniel’s hands, inspecting it entirely. The small ace of spades on the grip seemed to beam up at him, like it had been expecting this eventually.

 

"You’ll have to talk to Ruby about getting it’s ammo and a holster for it, but for now, just keep it close, alright?"

 

"Daniel...thank you." Jaune said, meeting his friend's eyes with a tearful gaze.

 

"Heh, What else are friends for, right?"

 

With that, Daniel wrapped his younger friend in a hug, trying to ignore the tears that threatened to slide down his face. A few minutes later, an Atlas airship lands nearby, waiting for Daniel. He and Jaune say one last goodbye, including Daniel insisting on him telling Weiss about who picked him up, before they parted ways. As he got closer to the ship, he smiled broadly at the mature, unsmiling, white-haired woman waiting for him inside.

 

"Well, well, well. _Ice_ to see you again, Winter." He quipped, drawing an amused groan from the woman.

 

"Hello, Daniel. It’s been a while."

 

"Really? ‘Cause you look just as beautiful as you did a year ago."

 

Winter did her best to suppress the slight smile that rose on her face at his ridiculous wink and smile following the flirt, but Daniel noticed anyways and beamed.

 

"Looks like I can still make you laugh, that’s a good sign."

 

Winter sighed, shaking her head in disbelief. "This is going to be a long year."

 

Daniel chuckled, but nodded in agreement. "You said it, Snow Angel. You said it."

 

As the airship flew of for Atlas, Jaune smiled sadly as his best friend left. He glanced at Destiny which was still in his hand, and felt a new surge of confidence. This was going to be a great year, he was certain.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TA-DA! The end of the Jaundice arc. Next chapter will be a filler, just Jaune meeting new people and RWBY/NP talking about their feelings for Jaune.


	10. Morning at Beacon

It was a cool Sunday morning at Beacon Academy when Jaune Arc sat up in his bed, stretching and rubbing the sleep from his eyes. At this point, he had gotten accustomed to waking before his teammates. What he wasn’t accustomed to was Nora hanging from the bed above him, like a bat, and whisper shouting into his ear while his eyes were closed.

 

"Hey, Jauney!~"

 

Jaune let out a muffled scream that would have been louder if Nora hadn’t slammed a pillow over his mouth before his scream started. After the shock wore off, he glared at Nora and raised an eyebrow.

 

"So, why did you jumpscare me this early in the morning, Nora?" He asked, only earning a giggle in response from the red-headed bomber.

 

"Oh, no reason in particular! Just wanted to check up on ya, make sure my faaaavorite leader is doing well!" Jaune couldn’t help but laugh at Nora’s enthusiasm on the matter, but stopped when Nora joined him on his bed, her expression turning bizarrely serious. "You...are alright, right Jaune?"

 

Jaune pondered this question for a moment. It had only been a day since Daniel had left, and Jaune was already starting to feel the effects. He felt, in the simplest of terms, lonely and lost. Obviously, neither of those emotions were justified. He was surrounded by friends and knew exactly where he was. Without his best friend by his side, however…

 

"I’m doing alright, Nora. Just a little adjusting, and I’ll be fine."

 

Nora pursed her lips and made a thoughtful _“hmmmmm_ ” noise for a solid thirty seconds, before smiling widely and wrapping Jaune into a hug. "Ok, I’ll trust you on this, Jaune! Remember, if you need **_anything_** , I’m here for you."

 

Jaune blinked as Nora’s words sunk in. Had...had see put emphasis on anything? Did he imagine that, or was he just tired? As he met Nora’s turquoise eyes, he felt his face turn red under her intense gaze. What did she mean by anything? She couldn’t mean…

 

"Um, Jaune? You feeling ok? You look a little red."

 

Jaune blinked and realized that he had spaced out, but before he could respond to Nora's quire, he noticed one aspect of their position he hadn’t before.

 

Nora was **in his lap.**

 

Jaune let out a strangled noise of protest as he lightly pushed Nora off of him, followed by internal panic as Nora’s concerned gaze resumed. "Jauney?"

 

"rIGHT. OK. I’M FULL OF ENERGY, AREN’T YOU? YEAH? YEAH! I’MMA GO FOR A QUICK WALK ALRIGHT COOL BYE!" He shouted in quick succession, and with that, a panicked Jaune stood up, grabbed his hoodie and a pair of jeans, and strode out the door in his boxers. Nora just tilted her head, eventually smiling and waving at Jaune’s exit.

 

"Bye, fearless leader! Have fun!"

 

A moment later, Ren exited the bathroom and cocked an eyebrow at Nora, who was happily sitting on Jaune’s bed. "Nora? Where’s Jaune?"

 

"Oh! He decided to go for a morning walk!"

 

"Uh-huh." The green-clad gunwoman mused, clearly unconvinced. "And did you have something to do with his immediate exit without talking to us?"

 

At the mention of ‘us’, Ren gestured to a still sleeping Pyrrha, who was slumped in a very unflattering position on her bed. Nora just shrugged, and offered Ren a sly grin.

 

"I don’t know what you’re talking about, Renny." Nora hummed. Ren just sighed, mumble something about trying to prevent Nora from putting her **or** Jaune into an early grave, and left the room to make herself tea.

~~~

After getting dressed in a public restroom, Jaune strolled to hallways of Beacon, trying to clear his head. It wasn’t like he was angry, more confused. What had just happened with Nora? Was that normal for friends? Jaune didn’t have much knowledge on that subject, only having a few scattered friends besides Daniel before he had come to Beacon, and even fewer female ones. He sighed, and shook his head, clearing his thoughts. He was taking this far too seriously, after all, it was Nora, goddess of pancakes and sloths. She was known for being over the top, so this fit right into her normal behavior. Besides, it would have been just as weird if she had done that to Ren or Pyrrha, so he shouldn’t be worried. He continued to walk for several minutes before a familiar voice rang out behind him.

 

"Oi, Jaune! Wait up!"

 

Jaune turned back and noticed Velvet and another girl he didn’t recognize approaching him. Regardless, he smiled at the pair as they got closer.

 

"Hey Velv. What are you up to?"

 

"Oh, not much." Velvet answered, smiling at the blonde knight. "Coco and I were just heading out into Vale for the day. Speaking of which, Coco, meet Jaune! Jaune, meet Coco!"

 

The other girl, apparently named Coco, tilted her dark shades downward, and scanned the boy up and down with a neutral expression. Jaune began sweat as silence stretched between the three, until Coco cracked a wide grin and nodded approvingly.

 

"Nice to meet you, blondie. If you don’t mind, Velvet and I need to get to the Bullhead before it leaves."

 

"Oh, of course!" Jaune said, nodding at the pair. "See you guys around!"

 

With a parting wave, Jaune continued his walk while the girls headed for the landing zone. As they left, Coco smirked at her faunus partner. "So, **that’s** your white knight?"

 

Velvet blushed, and stroked her ears anxiously. "S-shut up, Coco."

 

"I mean, he is pretty hot."

 

"COCO!"

~~~

Pyrrha had just finished getting dressed for the day when she heard a knock at the door. She smiled, expecting Jaune to be returning from his walk. Instead, she opened the door only to come face to face with Ruby and the rest of her team. "Oh! Hello, Ruby, girls. What’s up?

 

"Hey, Pyrrha!" Ruby greeted, beaming at the spartan. "We were wondering if our teams would hang out today, maybe head into Vale?"

 

"Ruby, that sound wonderful! Give me a moment, I’ll text Jaune to meet us at the landing zone."

 

"Jaune’s not here?" Blake asked, tilting her head in confusion.

 

"No, apparently he went for a morning walk." Pyrrha said, before her scroll beeped. "Ah! Ok, he said he’ll meet us in a few minutes. Everyone ready?"

 

A very excited Nora and a stoic Ren both confirmed, and the group headed out with RWBY to meet Jaune for their exciting outing in Vale.

~~~

Jaune had just finished replying to Pyrrha when he heard several voices coming from the main entrance of the dorms.

 

"Are you sure this is the right place? This looks like the dorms…"

 

"No, no! We’re supposed to be at the auditorium in 10 minutes!"

 

"How the hell did we get lost?"

 

"Probably because we let Dew lead us."

 

"Excuse me?!"

 

Jaune rounded the corner of the hallway he was in, and found who was making the racket. Four girls in huntress gear were squabbling over a map by the exit. Jaune coughed, which drew their attention to him. The girl in a light purple outfit stepped forward, smiling.

 

"Oh, hello! Excuse me, but could you tell us how to get to the auditorium?" the girl with purple hair asked, a sheepish smile on her face.

 

"Um, sure. But first, who are you exactly?" Jaune asked in response. One of the girls, the one in green and with blonde hair, scoffed and rolled her eyes.

 

"We’re Team NDGO.  We just flew in from Shade, and we’re trying to find your Headmaster."

 

"Oh, you’re CRDL’s replacements! _Snrk_ , that’s kinda funny." Jaune said with a small chuckle. While the blonde narrowed her eyes at this response, one of the other girls, this one in blue, stepped forward as well.

 

"What do you mean?"

 

"Well, CRDL was an all male team, and your team is all female. It’s, um, not really THAT funny, just a little ironic, I guess." Jaune rubbed his neck anxiously as he explained, defusing the agitated girl, who handed over the map. Jaune scanned the map for a moment before snapping. "Ah ha! Ok, I see the problem. You guys were dropped of at the western landing zone, the map starts at the southern one! Just head left from here, and you should be at the auditorium in a minute or two."

 

Jaune handed the map to girl with purple hair, who beamed at him.

 

"Thank you so much! I’m Nebula, by the way. That’s Dew, Gwen, and Octavia."

 

"I’m Jaune, Jaune Arc. It’s been nice meeting you all, but I gotta go. So do you, now that I think about it." He said, gesturing to the clock on the wall.

 

"Oh, shoot! You're right! Bye, Jaune!" Nebula said as she and her team made their way to the exit.

 

"Good luck!" Jaune shouted as he also left for his own destination.

 

As Team NDGO and Jaune parted ways, Nebula beamed at her teammates. "See? The students here seem nice! Especially that boy…"

 

"Crushing already, Neb?" Gwen quipped, as she, Dew, and Octavia laughed at their leader's sudden infatuation with the blonde knight, while Nebula turned a bright scarlet at the teasing. It didn’t stop her from thinking any more about the blue-eyed knight, however.

~~~

"Ugh, there you are! What took you so long, Arc?" Weiss groaned as Jaune finally arrived.

 

The rest of teams RWBY and JNPR looked at the approaching knight, who shrugged and rubbed his neck while blushing.

 

"Sorry, guys. I was busy making some new friends." Jaune answered, smiling in remembrance. "Turns out, CRDL’s replacements are already here, and they needed directions."

 

"Jaune’s making new friends! Nice!" Ruby cheered, and offered an high-five, which Jaune gratefully accepted. Pyrrha also seemed pleased with this news, but before she could comment, the first Bulkhead settled down to pick them up. While the others cheered as they climbed onto the airship, Jaune groaned and quickly moved further away from his friends, and towards a seat next to a waste bin. The others shot him an odd look as he strapped into a seat next to a bin. He looked up and offered an embarrassed smile.

 

"Motion sickness. I might...y’know…"

 

Ruby, Pyrrha, Ren,  and Blake nodded acceptingly, while Yang and Weiss looked horrified. Nora was till too excited to care. However, she gave him a passing jab as they took off.

 

"And how’s she gonna help with that?"

 

Jaune cocked his head in confusion, but then he noticed who he was sitting next to; a very fiendish looking Coco and a terrified Velvet. "Motion sickness, huh?" The fashionista asked slyly, smirking at Jaune. "Well, Velvet here hates heights. Maybe you two can compromise~."

 

Without another word, Coco shifted in her seat, causing the row to shudder as Velvet let out a small whimper and latched onto Jaune’s arm. Jaune just sat as still as possible while mentally balancing the shuddering of the craft, his growing nashua and the oh-so present feeling of Velvet’s breasts squishing his arm. In the middle of all of this, he heard Yang cackle from the other side of the ship.

 

"Comfortable, blondie?"

 

Oh boy.


	11. Led A Stray P1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blake's connections to a terrorist group strain team RWBY, forcing Jaune to step in.

"Are you feeling better, Jaune?"

 

Jaune fought the urge to show Yang his middle finger as he and Team RWBY trekked through the city of Vale. Originally, the rest of JNPR had planned to join them, but Nora became fixated on the idea of finding the Pancake Eating contest on the east end of Vale, splitting the group up. Ren and Pyrrha chaperoned Nora, while Jaune went with Team RWBY to get parts for his new sword that Ruby had agreed to help him forge.

 

In other news, Coco from Team CFVY was trying to play matchmaker with him and Velvet on the bulkhead. He hadn’t gotten sick, which was very good considering that Velvet was right next to him, holding on for dear life. She had apologized for Coco’s forwardness as she and the fashionista left for a department store, which he did appreciate. However, Yang’s incessant teasing on the matter was starting to get on his nerves. Luckily, someone shared his disposition.

 

"Yang, please leave Jaune be." Weiss groaned, clearly just as unamused as Jaune was.

 

"Aw, c’mon Weiss-cream! It’s pretty funny to see the guy get all flustered." Yang teased, winking at the blonde knight, who flushed a bit.

 

"I’m starting to think you’re just jealous that other girls are taking an interest in him." Blake hummed, a mischievous edge to her tone.

 

"W-what?!" Yang cried, her own blush appearing "Why would I ever--I don’t care if girls-Grrrr!"

 

"Look who's flustered now~" Ruby teased with a smirk, 

 

Yang growled out a quiet ramble of profanity that would have made her uncle blushed, but Jaune laughed and put a hand on her shoulder.

 

"C’mon, leave her be. You know she needs to get her daily teasing in or she’ll get _Yang-xious_."

 

Ruby, Weiss, and Blake groaned collectively at the pun, while Yang just beamed and put Jaune in a headlock.

 

"Aw, my hero! You’re a _Jaune-some_ friend!" 

 

"You-you used that one already." Jaune groaned.

 

"And it’s still good!"

 

The pleasant mood was interrupted when they rounded a corner and saw a shattered window down the street and a door full of yellow caution tape of the Vale Police Force before walking over to the detective in front, who is writing on his pad.

 

"Excuse me, what happened here?" Ruby asked the first detective, who turned to her with a frown on his face.

 

"Robbery. Second Dust shop to be hit this week. This place is turning into a jungle."

 

The Detective turned around and left to join his partner, who let out a frustrated groan as he inspected the cash register.

 

"They left all the money again."

 

"Huh?" Jaune muttered as the detective's continued.

 

"Yeah, just doesn't make a lick of sense. Who needs that much Dust?"

 

"I don't know, an army?"

 

"You thinking the White Fang?"

 

"Yeah, I'm thinking we don't get paid enough."

 

"Hmph! The White Fang. What an awful bunch of degenerates!" Weiss huffed, an angry sneer on her face. The rest of team RWBY and Jaune turned to Weiss, surprised by her outburst.

 

"What's your problem?" Blake asked, a noticeable heat to her tone.

 

"My problem?" Weiss asked, still upset. "I simply don't care for the criminally insane."

 

"The White Fang is hardly a bunch of psychopaths. They're a collection of misguided Faunus."

 

"Misguided? They want to wipe Humanity off the face of the planet!"

 

"Well, in their defense, humanity hasn't been doing them many favors lately."

 

All eyes turned to Jaune with that statement, while he held up his hands defensively.

 

"Hey, I’m not saying that they're entitled to robbing people and blowing things up, but they are between a rock and a hard place regarding equality." Jaune expleained. "Besides, there's no guarantee that the White Fang are involved."

 

"Jaune’s got a point. Besides, the police never caught that Torchwick guy I ran into a few months ago... Maybe it was him." Ruby suggested, looking amongst her teammates for support. 

 

"That still doesn't change the fact that the White Fang are a bunch of scum." Weiss growled, crossing her arms. "Those Faunus only know how to lie, cheat, and steal."

 

"That's not necessarily true…" Yang defended, before a shout cut her off.

 

"Hey, stop that Faunus!"

 

As the team overhears the cry for help and rush over to investigate, a Faunus with a golden monkey tail runs down the length of a boat and leaping on to the edge as the two sailors try to catch him.

 

"Thanks for the ride, guys!" The faunus shouted while laughing 

 

"You no-good stowaway!" One of the sailors snarled, shaking his fist at the boy.

 

"Hey! A no-good stowaway would've been caught! I'm a great stowaway!" He shouted in return.

 

The detectives notice the ruckus, and quickly move to apprehend the Faunus.

 

"Hey! Get down from there this instant!" The first detecive shouted, only for a banana peel to be dropped a on his face, who growled in return. The monkey-like Faunus twirled up to crouch on the lamppost, laughed in amusement, and proceeded to leap off and run away from the detectives. As he ran past Team RWBY and Jaune, he winked at an astonished Blake before continuing to be chased by the officers.

 

"Well, Weiss, you wanted to see the competition, and there it goes..." Yang mused, before Weiss cut her off.

 

"Quick! We have to observe him!"

 

"Wait, what?" Jaune sputtered, but before he could convince them otherwise, Weiss, Yang, and Ruby give chase. Blake stood still, lost in thought, until Jaune bumped her shoulder and brought her back to reality, as they follow their friends. The team rounded the next corner, but then Weiss bumped into someone and tripped. She looked up only to see Sun jump on to a building and disappear from her view.

 

"No, he got away!" Weiss hissed.

 

"Uhh... Weiss?" Yang asked, pointing beneath her teammate, prompting Weiss to look down and see that she fell on a smiling ginger girl, which startles the heiress who hastily gets up.

 

"Sal-u-ta-tions!" The new girl cheered, her bright green eyes shining with excitement.

 

"Um, hi?" Jaune said, a but surprised with the girl's optimism.

 

"Are you ok?" Yang asked, tilting her head in confusion at the girl.

 

"I'm wonderful! Thank you for asking." The girl responded, still beaming.

 

"Do you... wanna get up?" Ruby asked, smiling awkwardly at the girl.

 

The girl seemed to think for a moment, before shouting "Yes!", and leaping back on her feet while the team stepped back a little. "My name is Penny! It's a pleasure to meet you!"

 

"Hi Penny. I'm Ruby."

 

"Weiss."

 

"Blake."

 

"Are you sure you didn't hit your head?" Yang asked, before Blake elbowed her. "Oh, I'm Yang."

 

"I’m Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue. Ladies love it."

 

A moment of silence passed over the area, as all of Team RWBY and Penny stared at Jaune, who flushed and shrugged nervously. "What? I just had that bouncing around in my head for a while, just thought I’d give it a try." He defended, blushing slightly at their stares.

 

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you!" Penny said regardless.

 

"You...already said that." Weiss commented, making Penny tilt her head in thought.

 

"...So I did!"

 

"Well, sorry for running into you!" Weiss stated, before she and the others turned around and started walking away.

 

"Stay safe, friend!" Jaune shouted to her with a thumbs up as they left.

 

"She was... weird..." Yang muttered, quirking an eyebrow at her teammates.

 

"Jaune, never do that “rolls of the tongue” thing again." Weiss stated with a frown. Before Jaune could protest, Penny suddenly appeared before them.

 

"What did you call me?"

 

"Oh, I'm really sorry, I definitely didn't think you heard me!" Yang said, raising her hands in surrender.

 

"No, not you. You!" Penny explained, before turning and standing in front of Jaune, her head tilted and a bizarre smile on her face.

 

"Me?" Jaune stuttered, looking to his friends for help. "I-I don't know. I, what I, um, uh..."

 

"You called me 'friend'! Am I really your friend?" Penny asked, her head tilted in curiosity once again.

 

"Um..." Jaune staled as looked over Penny's shoulder while his friends motion to deny her, besides Ruby, who gave a thumbs up and a big smile. Well, if Ruby liked her... "Y-Yeah, sure! Why not?"

 

"Sen-sational!" She cheered, talking Jaune's hands in her own. "We can paint our nails, and try on clothes, and talk about cute boys, like you!"

 

"Um...alright, if you say so!" Jaune said, trying to ignore the fact that Penny called him "cute".

 

"Is this what it was like when you met me?" Ruby whispered to Weiss, who shook her head.

 

"No...she seems far more coordinated."

 

"So... what are you doing in Vale?" Yang asked.

 

"I'm here to fight in the tournament." Penny answered, releasing Jaune's hands.

 

"Wait, you're fighting in the tournament?" Weiss questioned, while Penny responded with a nod and salute.

 

"I'm combat ready!"

 

"Forgive me, but you hardly look the part." Weiss commented, before Blake scoffed.

 

"Says the girl wearing a dress."

 

"It's a combat skirt!" Weiss responded, followed by a quick "YEAH!" from Ruby, and a following high-five.  Then Weiss's face lit up. "Wait a minute."

 

Weiss walked over to Penny and grabbed her by the shoulders. "If you're here for the tournament, does that mean you know that monkey-tailed... rapscallion?"

 

"The who...?" Penny asked, her smile slipping slightly.

 

"The filthy Faunus from the boat!" Weiss cried, clearly frustrated.

 

"Why do you keep saying that?!"

 

Everyone turning their attention from Penny to Blake, who looked notably upset now.

 

"Huh?" Weiss asked.

 

"Stop calling him a rapscallion! Stop calling him a degenerate! He's a person!" Blake shouted, her hands shaking slightly.

 

"Oh, I'm sorry. Would you like me to stop referring to the trash can as a trash can? Or this lamppost as a lamppost?" Weiss hissed back, a cold fury entering her eyes.

 

"Stop it!"

 

"Uh, Weiss?" Jaune asked, trying to step between the two. "That’s a bit-"

 

"Stop what?" Weiss steamrolled past Jaune, clearly pissed. "He clearly broke the law. Give him time; he'll probably join up with those other Faunus in the White Fang!"

 

"You ignorant little **brat**!" Blake snarled, making them all jump. A moment of stunned silence capture them before Blake huffed and turned on her heel to leave. Weiss wasn’t done yet, however.

 

"How dare you talk to me like that! I am your teammate!"

 

"You are a judgmental little girl." Blake hissed, turning on her heel and glaring at the heiress.

 

"What in the world makes you say that?" Weiss questioned, while Blake threw her hands up in exasperation.

 

"The mere fact that you would sort that Faunus boy with a terrorist group solely based on his species makes you just as much of a scoundrel as you believe him to be!"

 

"Um, I think we should probably go..." Yang whispered to her sister and Penny, inching away from her teammates.

 

"Where are we going?" Penny asked, oblivious to the fight occurring next to her.

 

"So you admit it! The White Fang is just a radical group of terrorists!" Weiss growled.

 

"That's not what I meant, and you know it!" Blake yelled back.

 

As the fight escalated, the others began to back away as the two girls lessened the distance between them. "I don't understand why this is causing such a problem!" Weiss cried, clearly near a breaking point.

 

"That **_is_ ** the problem!"

 

"You realize you are defending an organization that hates Humanity, don't you? The Faunus of the White Fang are pure evil!" Weiss stated, her eyes flashing with anger.

 

"There's no such thing as pure evil!" Blake responded with a sneer. "Why do you think they hate Humanity so much? It's because of people like Cardin, people like you, that force the White Fang to take such drastic measures!"

 

"People like _me_?" Wiess practically shrieked.

 

"You're discriminatory!"

 

"I’M A VICTIM!"

 

At this point, they were face to face, and as they stared each other down in silence, Weiss leaned in close, leering as she growled quietly, thought still loud enough for the others to hear.

 

"You want to know _why_ I despise the White Fang? Why I don't particularly trust the Faunus?" She asked, her voice now terribly calm "It's because they've been at war with my family for years. War, as in _actual_ bloodshed. My grandfather's company has had a target painted across its back for as long as I can remember. And ever since I was a child, I've watched family friends disappear; board members executed; an entire train car full of Dust, stolen. And every day, my father would come home, furious. And that made for a very difficult childhood."

 

A pause in argument prompted Jaune to step forward, putting a hand on Weiss’s shoulder. "Weiss, I-"

 

"No!" She cried, throwing off Jaune's hand and turning back to Blake. "You want to know why I despise the White Fang? It's because they're a bunch of liars, thieves, and murderers!"

 

"Well maybe **WE** were just tired of being pushed around!"

 

For the fourth time that day, silence dropped down on the scene again. This time though, it was heavy, uncomfortable, and the feeling of dread as these words sank in was unbearable. A surprised Weiss backed away slowly, and Blake realized her mistake as she looked around at her teammates.

 

"I... I..." Blake stuttered, not bothering to finish as she dashed away, with a speed to rival Ruby’s.

 

"Blake, wait! Come back!" Ruby cried as she attempted to follow, calling to Blake down the street as Yang sat herself down and Weiss glared at the ground, a monsoon of emotions in her mind. And Jaune Arc? He just stood and watched as one of his friends ran away, helpless and scared and alone, as he did **nothing**.

~~~

"Goodness, I hope Blake is alright." Pyrrha mused, placing a comforting hand on Jaune's shoulder.

 

"Yeah, me too." He responded quietly, his head dipped in shame. By the time he and the rest of RWBY had returned to Beacon, what was left of their sister team just went straight to their dorms without another word. Jaune returned to his team and explained what had happened, even managing to distress Nora to the point where she offered him use of her “emergency pancake stash”, which he turned down. After a while, the rest of his team went to sleep, while Jaune laid in his bed, staring at the ceiling. Why hadn’t he tried to help? Why had he frozen? If only he could make it right, if only he could--

 

_Bzzt, bzzt._

 

Jaune blinked, than shifted in his bed, noticing his scroll displaying a new message. He tilted his head, squinting as he read the message.

 

_Meet me at Balcony Café in 45 minutes._

_Come alone, do not be late._

_-B_

 

Jaune blinked, and re-read the message. She...wanted his help. He sat up, now excited , and leaned down to grab his clothes when he stopped, and thought for a moment. If he did this, he would be colluding with a potential terrorist, breaking curfew, and putting his position at Beacon at risk. Than he thought about Blake, alone, probably in need of a friend. He sighed, got dressed, and grabbed his shield and sword. As he crept over to the door, he sent one last message to Ruby.

 

_Ruby, I’m going to meet Blake._

_I’m gonna try and get her back to Beacon, but I can’t promise anything._

_I need to you to look after my team, tell them what I’m up to._

_I’ll keep you updated as best I can, and I’ll try to get Blake back soon._

_Wish me luck,_

_Jaune_


	12. Led A Stray P2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaune meets up with Blake, and settle how they will work together.

Jaune moved quietly along the streets of Vale, not stealthily, but not drawing attention either. He paused and pulled out his scroll, checking to make sure that he was at the right café. Sure enough, it was. The lights were off when he walked up to the door, knocking twice. As the door opened, he came face to face with the same blond faunus that he and Team RWBY had seen that morning.

 

"Oh, um, hey. So, you a friend of Blake’s?" Jaune asked. The guy shrugged, and gave Jaune a small smile.

 

"Well, about as friendly as she gets. Come on in, I’ll get you to her." Jaune nodded, and entered the shop, following close behind the boy who led him up a set of stairs.

 

"I’m Sun, by the way. Sun Wukong." The boy explained as they climbed. "I met up with your friend on my way to Beacon to deliver a message. I have a friend in Vale that runs this shop, but she’s out of town, so I just let Blake crash here."

 

"Thanks, man. That was really nice of you." Jaune said, earning another smile from the boy.

 

"Hey, no problem. Faunus help Faunus, right?"

 

Eventually, they reached the door to the roof, were Blake was waiting. Sun patted Jaune’s arm, but before he could leave, Jaune turned to him.

 

"Hey, before I do this, I gotta know...what **exactly** am I walking into?" He asked, a inkling of nervousness in his voice. Sun smiled, and turned back to face Jaune.

 

"Oh, you have no idea."

~~~

Blake’s ears twitched as she heard the door open behind her as she continued to gaze at the night sky. It was a truly beautiful sight, the twinkling stars in the calm night sky. She wished she was seeing it under better circumstances. She glanced at her scroll, and smiled.

 

"Right on time. I’ll admit, I didn’t expect that."

 

"Really? You trust me to come help you when no one else will, but not to be on time." Jaune snarked, crossing his arms and leaning on the doorway wall. Blake gave a soft chuckle, but it didn’t feel as real as she would have liked.

 

"So, I’m guessing you’d like to know about my past with the White Fang." She stated, only to bet with a shrug from the knight.

 

"You don’t have to tell me. I’m sure I understand the broad strokes of it."

 

"Oh, really?" Blake asked, crossing her own arms playfully. Jaune shrugged, and took a guess.

 

"Well, judging by your immediate distaste of Weiss’s insults to the Fang, you were probably surrounded by them since the beginning. You saw them as heroes, and I mean, how couldn’t you? They stood up for your kind when no one else did. You became invested in them. You went to every rally, every boycott. You were blazing a new trail to equality. Then, someone new came on the scene, and the White Fang got more hostile, started hurting people. You lost interest, and decided to become a Huntress and use your skills for good."

 

Blake stared at Jaune with a shocked expression, shaking her head and tilting it in surprise.

 

"D-did you really guess ALL of that?" She asked, genuinely surprised.

 

"...Nope, I just had Sun tell me." Jaune said with a smug smirk.

 

There was a beat of silence, and then Blake burst out laughing. It wasn’t intense laugher, but it was real, and that was enough for Jaune. After a moment or two, Blake calmed down, and motioned for Jaune to stand next to her. When he did, the two stood together, another pause of silence before Jaune spoke again.

 

"So, what exactly **are** we doing out here?" 

 

Blake turned away, unable to meet his eyes.

 

"The White Fang have started running operations in Vale." She stated, her voice growing back to it's typical stoic tone. "However, I still don't believe the White Fang is behind these robberies. They've never needed that much Dust before."

 

"Priorities change, especially if whoever’s in charge is on a warpath." Jaune countered, before shaking his head. "Still, only way to prove they aren’t involved is to find out who is."

 

"Hmm. Sun said something similar." Blake responded. "My plan is to check out the dock tonight, a Schnee freighter is unloading a massive Dust shipment. We go there, and we see if anyone tries to take the shipment."

 

"And if someone does?" Jaune questioned, a frown on his face.

 

"Than we deal with them." Blake said coldly.

 

Another stretch of silence ran over the roof, before Jaune spoke once more, softly this time.

 

"Blake, I’d love to help you on this, but I need you to promise me one thing."

 

"What’s that?"

 

Cobalt eyes met amber as the two finally met each other's gaze.

 

"No killing."

 

"...What?" Blake asked, surprised at the request.

 

"No killing, unless absolutely necessary. You don’t need anymore blood on your hands, Oum forbid if there is already some on them." Jaune stated, his tone more serious than ever before.

 

"Jaune...I can’t promise that." Blake stated, an edge of aggression to her voice.

 

"Then I’m out."

 

Blake’s typically stoic expression turned to shock as Jaune turned to leave. She grabbed his arm, her cool demeanor now slipping.

 

"Jaune, please! There's a reason I called you and not my team." She said, desperate to keep him on her side.

 

"Why? Is it because I’m expendable?" Jaune asked, turning to face her with angry eyes. "Foolish? Desperate to get a girl’s attention?"

 

"What? No, no-"

 

"Than what, Blake? What makes me better than your team? What?!" Jaune cried, throwing his hands in the air, finally making her snap.

 

" **Because you’re just good!"**

 

Jaune fell silent after Blake's shout, tears beginning to slip down her face, her grip loosening.

 

"Because you’re a good person, and I’m not." She whispered, trying to save what was left of her composer. "Yang, Weiss, even Ruby. They all have good hearts, but they aren’t perfect. Right now, they won’t be able to deal with me. They can’t trust me, not anymore."

 

"...but I can." Jaune concluded, his anger slowly bubbling away.

 

Blake nodded, slipping to her knees and slumping against the wall on the edge of the roof.

 

"You are the only one I trust with this. Until I prove that the White Fang aren’t involved, you’re all I have." Blake said, before bowing her head in shame.

 

Blake continued to cry softly, her ears drooping slightly. Jaune noticed, and felt his chest tighten a little. He sighed, walking over to Blake, and sitting next to her. He held up two fingers while keeping his gaze on the sky.

 

"Number One; You’re good too, Blake. Better then you know." He said, smiling at his faunus friend. "Just because you have emotion in the mix doesn't make you bad. And Number Two...your ears are adorable."

 

Blake blinked, and blushed slightly as she chuckled. Jaune stood up, and offered her a hand. She took it, and pulled a surprised Jaune into a hug.

 

"Thank you, Jaune."

 

"N-no problem, Blake." Jaune stuttered. "I got your back."

 

After they separated, Jaune coughed and smiled, clearing the air.

 

"So, what is the plan?" He asked, tilting his head quizzingly.

 

Blake smiled, and gestured to a large building near the harbor, which was now colored beautifully by a rising sun.

 

"Grab Sun. I’ll tell you on the way."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentines Day, everyone.


	13. Led A Stray P3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaune, Blake, and Sun find out that the White Fang are indeed in Vale, and they are not alone.

"Alright, if you thought camping out to try and spot potential terrorist activity would be more exciting, raise your hand." Jaune Arc deadpanned, followed by both Sun and himself extending their hands while Blake glared, unamused.

 

"What did you expect, exactly?" She asked, a slight growl to her voice. "If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were disappointed that we haven’t seen anyone."

 

"C’mon, Blake. You have to admit, this is pretty boring." Jaune said, only earning a grunt in response. Despite her silence on the subject, it was clear that Blake agreed with the boys. It had been several hours, and not a single sign of illegal activity at the docks. In a sense, this was good news. Still, it didn’t make the boredom any more bearable.

 

"Fine. Anyone need a bathroom break?" Blake asked, glancing at her fellow spies.

 

"Eh, sure. Be back in a few, love birds. Don’t have to much fun without me." Sun teased as he stood up and dusted himself off. Blake flushed and grumbled something about stuffing Sun’s tail into a garbage disposal while Jaune just kept his eyes on the docs, hiding his own blush. After a few minutes, Sun returned to his spot, and almost immediately pointed something out.

 

"Hey, there’s the ship!"

 

Sure enough, a ship with the SDC logo gradually cruised over, almost exactly in front of them. Several minutes went by, and nothing big happened. The workers unloaded the cargo, and eventually petered out. By this time, the sky was beginning to get dark. Suddenly, the sound of an approaching bullhead caught the attention of the three sentries. The bullhead's searchlights flashing around for a landing spot, descending in the middle of the cargo containers and extending a ramp for a black hooded individual with a metallic fanged mask to come out of.

 

"Oh no..." Blake groaned, her expression falling into distress.

 

"Is that them?" Jaune asked, receiving a short nod in return.

 

"Yes... It's them."

 

The White Fang soldier motioned to the shipping containers, as dozen of soldiers jumped from the bullhead to assist in the capture of it's cargo.

 

"You really didn't think they were behind it, did you?" Sun asked, watching the soldiers run to the nearest container and start toying with it's locks.

 

"No. I think deep down I knew. I just didn't want to be right." Blake answered, before her sad gaze sharpened as another figure exited the bullhead, wielding a cane, and wearing an unmistakable bowler hat.

 

"Hey! What's the holdup!?" Roman Torchwick yelled at the soldiers. "We're not exactly the most inconspicuous bunch of thieves at the moment, so why don't you animals try to pick up the pace?"

 

"This isn't right. The White Fang would never work with a Human. Especially not one like that." Blake hissed, before she stood up and unsheathed the katana of Gambol Shroud before walking off the edge of the roof.

 

"Hey, what are you doing?!" Sun cried as she went over the edge.

 

"Follow her, I’ll be right down!" Jaune said, unsheathing his training sword.

 

Sun nodded, leaping after Blake as Jaune started for the stairs. A he did, he yanked out his scroll and shot a quick message to Ruby and her team.

 

_Code red! White Fang and Roman Torchwick at the docks in Vale! We need help!_

~~~

Blake was growing more and more angry while she and Sun waited behind a shipping container, keeping an eye on the White Fang and Torchwick as they continued to raid the containers of dust.

 

"Sorry, I just...ran into someone." Jaune muttered as he finally arrived, gesturing to someone behind him.

 

"Someone?" Blake asked, cocking her head while she watched the Fang nearby. "What do you-"

 

"Sal-u-ta-tions!"

 

Blake blinked, and turned around to see the peppy ginger next to a embarrassed Jaune.

 

"...What the f-"

 

"She said she wanted to help, and that she’s...combat ready?" Jaune said uncertainly, looking to Penny for confirmation. "That-that's what you said right?"

 

Penny nodded, giving a thumbs up and another big smile. Blake just groaned, goes to the ground in a crouch, then continues on to hide behind another one of the containers, peeking around the corner to see Roman berate a White Fang member holding a coil of rope.

 

"No, you idiot! This isn't a leash, you-Oh, son of a bi-" Roman rolled his eyes as he's cut off by Blake mid-swear, Gambol Shroud now at his throat.

 

"Nobody move!"

 

The White Fang soldiers ready their guns and equip their swords in response.

 

"Whoa! Take it easy there, little lady." Roman said, raising his hands in semi-surrender.

 

"Brothers of the White Fang! Why are you aiding this scum?"

 

The White Fang members lower their weapons a little at this development, unsure of what to do, when Roman laughs.

 

"Oh, kid, didn't you get the memo?" He asked, a smug smirk present on his face.

 

"What are you talking about?"

 

"The White Fang and I are going in on a joint business venture together!" Roman explained, his tone still smug.

 

"Tell me what it is or I'll put an end to your little operation." Blake growled, before the air was filled with more turbines blowing the wind wildly around the holdup.

 

"Heh, I wouldn't exactly call it a little operation..."

 

Two more Bullheads are hovering above the heist, and as Blake watched them in horror, Roman smiled and managed to fire his cane at Blake's feet, resulting in a large explosion.

 

~~~

"Hurry up, you two!" Yang called to her teammates, who were lagging behind her.

 

"Weiss, c’mon! We have to find Blake!" Ruby whined, receiving a groan from her white-haired partner.

 

"Ruby, I agree, but we don’t have an exact location! We don’t know where they-"

 

Weiss, Yang, and Ruby turn around upon hearing the noise, seeing the smoke rise from the docking bay just a few buildings away.

 

"Oh, no…"

~~~

 

A dazed but relatively Blake lays unhurt on the ground, quickly rolling and running out of the way of Roman's continued attacks, flaming missiles destroying cargo behind her as she retreats behind more containers.

 

"Here, kitty, kitty, kit-!" Roman taunted, before his taunt was interrupted by a shout from his left.

 

"Hey, Torchdick! Pick on someone your own size!" 

 

Torchwick and the soldiers turn to see Jaune, Sun, and Penny, all wielding their respective weapons. He smiled, tapping cane playfully while gesturing at the three with open arms.

 

"Now it’s a party! **Get them!** " 

 

With that said, the White Fang charge at the three hunters, who manage to dodge, slash and knock out of the soldiers with punches until they separate, Sun rolling out of the way, brandishing his collapsible red staff. He quickly uses this to beat down on each soldier that was near him, falling each one in a single flaming blow when he twirled, even creating a scorching shockwave to beat the last of them. Torchwick growled in annoyance, now aiming his cane at the monkey Faunus, sneering.

 

"Hold still, you little-ARK!"

 

Torchwick stumbled backwards as a shield collided with his face, turning to see Jaune standing before him, glaring angrily.

 

"You wanna fight someone, fight me!" He snarled, unfurling his shield. 

 

Torchwick chuckled, twirling his can so that it rested in both of his hands, towering over Jaune menacingly.

 

"Alright, kid. You wanna be a hero? Lemme show you what happens to heroes." The criminal said darkly.

 

Torchwick lashed out, watching Jaune’s shield as he barely blocked the blow. The two continued to fight, moving back and forth through the yard, which was engulfed in chaos. Penny proceeded to fling her swords at one enemy, impale another to a wall, create a barrier of spinning steel against a running attack, leaping over a goon with her swords in tow, and finally making a wheel that she throws to knock multiple Faunus off their feet while Blake gives suppressing fire with Gamble Shroud from the top of a container.

 

Eventually, Roman hooked Jaune’s shield, pulling it away from him, and cracking him across the face with his cane. As Jaune falls, dazed, Roman aimed his cane at Jaune's chest, smirking.

 

"Game over, hero."

 

"JAUNE!" Blake cried, raising her weapon to fire before a shout from a nearby roof drew her attention.

 

" **HEY!** "

 

Ruby appeared on the rooftop overlooking them, Crescent Rose extended and ready for action. Torchwick grinned, waving playfully at the girl.

 

"Well, hello, Red! Isn't it past your bedtime?" He quipped, raising his cane to aim it at the younger girl.

 

"Actually, it’s about your _dead_ time, pal!

 

Torchwick turned to face the voice, getting a punch square to his jaw, throwing him back. Yang stood triumphantly while Weiss arrived beside her, knocking out a White Fang soldier as she did so.

 

"Not your best work, Yang." The heiress mused, drawing a smirk from her teammate.

 

"Ha! So you admit I have good jokes!"

 

As the two bickered, Roman grimaced, noticing the huntresses and their friends mopping up the last of the Fang, and turned to run towards the last transport that hadn’t been shot down by Ruby or Penny. Jaune noticed this, however, and started to follow him. As he got closer, the bullhead begins to take off, with Roman aboard. Jaune turned and see that Penny is also noticing this.

 

"Penny! Give me a boost!"

 

Penny nodded, folding her swords into a shield, boosting Jaune into the air, sending right into the bay of the bullhead, next to a shocked Torchwick.

 

"You’re not getting away that easy, Torch. Give up. It’s one on one." He growled, his sword pointed at the criminal.

 

Roman’s shock wore off, and he smiled sinisterly, backing away slowly.

 

"Actually, kiddo, it’s two on one.

 

Jaune almost questioned the mans words, but turned around at the sound of a weapon extending, blocking a strike from an umbrella with his sword. He found himself face to face with a girl wearing pink and white, her mismatched eyes locking with his.

 

"Um, hi there. What’s your name?" He asked, surprised at the girl's strength.

 

The girl just smiled, punching him in the stomach, and shoving him back. He stumbled, barley blocking Roman’s cane strike, accidentally causing it fire, the shot flying into a container below, causing an explosion of dust to shoot into the air, destabilizing the bullhead. While Roman stabilized himself on a wall, the girl tripped and began to slide out of the bullhead before Jaune grabbed her hand.

 

"I got you!"

 

As the pilot stabilized the bullhead, Jaune pulled the girl back into the ship. She looked at him, her gaze questioning and uncertain.

 

"What? Do I really look like the kind of guy to let a pretty girl fall out of an airship?" He asked playfully.

 

Jaune never received an answer as Roman’s can whacked him in the back of the head, knocking him out cold. Roman looked at the girl, and shrugged.

 

"Sorry, Neo. Your boyfriend’s gotta go."

 

With that, he kicked Jaune out of the bullhead, sending him plummeting into the ground below. Following the painful fall, Jaune only heard one last thing before he slipped back into unconsciousness; a chorus of alarmed cries of his name. With that, his world went black.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now only for the epilogue.


	14. Led A Stray P4 END

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaune wakes up in the hospital.

Jaune’s eyes were filled with a harsh white glare as they opened. Gradually they adjusted to the light of the hospital room. He shook his head, and immediately regretted the action. All his senses seemed to throb at once. After a few minutes of adjustment, a doctor walked into his room, jolting in surprise when he noticed Jaune was awake.

 

"Oh, your awake!" He said, surprise audible in his tone. "Welcome back to Remnant, Mr. Arc."

 

"Um...thanks." Jaune groaned, sitting up. "Where am I, exactly?"

 

"You're at Vale General Hospital." The man answered, offering the knight a small smile. "You were brought here by you friends after the incident at the harbor."

 

With that, it all came back to Jaune. The White Fang, Torchwick, all of it. He sat up quickly, wincing at the pain emanating from his ribs as he did so.

 

"My friends! Are they alright?"

 

The doctor chuckled, and nodded, patting Jaune’s arm and stepping away.

 

"Yes, they’re fine." He answered, before frowning. "You, however, may need a day or two to recover. While your gear took the blunt of the blow, you still have three broken ribs, a fractured arm, and a less-than-healthy dose of bruises."

 

Jaune winched at this analysis, making a mental note to give himself a once over later.

 

"I’ll be back in a few minutes with your friends, first I have to inform them of you condition, and that you’re awake."

 

The doctor left, and sure enough, a minute later the door opened and a red streak whizzed into the room and leaped onto Jaune. Jaune winced again, but grinned a little when he opened his eyes his vision was filled by a frantic Ruby Rose scanning him for injuries.

 

"Jaune!" Ruby cried, relief clear in her tone. "Jaune, are you ok?! Can you feel your legs?!"

 

"Ruby, I’m alright, but my ribs are slightly less alright." Jaune groaned, as Ruby flushed and realized that she was basically straddling Jaune, leaping back off with a horrified “EEP!” before the rest of team RWBY entered, all looking quite relieved.

 

"Good to see that you’re in one piece, lover boy." Yang said, smiling widely. "You really had us worried for a while. Weiss even got a little choked up."

 

"W-well excuse me for being concerned about our friend, Yang!" Weiss sputtered, and indignant huff leaving her mouth in the aftermath.

 

"We were **all** worried about you, Jaune." Blake interjected, before looking at the ground. "Also, I...owe you an apology. I put you in harms way by bringing you into my problems, and you got hurt for it. I’m sorry."

 

Blake met Jaune’s eyes when she finished, and was surprised to see a smile on his face.

 

"No problem, Blake." He comforted, smiling at the four. "I’m stand by my friends, all the way. Besides, you guys would have done the same for me. Speaking of you guys, have you made up yet?"

 

There was a brief silence as Weiss and Blake looked at each other, and then both turned back to Jaune and nodded.

 

"We’ve come to an agreement regarding Blake’s past." Weiss admitted, a small smile appearing on her face. "It doesn’t matter what she did, who she was with, she’s our teammate now. That’s all that matters. In other words,---"

 

"TEAM RWBY IS BACK~!" Ruby shouted as she wrapped her teammates into a tight hug, despite their protests. Jaune chuckled, grinning at his friends.

 

"Well, I guess it all worked out!"

 

"Not quite, Mr. Arc."

 

The five turned to the doorway to see a stone-faced Glynda and the doctor had entered. Glynda grabbed a remote from the doctor and turned on a TV to her right, which was in the middle of a news report.

 

"If you’re joining us now, we’ve been reviewing the events that transpired in Vale Harbor this evening regarding the attempted theft of dust from the Schnee Dust Company, perpetrated by The White Fang and Roman Torchwick."

 

As the reporter finished speaking, the feed cut to a hand shot video from a civilian on the ground, watching Sun, Blake, and Penny fighting the Fang’s soldiers, before zooming in on Jaune blocking a blow from Roman, and throwing a punch in return. After that, the feed went to another reporter who was now on the scene, standing behind a police blockade near the entrance.

 

"While Torchwick escaped custody once again, only one shipment of dust was lost in the attack, and the White Fang soldiers have been arrested and are now facing prosecution for their crimes. This is all thanks to the efforts of the four anonymous Huntsmen and Huntresses that intervened, preventing the situation from getting worse."

 

Glynda turned the TV back off after this, turning her stern gaze onto Jaune, making him squirm.

 

"Ms. Rose, please take your team outside. I would like to speak to Mr. Arc privately."

 

Ruby’s eyes flicked between the two, before she nodded and led her team outside, the doctor following. There was a stretch of tense silence before Glynda clasped her now empty hands together as she addressed Jaune.

 

"Jaune, I am glad to see that you are alright." She started calmly.

 

"O-oh, thank you." He responded, before the teacher's eyes sparked with anger.

 

"That being said, WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?!"

 

Jaune flinched at her tone, but endured the anger.

 

"Leaving campus during curfew, fighting terrorists in the city, and actively engaging a fugitive who has **killed** Hunters before!" Glynda listed, visibly upset at this point. "You could have been killed, Jaune!"

 

"But I wasn’t."

 

Glynda paused, noting the look on Jaune’s face, which she could only describe as embarrassed but understanding.

 

"I understand how dangerous the situation I was in was, and I know that it’s no joke. That being said, my friend needed my help. Huntsmen, Huntresses, we exist to help people, to keep them safe! How can that matter when we don’t help each other?" Jaune asked, staring at the combat instructor.

 

There was another stretch of silence between them before Glynda sighed, and held up two fingers.

 

"For leaving Beacon during curfew, you’ll have two weeks of detention with me. You’ll remain here for a day to recover. I’ll see to it that your assignments are delivered." 

 

Glynda turned to leave, stopping at the door and letting her eyes drift back to him.

 

"Let’s hope you recover fast, Mr. Arc." She stated, the smallest of smiles rising on her lips. "Clearly, some people are worried about you."

 

She gestured to his right as she left, and when he turned his head, Jaune saw what saw meant. There was several “Get better!” cards on a table next to him, a small stuffed puppy from Ruby, and a bouquet of flowers from “C”&V”. He felt his face flush in appreciation, and drifted of to sleep smiling with the thoughts of his friend’s kindness dancing through his head.

~~~

Thanks to his high aura reserves, Jaune was finished healing after the first day. His legs would still be a little sore, but as long as he didn‘t run a marathon, he’d be fine. As he got ready to leave, a nurse entered his room, carrying his shield and armor. Jaune turned, and smiled at the girl.

 

"Oh, thanks! I didn’t know if I had to get this at the desk, or-!"

 

Jaune’s thought process went out the window as the girl suddenly leaned up and kissed him passionately. Her lips tasted sweet, like ice cream, sending Jaune into a daze. As she pulled back, the girl giggled, handing Jaune his equipment and a note before skipping out of the the room happily.

 

Jaune flushed and let out his own giggle as he recounted what had just occurred. Her sweet lips, dazzling smile, pink and brown...eyes...where had he seen those eyes before? Jaune looked at the note on the back of his shield, tearing it off and reading it carefully.

 

_Sorry my boss kicked you out of that bullhead, nothing personal._

_Thanks for catching me, I appreciate it._

_We should hang out more, if you’re into bad girls~_

_Gimme a call._

_~Neo_

 

Below the signature was a scroll number, apparently belonging to Roman Torchwick's henchwoman. Jaune’s jaw dropped as he realized the implications of this note. Not only did he now have the number of a potential terrorist, but she was...into him?

…

Score?


	15. Welcome Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaune returns to Beacon after fighting the White Fang.

Jaune sighed as he stepped onto the bullhead, trying his best to steal his nerves for the ride to Beacon when he heard a familiar voice call out to him.

 

"Hey, Arc! Over here!"

 

Jaune turned to see Coco Adel waving to him with one hand, patting the seat next to her with the other hand. Jaune cocked an eyebrow, but walked over and sat down next to her.

 

"Hey, Coco. How’ve you been?" He asked, receiving a smirk in response.

 

"I’ve been pretty good, kid. I could ask you the same thing, with what you were up to yesterday." She stated slyly.

 

"Oh, you, um, you know about that?"

 

Coco tilted her darkened shades down, and turned her amused gaze to Jaune.

 

"Jaune, I’m fairly sure the entirety of Beacon knows what you, Blake, and those other two where up to at the docks. Fighting the White Fang and Roman Torchwick, huh? Not my ideal evening, but to each their own."

 

Jaune laughed and slumped a bit in his seat.

 

"Yeah, not my ideal weekend either. Ending up with a bruised spine and broken arm is about a fun as it sounds." He mussed, a chuckle coming from his fellow passenger.

 

"Sounds like it. Y’know, Velvet was really worried when you didn’t show up in class yesterday. Gotta admit, you got me a little nervous, too." Coco paused and pursed her lips, now looking uncertain. "You really made us nervous…"

 

"Oh, well, sorry about that." He stated, rubbing his neck awkwardly. Coco seemed to snap back to reality, giving Jaune a small smile.

 

"It’s no problem, Blondie." She said, before smirking evilly. "Guess you’ll just have to visit Velvet and I to give a formal apology."

 

Before he could question if she was serious, Coco grabbed his scroll and typed something in, before handing it back to him and winking.

 

"Gimme a ring when you wanna hang out. See you around, Jaune!"

 

As Coco left, Jaune realized that they had already made it back to Beacon. As he stepped off the bullhead, he checked his scroll and noticed that Coco had added her number under the name “Coco-Puff”, which made him laugh. He swiped through his contacts, and found the number he was looking for. He took a deep breath, and pressed the call button.

 

"Hey Pyrrha, guess who?"

~~~

Jaune paced back and forth in his team's dorm, waiting for them to return from their classes for the day. He had texted Pyrrha to bring them right to the dorm when she got the chance, much to her surprise. However, she did agree, and had replied earlier that they were on their way. While he was excited, he was also nervous. What should he lead with? A joke? An apology? What were they going to say when they saw him? What would they think?

 

Before he could debate his response further, the door to the room opened and his friends stepped in. Jaune offered a weak smile to his shocked teammates, but found himself pinned to the ground before he could speak.

 

"Jauney! You’re ok!" Nora crowed, ignoring Jaune as he let out a muffled noise of confirmation from Nora’s chest, which he was currently crushed against thanks to her tight hug. She let him go a few moments later, allowing him to breath as he looked up at his friends.

 

"Well, I guess I have some explaining to do."

 

"Sounds about right to me." Pyrrha growled, her unamused expression worried Jaune, but he began to explain the events of the last four days. By the time he had finished, they all looked shocked and surprised. Jaune finished up, nervously scratching his neck.

 

"Now that that’s out of the way, I need to tell you guys that I’m sorry for not telling you sooner. Everything was moving so fast, and I didn’t wanna put you guys in danger. It wasn’t a lack of trust, I promise. I trust you guys with my life, but that doesn't mean you have to get hurt fighting for me." He finished, smiling nervously at his teammates. "So...are we...good?"

 

Nora, Ren, and Pyrrha looked at each other, and then back to Jaune, who still looked nervous. Ren, surprisingly, cracked a smile and patted Jaune on the shoulder.

 

"I understand your choice, Jaune." She said, smiling gently. "Next time, just leave **us** a note, and not Ruby."

 

Nora was next to agree, wrapping Jaune into another, less intense hug.

 

"I agree with Renny, just tell us next time! It’s not like I’d give up the opportunity to break more bad guys legs."

 

Jaune chuckled at Nora’s quip, and turned to Pyrrha, who had been silently now. After a brief awkward silence, she gave Jaune a small smile and nodded to him.

 

"I forgive you, Jaune. You’re our leader, and my partner, so I trust your judgment. Next time, just tell us in advance, and we’ll be by your side."

 

Jaune released a breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding, smiling at his partner gratefully. Nora, of course, let out a hearty cheer and demanded that they go out for celebratory pancakes, which the rest of them ultimately agreed to. As Nora and Ren left to get a head start, Pyrrha grabbed Jaune by the arm and held him back.

 

"Hey, Jaune? Before we leave, I wanted to ask you if...um…" Pyrrha trailed off and flushed slightly.

 

"What’s up, Pyrrha?" Jaune asked, oblivious to the blush on Pyrrha’s face at first, but as she looked at the ground and stuttered nervously, it became more apparent.

 

"W-well, you missed out on a lot of work, so I was wondering if you’d like to...study with me...to, ah, catch you up on what you missed." She stuttered, her face still burning red as she spoke.

 

"Oh! Sure, thanks Pyrrha! Wanna meet in the library at...7:00?" Jaune answered, beaming at his partner.

 

"Yes, that sounds wonderful!" Pyrrha responded, also beaming.

 

"Alright, it’s a date! I gotta go see Glynda about detention, but I’ll meet up with you and the others later!"

 

As he left, Jaune facepalmed and cursed himself internally. Why the hell did he say, “it’s a date”? Oum, he hoped Pyrrha wasn’t annoyed with him. If he had turned around, however, he would have caught Pyrrha mid victory dance as she relished the victory of getting her crush to go out with her. Another victory for Pyrrha Nikos!

 


	16. New Weapon, New Arc

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaune and Ruby forge a new sword.
> 
> Shoutout to Jack Simpson, the writer of this chapter!

It had been 3 weeks since Jaune had been released from the hospital following his… unauthorized adventure down at the Vale Docks with Sun and Blake. Almost all of his injuries had healed up by now, though the girls had still been somewhat attentive towards him, more so than usual actually.

 

Since there were no scheduled missions and he had managed, through concentrated effort, to get all of his due homework done in very good time, Jaune had decided that today was the day, no more delays and no more excuses.

 

To that end, he approached team RWBY’s dorm room with a single goal, and individual, in mind. Steeling himself, he knocked on the door. Soon enough, the door swung open to reveal just the person he wanted to see.

 

A bleary-eyed Ruby Rose started back at Jaune through half-closed eyes, a soft moan echoing from her throat and she swayed unsteadily on her feet.

 

“Uuummm...  Jaune? Wh-what’s going on, why the early wake up call… especially on a Saturday?” Ruby punctuated her statement with a cute little yawn, stretching upwards and making Jaune’s heart melt a little at the adorability of the act.

 

It did occur to Jaune that not everyone would be as eager as him to actually get up early when there was no reason to do so, but Jaune was confident that his next words would perk the little reaper right up.

 

“Well” Jaune shrugged disarmingly, “I was hoping that you and I could get to work on Crocea Mors II today, but if you’re not feeling up to it then i can always-”

 

Those magic words flipped a switch in Ruby’s mind, all traces of fatigue and sluggishness vanished from her face, her silver eyes shot open in glee and almost seemed to sparkle with intensity. Jaune soon found himself assaulted by a little red cannonball slamming into him at what felt like 40 miles an hour, it was only his experience with his similarly clingy younger sisters that saved him from crashing to the floor.

 

“Really? Why didn’t you say so sooner! C’mon Jaune let’s get started!” An excited Ruby babbled to him at breakneck speed, her passion for weapons and eagerness to help completely overriding the desire to sleep in. Without waiting for Jaune to ready himself, she wrapped a small yet strong hand around the blonde knight’s wrist and sped away toward the forge.

 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

“I’m really sorry Jaune!” Ruby cried for the third time in as many minutes, small tears forming in her eyes and lower lip quivering uncontrollably.

 

Jaune was too busy emptying his stomach into a nearby dustbin to reply to the red reaper’s apologies. He had tried to warn Ruby that her Semblance did NOT pair well with his motion sickness before, but she always seemed to forget after a while, much to his detriment.

 

Once the violent spasms had stopped, Jaune wiped his mouth and stood to face Ruby, offering her the most genuine and placating smile he could.

 

“It’s fine Ruby, I promise I’m alright now… no need to get so worked up” Jaune assured her, though this simply made the silver-eyed girl more distraught.

 

“It’s not fine Jaune! You’ve told me about this before but I just keep forgetting! Weiss is right… maybe i am just a klutzy dolt…” Ruby whimpered and lowered her head. Jaune knew he had to stop this, as adorable and cheerful as Ruby was, if anything ever upset her she was remarkably quick to spiral down into despair and self-deprecation.

 

“Ruby, stop. Just stop. Look at me, okay?” Jaune reached out, placing one hand on Ruby’s shoulder and one hand on her cheek to wipe away the burgeoning tears. The reaper’s cheeks very quickly matched her namesake colour at this action, but Jaune paid it no mind.

 

“It doesn’t matter, it was an accident. Let’s just get on with my new weapon, okay? I promise you, I’m alright.”

 

“O-okay Jaune! L-let’s just get going!” Ruby stammered, still blushing heavily at the contact. She made to lean into Jaune’s hand, which felt very comfortable all of a sudden, when Jaune pulled and made his way over to the forge equipment. Quickly concealing her pout and disappointed expression before Jaune could see, Ruby followed the knight’s path and made her way over to the forge.

 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

“So, what do you think Juane? Do...do you like it?” Ruby asked hesitantly, almost afraid of the answer she’d get from the blonde knight, who had been staring at the finished sword for almost 2 minutes now.

 

It had taken the duo almost 3 hours to fully complete the replacement sword, even with Jaune’s surprising affinity for smithing and Ruby’s natural enthusiasm for weapons design. That was less to do with the difficulty of forging itself, and more to do with Jaune’s unusual… okay, borderline insane request.

 

Ruby was sure she’d misheard when Jaune had first voiced his suggestion for Crocea Mors II, when he had repeated said request however, her disbelief had quickly given way to unbridled excitement and determination.

 

Simply put, Jaune wanted a sword that could control the elements.

 

Okay, well maybe it wasn’t _quite_ that simple. Jaune had asked Ruby about the possibility of forging pure, crystalline Dust into his new blade. His interest stemmed primarily from seeing Weiss’ rapier Myrtenaster in combat, seeing how it could conjure up elemental attacks using the Dust chambers built into the hilt.

 

Ruby had been sceptical at first, but Jaune’s enthusiasm had infected her and she’d gotten to work quickly. Finding the requisite Dust crystals to use had taken them a full hour, in the end they’d settled on 4 different types; Fire, Lightning, Ice and Gravity dust.

 

Each crystal would be hammered out into ‘strips’ and woven between the metal of the blade, near the hilt. The crystals needed to be handled with care through the forging process, as the duo had discovered when the first Fire crystal they’d used blew up in their faces, but eventually they had been able to make it work. The Dust would be activated by little ‘buttons’ of crystal placed directly in the hilt, connected with the strips, that Jaune could tap with his sword-hand, allowing his Aura to activate the Dust strips for them.

 

Now, here they were, Jaune holding Crocea Mors II and Ruby wondering if this was all a waste of time, that maybe Jaune was having second thoughts about the new sword and the ‘extra’ capabilities he’d wanted added in.

 

She was snapped out of her reverie by Jaune’s voice reaching her ears.

 

“Heh, sorry about that Rubes. It looks… it looks great! Nothing else I can really say about it honestly.” Jaune flashed a wide grin at the little reaper, who found herself smiling back, his happiness was truly infectious. Seeing his new sword, Ruby was struck with a new idea.

 

“Hey Jaune! How about a spar? We can test out how your new sword works! You might even be able to beat someone Jaune, c’mon can we spar Jaune? Please please pl-”

 

“RUBY! Calm down, ya dork!”

 

The reaper blushed and realised she’d been letting her passions for weapons and combat get the better of her.

 

“Heh… sorry, guess I got excited again.”

 

“Yeah, no kidding” Jaune’s lips quirked into a teasing smile, before dropping into a contemplative expression. On the one hand, he DID want to find out what his new sword could do, but he was also apprehensive about using it in a spar without at least testing the Dust strips in a controlled environment.

 

One look at Ruby though, and his resolve crumbled under the withering barrage from her silver orbs, especially when she whimpered a little and stuck her lower lip out in an adorable pout. You’d think having seven sisters would’ve immunised Jaune against being manipulated by cuteness, but you’d be wrong.

 

“Sigh… I know I’m going to regret this, but okay….” Jaune acquiesced to the reaper’s pleas.

 

“Yay! C’mon Jaune, let’s go!” Ruby perked up instantly, speeding off toward the training room. Thankfully, Jaune was left to his own pace this time.

 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 _‘Alright! Let’s see what this new sword can do’_ Jaune unsheathed Crocea Mors II and stepped into the arena. Ruby was already present, with Crescent Rose deployed and ready, smile on her face, waiting expectantly.

 

The nervousness he had been feeling had not abated in the slightest since they had decided to spar, Jaune knew that Ruby would most likely win despite the new enhancements. She was simply too fast when using her Semblance, running rings around the blonde knight and staying well out of range, taking advantage of her ranged capabilities and Crescent Rose’s superior reach to whittle Jaune’s sizable Aura down while avoiding retaliation.

 

However, that’s didn’t mean Jaune intended to go quietly, as his aqua orbs met the silver pools of his opponent, he vowed to give her the best fight he could. Gripping Crocea II’s handle and unfurling his kite shield, Jaune nodded to Ruby, signalling that they could begin.

 

Almost immediately he flung the kite shield up to cover his front, the vibrations and clanging sounds signalling incoming rounds. Peering over the shield’s top, Juane could see Ruby had entrenched her scythe and was barraging him with sniper fire. Keeping as little of himself exposed as possible, Jaune advanced forward to close the distance.

 

As he predicted, when he got close enough Ruby vanished in a swirl of rose petals. A few shots rattled against his back armor before he swung round to bring up his shield again. He checked his Aura gauge, he was on 88% already, while Ruby was at a comfortable 95%. Jaune knew it couldn’t go on like this, Ruby’s Semblance wouldn’t drain her Aura faster than she could deplete Jaune’s own, despite his larger reserves.

 

Deciding to test Crocea’s new functions, Juane slid his thumb over one of the crystalline ‘buttons’ in the hilt of the blade to activate one of the Dust strips. A sudden flare of heat from his right told Jaune that he’d activated the fire strip, glancing back he saw the sword was wreathed in a sheen of flame, a few minute fireballs circling the blade lazily.

 

Gritting his teeth, Jaune swung the blade in a wide arc, projecting a small wave of intense heat a few feet in front of him. Not only did this stagger Ruby and interrupt her barrage, it also prematurely detonated the incoming dust rounds before they could reach the knight. Quickly glancing at the Aura gauges again, Jaune saw that Ruby was now down to 90% total, while he was only on 85%.

 

_Huh, perhaps this sword really could give me an edge after all._

 

Jaune thrust the blade forward, sending a focused burst of heat and flame rocketing towards the red reaper, who barely managed to recover in time to dodge the attack. This time Ruby closed in, forcing Jaune to raise his shield to block her scythe swipes, her sheer dexterity and speed meant that he couldn’t block them all and he took a few hits to the chest plate, knocking his Aura down to 72%.

 

_This isn’t working, I need to try something else._

 

As Ruby activated her Semblance once again, evading Juane’s flame-enhanced strikes with ease, the knight had a new idea.

 

_Her Semblance boosts her speed, but it doesn’t make her any more dextrous or agile, I could use the ice to trip her up if I have the right timing…_

 

With this new plan in mind, Jaune charged the newly entrenched Reaper, ignoring the impacts of her sniper rounds and bringing his shield up, at the same time he slid his thumb to the crystalline button that activated the ice Dust strip, smiling inwardly at the sudden temperature drop to his right.

 

Jaune swung his shield toward the Reaper while also swinging his sword from left to right, creating a small ‘puddle’ of partially melted ice next to Ruby, who was thankfully too preoccupied with digging Crescent Rose out of the ground to notice. Jaune observed that Ruby almost always went to the right when escaping via her semblance, he hoped that pattern would hold true now.

 

His faith was rewarded, the predictable flurry of rose petals was followed a split second later with a high-pitched shriek of surprise as Ruby’s feet slid out from under her, the ice patch giving the reaper no purchase in her escape. Crescent Rose slid from her grip and skittered along the floor of the arena, Jaune made sure to kick the scythe outside of the boundaries as he passed by, making it impossible for Ruby to retrieve the weapon without failing the spar.

 

Jaune’s sword, one more enveloped in flame and heat, slashed twice across Ruby’s torso before she could stand, followed up by a boot to the chest to knock her down once more. By the time Ruby had recovered, she found herself staring up at the blade of Crocea Mors II, pointed at her throat.

 

Jaune cleared his throat, trying to keep the elation he felt out of his voice as he gave his ultimatum.

 

“It’s over, yield”. It may have sounded a bit cheesy, but Jaune had always wanted to say something like that.

 

Ruby took a moment to weigh her options, the instant she saw Crescent Rose outside the arena boundaries, though, she knew it was over.

 

“Okay Jaune… you win.”

 

With Ruby’s surrender out of the way, Jaune extended a hand to help her up, which she gratefully accepted. As she rose, Ruby gave Jaune a wide grin. “That was great, Jaune!”. Jaune just flushed, and shrugged dismissively.

 

“Yeah, but it wouldn’t even be possible if it weren’t for you, Rubes.”, he responded, shuffling alongside her as she retrieved Crescent Rose. Ruby turned back after she had done so, noticing the smile that had been on Jaune’s face a moment before was now slipping. She frowned as she noticed this, gripping Crescent Rose while contemplating if she should ask him if he was alright. Her thoughts were interrupted when he turned to face her, smile now back on his face.

 

“You know, you’re a great friend, Ruby. I really appreciate your help”. Ruby flushed a shade of crimson, which deepened when Jaune wrapped her into a surprise hug.

 

“Heh… thanks Jaune, you’re a really great friend too.” Ruby was having a hard time not falling asleep in Jaune's arms, his hug was comforting, warm and promised safety. It reminded Ruby of the hugs she used to get from her late mother, Summer. She wrapped her smaller arms around his waist and nestled her head into his torso, mewling happily in contentment. Jaune let out his own hum of satisfaction, before his eyes shot open and he whispered quietly.

 

“Ruby? You did tell the others where you were, right?”, he asked, prompting Ruby’s eyes to go wide and quickly release him, now frazzled. “Oh crap, I forgot to tell them! Yang’s gonna kill me!”. 

 

“You? What about ME?!” Jaune shouted back, the two running to the exit of the training room and running outside, only to run straight into the rest of Team RWBY, knocking Weiss and Yang over, while Blake just sighed and shook her head. “I told you that they’d be here. They’ve been discussing forging a new weapon for Jaune for weeks”.

 

“Apparently, you’re correct, Blake. You really should have told us before you left, Ruby!”, Weiss admonished the younger girl, who squirmed under her gaze. “Wouldn’t you agree, Yang?”. When she didn’t receive a response, Weiss turned to see why the blonde brawler had gone silent, finding that she was currently pinned by Jaune, who was still trying to get up from the tumble he had just taken.

 

He shook his head, finally taking in his surroundings and noticing what, or **who** he was on top of. Cobalt eyes met lilac as the two stared at each other in silence, before Yang snickered and winked at the shocked knight. “Didn’t expect you to be so forward, Jaune. Is that a sword in your pants, or are you just happy to see me?”

 

Jaune’s face went red, then lit up. “Actually, yeah, it is!”, he said, holding up his newly forged sword beside him. Yang’s eyes went to the sword, then to Jaune, then back to the sword. She then burst into laughter, while Weiss rolled her eyes, Blake chuckled along, Ruby scratched her head in confusion, and Jaune stood up and offered Yang a hand. After she took it, Yang and the rest of heer team left with Jaune, their laughter now echoing through the Beacon hallways.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again to Jack for writing this chapter. You da man!


	17. Polar Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pyrrha and Jaune get into a fight, and Pyrrha's feelings come out.
> 
> Yet another chapter graciously written by Jack+Simpson!

 

“ Sigh, who knew Grimm biology could be so complicated!?” there was a resounding  _ thud _ as Jaune’s head met the desk, a heavy sigh rattling forth from his mouth.

 

“I know that this subject isn’t exactly your strongest suit, Jaune. But you need to keep going if you want to do well on Professor Port’s test on Friday.” Pyrrha smiled at him sympathetically, patting him on the back a few times.

 

The duo were currently in the Beacon Library, Pyrrha having spent the past hour and a half helping Jaune study, the test was on Grimm biology, a subject in which Jaune’s knowledge was...sorely lacking.

 

“Sorry for being such a downer Pyr, it just feels like I’m not taking any of this in, I keep forgetting everything! Urrgghhh…” Jaune’s complaints trailed off into a loud pessimistic groan. “I can just tell I’m going to fail this test Pyr… what’s the point in continuing on?”

 

Pyrrha smiled at him once more in a reassuring way and Jaune couldn’t help but smile lightly back, his partner always seemed to be there for him and think the best of a situation, it was really quite admirable. Jaune could swear that Pyrrha Nikos didn’t have a malevolent or pessimistic bone in her body, she rarely if ever got angry or upset.

 

Inside the spartan champion’s mind, on the other hand, the reality was quite different. Pyrrha was honestly quite sick of listening to Jaune’s self-deprecation, it was genuinely heartbreaking for her to listen to her beloved leader’s constant put downs and tirades of his own uselessness.

 

_ Why can’t you think more highly of yourself Jaune? Why can’t you see that you ARE improving, that you HAVE gotten better? You’re not a burden to our team Jaune, I promise you, why can’t you see that? _

 

_ Why can’t you recognize all those wonderful qualities you have? Your kindness, empathy, determination, courage. It’s far from useless Jaune, those qualities are what keeps our team together. _

 

_ Why can’t you see yourself the way I see you…? _

 

The Invincible Girl was snapped out of her musings by another loud groan from Jaune, she turned to see that his textbook was no longer there and Jaune currently had his head in his hands. Pyrrha frowned at this, it was clear from his posture and his actions that he’d essentially given up on learning the reading for Port’s test, but she needed to be sure first.

 

“Jaune, where’s your textbook?” Pyrrha asked, hoping that he’d simply thrown his textbook somewhere in frustration, that way she could coax him into resuming his studying and hopefully take in enough of the information to pass the test.

 

Jaune turned his head, agonizingly slowly, to face the champion, before levelling a tired and defeated stare at her. “...It’s in my bag Pyrrha, I give up, I can’t study for this damn test anymore. I’ve been trying for an hour and a half and I can't. Remember. ANYTHING!”

 

The sudden volume change startled the spartan, as the Knight laughed almost pitifully and continued on. “Just another thing I can fail at huh, Pyrrha? Just like Dr. Oobleck’s history class, just like Ms Goodwitch’s combat class. I may have beaten Ruby in a spar, but that’s only because of this new sword, it’s not me that beat her, it’s the sword. I could never beat Ruby on my own, much less anyone else, and I don’t think I ever will.”

 

Now, Pyrrha had stoically put up with Jaune’s low opinion of his abilities and worth since she’d first joined team JNPR at Beacon. She had allowed Jaune to demean himself plenty of times, whether it was because he failed a test or was defeated in a combat spar, she would stand beside him, alleviating his worries as best she could with support and kind words.

 

But this time, something simply  _ snapped  _ inside the normally placid and demure champion, she simply  _ refused  _ to allow Jaune to demean himself this way, not after he’d come such a long way and grown so much.

 

Jaune was still rambling, but Pyrrha wasn’t listening anymore, she simply reached out and seized the lapels of his uniform, pulling him up and turning him to face her.

 

“Jaune, just STOP IT.”

 

“P-Pyrrha? What do you…?” Jaune was legitimately shocked at the tone the scarlet spartan took with him, he’d never heard her raise her voice to him in that manner before.

 

Pyrrha cut him off. “Jaune, this HAS to stop. You’re not being fair to yourself! You’ve come so far and you’ve accomplished so much in the short time you’ve been here. Don’t you DARE say you’re not good enough!”

 

“But I AM not good enough, aren’t I?!” Jaune shot back, matching the intensity of her proclamation with one of his own. “I can barely beat anyone in combat class and my grades are pathetic!”

 

“Jaune, you came to this school with almost no prior knowledge or combat experience, remember! You may not be as good as the rest of us right now, but you WILL be. You’ve proven that you deserve a place here, just like everyone else here! Please, just stop degrading yourself like this!” Pyrrha cried, hoping her leader (and crush) would see her reasoning.

 

“Look, Pyr, I appreciate what you’re trying to do but just stop, okay!? Don’t try and boost my confidence by lying. I’m not going to get as good as the others anytime soon, and I’ll NEVER be as good as you! Why do you guys even bother with me anyway? I’m a good tactician, sure, but that applies to about half the kids here!”

 

Jaune slumped in Pyrrha’s grip, sighing to himself. “Why do you, Nora and Ren still put up with me Pyr? Haven’t I dragged you guys dow-”

 

Jaune never got the chance to finish his sentence, a stinging pain erupted across his right cheek as his head snapped sideways. When he righted himself, the knight found himself face-to-face with an openly distraught Pyrrha Nikos.

 

“Just… just SHUT UP JAUNE!” Pyrrha practically screamed at him. “I don’t CARE if you think you’re not good enough for us! We don’t feel the same way, we...we care about you Jaune because you’re our leader, our teammate, our family!”

 

“Do you know how hard it is for me, watching you tear yourself down like that day after day!? Do you know how terrible I feel when I have to watch you degrade yourself and I can’t help you?! Nora and Ren can’t stand it, but it’s so much worse for me because I-I… because I LOVE YOU JAUNE!”

 

The whole room seemed to go dead silent at that, the knight and the champion freezing in place, Pyrrha still standing there with tears openly running down her cheeks, a hand clasped over her mouth as she realised what she’d just blurted out in the heat of the moment.

 

Jaune felt like his heart had stopped beating. Pyrrha Nikos, his best friend, his teammate, his partner… was  _ in love with him _ ? HIM? With her kind nature, popularity and unparalleled combat prowess she could have her pick of the boys in this academy, and she chooses a complete  _ failure  _ like him?

 

“Pyrrha… I had no idea, I…I’m sorry”.

 

The Mistrali champion blinked away some stray tears before answering. “Sorry?  _ Sorry? _ Why would you… why would you possibly be sorry Jaune? I don’t understand.”

 

The blonde knight laughed pitifully. “Pyr, I’m sorry that I’ve been...holding you back.”

 

“What? Jaune what are you talking about!? You’ve not been holding me back at all!” Pyrrha was starting to look worried again, what was Jaune talking about?

 

“Pyr, you could’ve chosen anyone to be interested in, and you decided on a loser like me. I don’t really know why, but I do know that you… you deserve better. I-I’m sorry, but I need to go…”

 

With those words ringing in her ears, the spartan could only watch as her leader turned, having gathered up his belongings some time ago, and sprinted from the library in a sudden burst of speed.

 

“JAUNE WAIT! Please just come back! I’m sorry, Jaune! I’M SORRY!!”

 

Her pleas falling on deaf ears, Pyrrha could only slump down into her seat in shock and clap her hand to her mouth as the tears began afresh. She hadn’t meant to confess her feelings in this way, but she’d done it. She’d confessed to the knight of her affections.

 

And all he’d done in response was run away.

 

_ Jaune, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. Please, just come back, please come back to me Jaune… _

 

“Hey Pyrrha! What’s up with…are you okay Pyr-Pyr…? Hey, what’s wrong…?”

 

The voice shook Pyrrha from her reverie, raising her head to the source of the voice, the scarlet champion’s emerald orbs found themselves facing a pair of teal ones, framed by a mop of ginger hair that Pyrrha knew all too well.

 

“N-Nora?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be written by me. Thanks again to Jack for being a great help.


	18. Confronting Fears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaune tries to fix his relationship with Pyrrha, and winds up with something more.

Jaune stalked through the dark hallways of Beacon, his own footsteps echoing as his heart beat in his ears. He tried to rationalize what Pyrrha had told him, tried to convince himself it was just drowsiness, or a prank from Yang, but he knew it couldn’t be. Pyrrha...really liked him. He just couldn’t wrap his head around why! As he continued to walk, he sank deeper and deeper into his thoughts. Why the hell **would** she like him? Sure, she had given her reasons, but that couldn’t be it. Plenty of people are kind, plenty are thoughtful. So what did Pyrrha see in him that he didn’t? What did she think was so special about him?

 

Before he could contemplate further, he collided with something solid, causing him to stumble backward, waking him from his stupor. As he did so, he heard something clatter to the floor, looking down to see that a clipboard had been dropped at his feet, which were across from someone else's. Jaune winced as he realized that he had run into someone, and quickly bent down and scooped up the clipboard.

 

"I’m so sorry, I wasn’t paying attention-"

 

"Jaune?"

 

Jaune paused, and looked up, meeting Glynda Goodwitch's emerald eyes and concerned gaze.

 

"Oh, Ms. Goodwitch! I’m sorry, I should have been-"

 

"Jaune, it’s alright." She interrupted,still visibly concerned. "Why are you crying?"

 

"I...what..?" Jaune sputtered as he brushed his face, finally feeling the tears that had been rolling down his cheeks for the last minute. He felt his face flush, but forced himself to meet Glynda’s eyes with a sigh. "It’s a long story."

 

"Well, I’ve finished grading my assignments for the evening. Would you like to talk about it?"

 

Jaune grimaced at the idea of telling his teacher about his love life drama, but glance at her face told him that she wasn’t offering, but telling. He sighed again, and nodded.

~~~

 

"And after that, I ran out. I just...I couldn’t handle the idea of her liking me...like that." Jaune finished as he slumped in his seat, clutching his mug of hot chocolate as Glynda listened to his tale. When he looked at her face, the best way he could describe her expression was a mix of discomfort and confusion.

 

"Well, I’ll admit. I wasn’t expecting...that."

 

Jaune scoffed a laugh, and shrugged at his combat instructor. "All due respect, you did insist, Professor."

 

"I suppose you’re right...nevertheless, it is my duty to help my students, so I will attempt to do so, even in this case." Glynda stated as she grabbed a pen and a piece of paper, sitting before Jaune with a neutral expression. "Alright, Jaune. Why do you think you reacted how you did to Ms. Niko’s confession?"

 

Jaune pondered the question, staring down at the swirling brown liquid in his cup.

 

"I...I guess I just wasn’t expecting it." He answered after a moment. "Someone as amazing as her, falling for someone as painfully average as me."

 

"Hmm. Why would you describe yourself that way?" Glynda asked.

 

"It’s how I’ve been described my whole life."

 

"By whom?" The teacher enquired once more.

 

"My parents, my teachers, the few friends I had before coming to Beacon."

 

"Wait, your **family** called you “painfully average”?" Glynda asked, slight anger in her gaze.

 

"Yeah, they were always a bit...rough with me." Jaune answered.

 

Glynda’s eyes narrowed dangerously at that, prompting Jaune to wave his hands frantically, almost spilling his hot drink.

 

"T-they weren't abusive or anything! Nothing like that!" He quickly interjected. "They were always just...harder on me then my sisters. When I was a kid, it wasn’t as bad. They still applaud me for a B on my math test, they’d still cheer when I actually got close to the goal during my soccer games. But as I grew up, and more of my sisters became Huntresses, they got more demanding. Anything lower than a A- on a test was no longer acceptable. If I didn’t land a hit during defense class, I had to walk home alone. Even the few times I did do well, there wasn’t much fuss over it. It was like they were getting less and less invested in me. My Dad was always a little more lenient, but my Mom...she was relentless. I can’t even remember how many times we got into shouting matches over whether or not I’d even go to a Huntsmen academy. She told me I’d never be ready, that I’d never be strong enough to be a Huntsman. I still wonder if she’s right."

 

At this point, Jaune had fully slumped in his chair. While there was a tinge of embarrassment from talking about such personal matters with his teacher, Jaune also felt a bit of relief being able to talk about these things with someone. However, he looked up when he felt a hand touch his, finding Glynda’s sympathetic eyes meet his.

 

"Jaune, I would just like to say that I think you will make a great Huntsman one day, and that you are already making progress." She said earnestly, smiling at the boy. "Please, don’t give up on yourself."

 

Jaune’s eyes watered at the kind smile Glynda gaze him, but he quickly wiped any potential tears away and stood up.

 

"Thank you, Ms. Gloodwich. That means a lot coming from you. But this isn’t about me, it’s about how I hurt Pyrrha, and how I can start to fix it."

 

"Well, to start, I’d go with an apology." The teacher quipped. Jaune glared at Glynda for a moment before cracking a smile and laughing weakly.

 

"Well, it’s a start. Thank you, Professor. I’ll let you know how this goes tomorrow." He said as he stood, dusting himself off before he left.

 

As Jaune left, Glynda grabbed her scroll and searched for Ozpin’s contact. When he finally picked up, he nodded to Glynda with a thin smile.

 

" _Ah, Glynda! I was just about to call you regarding our coffee budget this year. I was hoping to increase it to-_ "

 

"I’d been happy to get right on that Ozpin." She chirped. A brief silence ensued before the Headmaster spoke again, disbelief in his tone.

 

_"...You...would?"_

 

"I just need something in return."

 

 _"Ah, that explain the sudden cooperation on this topic._ " He said, chuckling slightly before continuing. " _Alright, what is it?_ "

 

"You said two of Mr. Arc’s sisters were in the area assisting in a protection assignment?" Glynda asked, her grip tightening on her riding crop. "What are the chances I could get an audience with them?"

~~~

Jaune gulped as he approached his own dorm room. This was mainly because of the angry looking Nora Valkyrie that was standing outside of it. As he got closer, her turquoise eyes locked on him, a subtle anger glowing behind them. She started toward him, meeting him halfway to their room.

 

"Nora, have you seen--!"

 

Jaune never finished his sentence as Nora, Queen of the Castle, Sloth loving, pancake eating friends, slapped him with all her strength. Jaune’s head spun as he steadied himself, actually stumbling from the blow. He turned back to Nora, who still looked furious.

 

"What the hell were you thinking, Jaune?!" The ginger bomber spat, her eyes full of unfitting rage.

 

"Nora, what are you-"

 

"She told me everything!" Nora growled, interrupting the boy. "How could you just-just walk out after she spilled her deepest feelings to you?!"

 

"I...I just wasn’t ready-" Jaune said helplessly.

 

"Ready for what, Jaune?! For someone to care about you?!"

 

At this point, Nora was getting close to yelling, so Jaune slapped a hand over her mouth, ignoring her angry eyes as he spoke softly.

 

"Alright, Nora. Such you have such a good grip on this situation, answer me this: if Ren told you out of the blue that she loved you, that she thought unbelievably highly of you even when you were at your lowest. You’re telling me you wouldn’t get emotional? That you’d just take it in stride and act like everything was the same?"

 

As he finished his example, Jaune noticed the anger in Nora’s eyes dissipate a little. He removed his hand, and saw that Nora’s sneer was gone. She sighed, and deflated a little, like her energy was gone.

 

"Ren’s always cared about me. She protected me when no one else did, ever since we were kids. I can... see where you’re coming from, but we’re a team. We’re family, Jaune."

 

"Yeah, well my family dealt with emotions in a much louder and...emotional way then most." He said, before smirking. "Hey, if you ever want a break from Ms. Quiet Ninja, I’ll trade ya."

 

Nora giggled a little at that, making Jaune grin. However, after the giggles subsided, silence hung between the two. Nora sighed after a moment, and stepped to the side, gesturing to their dorm.

 

"Ren left to get more tea like 20 minutes ago. I’ll buy you some extra time."

 

"Thanks, Nora. I’ll fix this, I promise."

 

Jaune quickly made his way over to the door, but paused as Nora whistled to him.

 

"She’s really hurting, Jauney." She whispered, her eyes softening in pity. "Please, be gentle..."

 

Jaune nodded, entering the room just as Ren rounded the corner at the other end of the hall.

 

"Um, Nora?" Ren asked, visibly confused at Nora's appearance outside of their room.

 

Nora turned to her partner with a wide grin and sparkling eyes.

 

"Renny! Is that coffee for me!?"

 

Ren cocked her head before realising her intentions, her expression quickly morphing from stoic to unease to fear and finally to utter terror in quick succession. The raven-haired girl moved to shield the coffee as quickly as possible.

 

If there were two things that should never, EVER be put together, it was coffee and Nora Valkyrie.

 

"Nora, NO!"

 

"NORA, YES!"

~~~

The room was dark as Jaune entered. He couldn’t see much, but he did notice the silhouette of his partner on her bed, turned away from him. He gulped again, and strengthened his nerves as he spoke.

 

"P-pyrrha? It’s, um, it’s me. I-I just wanted to, um, a-apologize for how I acted it the library. That...that wasn’t fair to you, and I should’ve known better. You worked up the courage to admit your feelings like that, and I just… ran away because I was scared. That’s not alright. I...I just want you to know that you’re the best partner I could have asked for, and that...that I…"

 

Jaune paused, his mouth now bone dry. He tried again, managing a quiet whisper, but knew that wasn’t enough. Finally, he got the words out.

 

"I love you too, Pyrrha. You’ve supported me since the day I got here, you’ve always believed in me, even when I didn’t believe in myself. When I fell down, you were the first to pick me back up, and you always had some kind and encouraging words for me… you’ve done so much for me. And you’re so kind, supportive and courageous, how could I not admire that…? I’m sorry I took so long to realize that, but I started liking you a few weeks ago… and it’s only gotten stronger for me since then. If I’d known you felt the same way earlier, I-I probably would’ve asked you out way back then..."

 

Silence covered the room after Jaune’s confesion. Pyrrha’s form stayed still, unmoving besides the rising and falling of her shoulders, slow and rhythmic breathing. As time stretched, jaune began to get nervous.

 

"P-pyrrha? I understand if you’re still mad, and...and I understand if you want me to leave. Just...tell me, alright? Just say it."

 

The silence stayed as thick as ever, no sign of response emanated from Pyrrha. Jaune’s fear reached a crescendo, and he stepped closer.

 

"Pyrrha, please. Just say someth-SHIT!"

 

Jaune cried out as he slipped on his shield, which lay on the ground next to his bed. As he fell, his head met the post of his bed with a sickening _CRACK_! Jaune hit the ground, fighting back a now growing stream of tears that began to roll down his face. Then, he heard what felt like the best sound in the universe at that moment.

 

"Wha-Jaune?"

 

He tilted his head slightly so he could see Pyrrha. She was now facing him, her squinted eyes and ruffled pajamas revealing why she hadn’t answered him. She had been _sleeping._ Jaune let out a wheeze of laugher before clutching his forehead, which was now growing slick with blood. Pyrrha finally noticed Jaune’s head wound, eyes widening and leaping from her bed as she grabbed a nearby medical kit, placing a rag soaked in disinfectant on his wound, eyeing him nervously.

 

"It’s alright, Jaune. I know it stings, but you’ll be alright." She soothed. Jaune didn’t respond as he met Pyrrha’s eyes, emerald orbs that practically lit up the darkness of the room. Pyrrha noticed this, and flushed a little. "J-jaune? W-why are you staring at me?"

 

Pyrrha’s blush only grew as Jaune cupped her cheek, pulling her in with his own cobalt eyes.

 

"I’m sorry, Pyrrha. I’m sorry I doubted myself, I’m sorry that I yelled at you, I’m sorry I ran away. I’m not sorry for being your partner, and I’m sure as hell not sorry for liking you back."

 

Pyrrha’s heart skipped a beat as Jaune leaned forward, his lips meeting hers softly and sweetly. The kiss didn’t last very long, but to the teenage duo it felt like they were kissing for a whole year. They sat like that for almost a minute, before Jaune leaned back, his blue eyes now hazy, but a clear smile on his face. Pyrrha wasn’t much better, giggling uncontrollably as she slumped into a sitting position against her bed.

 

"S-so, ahem, what does this make us?" She asked, clearing her throat.

 

"Well, that's really up to you, I guess."

 

Pyrrha tilted her head cutely, emerald orbs shining bright, making Jaune chuckle.

 

"I’m happy with whatever you want, Pyr."

 

Pyrrha was quiet for a moment, before letting out her own chuckle and scooting over to Jaune, who was now leaning on his own bed. He let out a surprised squeak as she slid into his lap, slowly letting his arms encircle her as she smiled at him.

 

"As long as we have each other, it doesn’t really matter what we are. I… I just really like you, Jaune."

 

Jaune smiled back at his partner and crush, resting his head on hers.

 

"I like you too, Pyr."

~~~

Several minutes later, the door to the dorm opened, briefly shedding light on the two sleeping students inside. Pyrrha squirmed a little from the light, prompting a smiling Ren and squealing Nora to shut the door, leaving the two in peace.

 

"Well, you were right. He did handle it. Fairly well, apparently." Ren muttered, smiling a bit.

 

"Yup! So, what do we do now that our room is taken?"

 

Ren met Nora’s mischievous gaze, and sighed.

 

"Pancake raid?"

 

"PANCAKE RAID!"


	19. Dates and Dilemas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaune gets an unexpected offer from Blake.
> 
> Thank you again to Jack Simpson for help writing this chapter, you efforts are valiant and appreciated.

The sun shining in through the windows of team JNPR’s dorm was what woke Jaune from his slumber, he yawned and began rubbing the sleep from his eyes, ready to go about his normal morning routine when he came to a realization.

****

His left arm was currently wrapped around something soft, something that was also cuddling up to him and snoring softly.

****

Jaune’s gaze drifted to the object, and his steadily clearing eyesight told him that it was actually a person. His partner, to be precise.

****

_Did she always look this cute in the morning, or am I just now seeing how beautiful she is after what happened last night?_

****

These thoughts caused Jaune to reflect on the events of yesterday, his studying with Pyrrha for Port’s test, his lack of faith in himself even after his recent string of good fortune (building Corcea Mors II for one, beating Ruby in a spar for another), his argument with Pyrrha about his skills and aforementioned lack of faith.

****

Pyrrha’s confession of her feelings and his response, running away. That memory rapidly filled him with a sense of shame, even if things did work out in the end.

****

Jaune sighed softly as his reminiscence came to an end, gazing back down at this sleeping partner, or rather, sleeping _girlfriend._

****

Girlfriend, Pyrrha Nikos was now his _girlfriend_ , the reality still seemed rather ludicrous and unbelievable for the knight to process, despite the mutual confessions last night. Jaune raised a hand to pinch himself, simply to make absolutely sure he wasn’t dreaming, or that he’d not died and gone to heaven.

****

_Nope, still here. Guess this isn’t a dream then… hehe, I really have a girlfriend now…_

****

His musings were interrupted by a cute yawn as his sleeping partner returned to the waking world. Jaune removed his arm from underneath her as she sat up and stretched, letting another yawn loose as she shook her head.

****

“Morning Pyrrha.” Jaune couldn’t help but smile at her, even before her morning routine she still looked endearing, in her own special way. Maybe it was just because she was his girlfriend now, but Jaune couldn’t help but think Pyrrha had never once looked unattractive in all the time they’d been here.

****

“Mmm… good morning Jaune” she replied, finally opening those enchanting emerald orbs and turning them to him, a light half smile already forming on the champion’s lips as the memories of last night came flooding back to her too.

****

Feeling rather bold this morning, Jaune reached out to wrap his arms around the scarlet spartan and pull her into his own chest in a cuddle, she couldn’t help but squeak in surprise at her leader’s sudden display of affection. When Jaune decided to plant a quick kiss on her forehead, her face quickly flushed a bright red.

****

“J-Jaune! What are you doing?!”

****

“Just showing my wonderful girlfriend how much I care about her.” Jaune knew the line was a little cheesy, but it was worth it to see the normally confident and composed Pyrrha Nikos break down into stuttering and blushing at the words, Jaune was sure he heard a few _‘nyas’_ mixed in with her quiet squeals of protest.

****

“I mean, if you don’t like where we are now, we could always just get up…” Jaune’s previous smile turned mischievous, though this went unnoticed by Pyrrha, who promptly wrapped her arms around his chest in return.

****

“No! I’m fine where I am!” She hurriedly assured him, not wanted to end the embrace anytime soon.

****

This was essentially a dream come true for Pyrrha, she’d always hoped to awaken to a Jaune who returned her affection, who was perfectly content to cuddle with her in the mornings and compliment her beauty in his own endearingly honest way. Now that it had finally happened, she didn’t want it to stop, even though they’d probably have to get up soon for classes.

****

Their blissful cuddling was soon interrupted by a loud gasp from across the room, the new couple cracked open their eyes and turned to the source of the noise, to find themselves staring at the teal orbs of one Nora Valkyrie. Their hyperactive teammate had the biggest grin on her face, and seemed to be visibly _vibrating_ with excitement.

****

Before Jaune or Pyrrha could even open their mouths, the ginger-haired force of nature sprang over to the bed of their remaining teammate and began shaking the occupant awake.

****

“Ren Ren Ren Ren Ren Ren Ren Ren Ren Ren-!”

****

“Nora… would you stop shaking me please?”

****

Ren’s calm voice cut through the Valkyrie’s repetition, she stopped shaking her and instead sat back and gestured at their friends.

****

“But Reeeen, look! It’s finally happened! It’s _happened_ Renny!” Nora exclaimed loudly, the grin back on her face and she stabbed her finger in Jaune and Pyrrha’s direction, the partners both feeling slightly embarrassed.

****

Ren sighed at her oldest friend’s antics.

****

“I can see that Nora, congratulations, by the way” a rare small smile made its way onto the lips of the Green Gunwoman as she nodded towards the new couple, who both began blushing even more.

****

“So… when DID this happen?”

****

“It was last night” Jaune admitted, chuckling nervously. “I wanted to go apologies for what happened yesterday and… well things escalated from there. I realized how much Pyrrha meant to me, and how much I wanted to take that next step. Nora’s uh… ‘pep talk’ really helped me out.”

****

The ginger bomber simply saluted happily. “Happy to help, fearless leader! You can count on me!”

****

Pyrrha simply blushed and cuddled closer to Jaune in response, resting her head on his shoulder with a happy giggle.

****

_KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK_

****

The team’s conversation was cut short by the sound of knuckles rapping against their door. Jaune sighed, reluctantly disentangling himself from the spartan in his arms, and crossed to the door. Opening it, he found himself face-to-face with the last person he expected to be knocking on his door at this early hour,

****

The raven-haired ninja beauty of team RWBY herself, Blake Belladonna.

****

“Hello Jaune, do you mind if we talk?”

****

~~~

****

It had taken the pair a while to reach the roof, in part because Pyrrha had been reluctant to part with her beloved leader, though Jaune had convinced her that Blake probably just wanted to thank him for his help against the White Fang, in her own way.

****

“Okay Blake, I’m here, what did you want to talk about?” Jaune figured he should just be blunt, Blake appreciated getting to the point anyway.

****

“I want to take you to lunch today.”

****

“Uh, come again?” Jaune was rather thrown by this, he’d been thinking that Blake was just going to thank him for helping her, did she actually want to take him on a-

****

“As a thank you, I wanted to take you to lunch as a thank you for helping me with… with the White Fang. Even though it was dangerous, and you got hurt, you still helped me. I should repay you” Blake explained.

****

_Oh, so she does just want to thank me, okay._

****

“Blake, you don’t have to thank me, I was just doing what I’d do for any of my friends. You needed help, so I helped.” Jaune offered a friendly smile to the faunus, honesty in his words.

****

“I insist” Blake didn’t back down. She was stubborn that way, just like when she was determined to uncover the White Fang’s plans, Jaune could tell that Blake wouldn’t let this go.

****

Well, if she wanted to repay him, then who was he to turn down a free lunch?

****

“Alright then Blake, you win.” Jaune acquiesced, not wanting to squabble with her over something as petty as lunch.

****

“Well, then you should meet me in the cafeteria at 1 today”

****

“Great! I’ll be there.”

****

~~~

****

_There’s simply no way that this is happening._

****

Weiss had been repeating those words in her head for the past 10 minutes now. She had been ever since Blake had returned to and then left the room, after first changing her attire and explaining her plans.

****

Or, to be more accurate, ever since Weiss had found out about Blake’s _lunch date_ with Jaune Arc.

****

Of course, Blake hadn’t called it a date. She had not risen to the bait in the form of Yang’s predictable barrage of teases, and had responded to the inevitable questions from Ruby with the same stoic ease she carried into regular conversation.

****

It was not a date, of course it wasn’t. There was no way a quiet girl like Blake would be interested in the blonde dork that was Jaune Arc.

****

_So, why am I obsessing over it so much?_

****

“So Weissicle…. What’s up with that face? Still thinking about Blake and Vomit Boy’s date?”

****

Weiss was snapped out of her musings by the voice of team RWBY’s resident brawler, Yang Xiao Long. Her teammate had her eyebrow raised, a knowing and cheeky grin adorning her face.

****

“Of course not!” Weiss snapped. “I was simply… lost in thought about my work, that’s all.”

****

“Oh sure you were, I believe you _Weiss-cream_.” Yang smirked with a wink, she’d seen how Weiss was acting and she knew something was up. She smelled blood, and she was going to chase it. “More likely you were thinking about Blakey going on a date with Jaune right now.”

****

“It is NOT a date, Xiao Long! Why can’t you understand that, have all those hits to the head you’ve taken in sparring finally caught up with you? Blake has said it’s not a date, so it is NOT. A. DATE!” The heiress fumed at her team’s resident joker, whose smile had only grown into what could best be described as a grin of the ‘shit-eating’ variety at Weiss’ tirade.

****

“I dunno, you seem awfully passionate about this _not-date_ they’re going on, like you just said Weissicle, it’s NOT a date, so why get antsy about it?” Yang chuckled to herself. “Admit it, you wanna go spy on them, don’t you? Maybe even switch places with Blake and go on that NOT-date yourself?”

****

“Oooh! Oooh! A team RWBY spying mission!?” Ruby burst into the conversation at this point, silver orbs alight with excitement.

****

“Sure Rubes, we’ll hide behind newspapers, wear big chunky coats and fedoras to hide our faces, it’ll be a good way to spend the lunch break.” Of course Yang would indulge her little sister, but Weiss would not be swayed so easily.

****

“Hmmph, fine. Demean yourselves and skulk around like wannabe spies, but you two dolts are NOT dragging me into your shenanigans!”

****

“C’mon Weiss! Team RWBY takes care of their own! It’s our duty to make sure that Jaune doesn’t try to take advantage of our teammate!”

****

“Hate to break it to ya Rubes, but this is _Jaune_ we’re talking about, the guy probably wouldn’t know what to do if a girl asked for some _one-on-one_ time and then shoved her tits in his face. I don’t think he’s gonna try anything.” Yang grinned while shaking her head, if there was one thing that Jaune was, it was almost sickeningly dense. There was no way that he’d be the one to initiate ANYTHING in a relationship, even the relationship itself, without some cheesy romantic gesture on his part.  “Besides, do you really think he’d do that?”

****

“Well, no…. But I just wanna make sure their lunch date goes well! Blake and Jaune are both our friends, can’t we just go along to support them?” The little reaper’s silver eyes were full of pleading, quivering and widened for maximum cuteness. She even threw in a little whimper and a lip quiver just to sell it further.

****

Yang didn’t stand a chance. “Uurrgghh….. Fine Rubes, we’ll go ‘supervise’ Blake and Lover Boy’s date, okay? You go on ahead and I’ll see if i can’t get Weiss-cream here to come along.”

****

The young Rose immediately perked up, vanishing in a scattering of rose petals and charging out the door towards the lunch hall.

****

“Yang Xiao Long, for the last time, I am NOT partaking in this silly little ‘spying’ venture with you and Ruby! I have FAR better things to do with my time!” Weiss was adamant. Why should she care what the blonde dunce and her raven-haired teammate got up to in their spare time? Why should she care if they… went on a date?

****

“Like dreamily doodling ‘Ms Jaune Arc’ in your notebook and imagining yourself in Blakey’s place for that little lunch date?” Yang’s eyebrows waggled up and down, an incredibly smug smirk on her face.

****

“I-I don’t doodle such things in my notebook!” Weiss shrieked.

****

“Ah! So you HAVE been imagining yourself in Blake’s place!”

****

“I… MAY have devised a HYPOTHETICAL scenario that MAY replicate a ‘date’ between myself and Arc, but ONLY because I want to ensure that he doesn’t take advantage of our teammate during their luncheon! That is all!”

****

“That’s all well and good Weissy, but if you REALLY want to make sure Blake’s safe on the ‘luncheon’, why not just come along and help us supervise?” Yang raised a single eyebrow, smiling at the heiress.

****

“.... Very well, I’ll accompany you on this little endeavor” Weiss conceded, she’d make sure that Blake and Arc’s date-NO! Lunch! She’d make sure their LUNCH went well.

****

_It is not a date, it’s simply lunch between two FRIENDS. That’s IT. NOT. A. DATE._

****

With enough repetition, Weiss almost believed herself by the time they reached the lunch hall.

~~~

****

“Thanks for showing up Jaune… I was a little worried you wouldn’t make it” Blake admitted, inwardly chastising herself for doubting Jaune like that, since he’d been almost absurdly loyal and trustworthy as a friend since she’d met him.

****

He’d helped her with the White Fang at the docks, he’d kept her secret till she was ready to reveal it to her team, and even then he’d not gone blurting it out to anyone else since. He didn’t even seem to mind that she was a Faunus, calmly accepting it and insisting that this new knowledge changed nothing between them.

****

He’d even accepted her… less than savory past with the White Fang with surprising ease. Blake had been surprised enough that Ruby, Yang and especially Weiss had forgiven her past sins, but Jaune? They weren’t on the same team and they didn’t know each other all that well, why was he so accepting?

****

Perhaps that was what caused Blake to begin having… certain _feelings_ toward the resident Dork Knight of Beacon.

****

It had started off small, enjoying his company and the like, asking for and valuing his opinion of what she wore, or the books she might buy. That last one came about after Jaune expressed an interest in reading some of her adult literature, yes, he actually called ‘Ninjas of Love’ adult literature, not SMUT like Yang and everyone else insisted it was!

****

Once Jaune had expressed that his own family had similar reactions toward his own collection of adult literature that Blake had dealt with from her team, the cat faunus had sensed a kindred spirit in the Knight.

****

Since that moment, the duo had taken to reading together in the library in the quiet time they had between lectures, tests and combat practice with Goodwitch. They had swapped books frequently, with Blake finding Jaune own literature surprisingly gripping, with a decent balance between plot and smu- adult entertainment!

****

These sessions had soon allowed another ‘occurrence’ between them to further stoke the cat ninja’s growing feelings, they had been reading the latest ‘Ninjas of Love’ book together, as was common for them nowadays, Blake’s bow discarded and her ears free and at attention. She felt safe enough around Jaune that she could free them without worry.

****

She hadn’t noticed Jaune’s hand sliding slowly toward her ears until it was already rubbing them.

****

Jaune himself had been inwardly freaking out, he’d always wanted to pet Blake’s ears since he first saw them, but held back out of respect for her personal space and their new friendship. Today though, he’d felt bolder with the close proximity to the ‘B’ of team RWBY and had, in a moment of impulse, simply thrown caution to the wind.

****

It had only been a few seconds of gentle stroking when Jaune realized what a gross violation of personal space and privacy this was and decided to withdraw his hand, preferably before Blake punched him through the wall, when a new sound had filled the air.

****

_Purr, purr, purr, purr._

****

As it turned out, Blake quite liked having her ears pet by Jaune, his touch was just firm enough to mollify and please her inner feline, while gentle enough that it wouldn’t be painful in any way. Once she’d realised what Jaune was doing and more importantly, how she was reacting, her face had gone almost completely red and she’d recoiled away, thoroughly embarrassed.

  
She’d never let anyone touch her ears like that! Except for her mother and father when she was younger and Adam, at least before his slide into extremism and excessive violence. Still, Blake couldn’t deny that Jaune’s touch was… nice, and comforting, and pleasant…

****

She’d wanted to feel that again.

****

She’d wanted Jaune to touch her ears again, to rub gentle circles into the appendages while she laid her head in his lap, purring and pushing her head into his hand, maybe even-

****

“-lake, Blake. Blake! BLAKE!”

****

The cat ninja was shaken rather abruptly out of her reverie by the very blonde knight that had come to dominate her thoughts over the last couple of weeks.

****

“Hey… you okay Blake? You’ve been spacing out for quite some time.” Jaune’s honest and open concern for her caused a warmth to stir in Blake’s heart.

****

“Oh! Jaune, I was just lost in thought” Blake admitted, a little embarrassed at spacing out like that in front of Jaune.

****

“Well, no harm done I guess.” Jaune chuckled, again spurring that warmth in the cat faunus’ chest. “You ready to go to lunch?”

****

Blake smiled, a rare, genuine smile that almost caused Jaune’s own heart to skip a beat when he saw it.

****

“Yeah, let’s go.”

~~~

“Psst, Yang? Are they doing anything? Can you hear what they’re saying?”

****

“Ruby, I’m trying, but I can’t hear if you keep asking!”

****

Weiss groaned in annoyance as the sisters of team RWBY continue to bicker indiscreetly while they followed loosely behind Jaune and Blake, who had somehow not noticed their pursuers, or hadn’t been moved to action.

****

“Will you two PLEASE keep it down? You insisted on doing this, and somehow I am the only one who seems to care what happens here!” she hissed at the pair, earning a shy chuckle from the red reaper and a scoff and smirk from the blonde brawler, who tilted down her aviators to look a Weiss.

****

“Huh, wonder why you’re so invested?”, she hummed, earning another growl from the heiress before she turned her attention back to the knight and ninja, who were still enjoying their meal while the three spies sat at their own table across the street. However, the three huntresses were anything but conspicuous at the moment. Ruby had not been kidding when she mentioned wearing those ridiculous disguises, which was their current attire. As if thick trench coats and fedoras didn’t ring any alarm bells in the middle of a warm fall day. Nevertheless, there they were, the spitting image if “We’re totally up to no good”.

****

“Oh, Jaune just said something to Blake...she’s laughing! Wow, that must have been a good joke.”, Ruby observed, an expression of excitement on her face. Weiss turned, and saw that Blake was indeed cackling from whatever Jaune had said to her, to her surprise. The knight was chuckling himself, his blue eyes shining with joy. Weiss felt an inexplicable sense of warmth seeing his smile, letting out her own soft laugh.

****

Suddenly, Jaune’s gaze met hers, and his expression faltered into confusion. Weiss felt her heart leap into her chest, mouth opened wide as she tried to warn her teammates that they had been spotted. However, Jaune’s expression returned to a smile, as he shot Weiss a wink and a thumbs up, before reengaging Blake in conversation. Weiss let out a sigh of relief, turning back to her friends, who wore similar expressions of surprise.  Yang was the first to speak, her eyes flicking between her fellow spies. “D-did he just..?”

“I don’t think he’s told her. They’re still talking...wait, Blake just checked her scroll...they’re getting ready to leave!”, Ruby commented, checking her own scroll and letting out an, “ _EEP_!”, before saying, “Lunch period starts soon! We better head out too!”

****

The other two girls agreed, so the three speed off for the transport docks, all the while recalling the events of the afternoon, and pondering why Jaune hadn’t given them away.

****

~~~

“Well, I certainly had fun today. Thank you for coming with me, Jaune.”

  
“Well, you did insist, but yeah, today was great,” the knight conceded, smiling at his fannus friend. The two were already back at Beacon, and were on their way back to their respective rooms to change before classes resumed. “We really need to hang out more.”

  
“I couldn’t agree more. Perhaps we could go out again, next week?”, Blake ventured, shooting Jaune a hopeful smile. While he initially looked surprised, he nodded slowly, his smile returning.

****

“Um, sure! But if we do, I’M paying.”

“I’m not going to argue that.”, Blake responded, her amber eyes twinkling mischievously. Jaune chuckled, before stopping and gesturing to RWBY’s dorm room, which they had just arrived at.

  
“Well, looks like we’re here. See you at Combat Class, Blake.” Jaune said, shooting her a smile before beginning to leave. However, as he walked, he felt a hand grab his arm. He turned, finding Blake holding him back, a nervous expression on her face, not meeting his eyes. “Um, Blake?”, he asked, suddenly feeling nervous. “Is something wrong?”

****

Jaune didn’t receive an answer, at least not a traditional one, as Blake suddenly leaned up, planting a kiss on Jaune’s lips. She leaned back, and smiled broadly. “See you soon, Jaune.” With that, she turned around, heading back to her dorm, humming happily. Jaune, to his credit, didn’t faint or fall over, eventually coming back reality and debating whether or not what just happened actually happened. He felt his face grow warm as recounted the feeling of Blake’s soft lips on his, and turned on his heel, quickly moving to his own dorm. As he entered, he found a small note on his bed, which he promptly picked up and read.

****

_Jaune,_

_I hope your lunch with Blake went well._

_I’ll see you at Port’s._

_From,_

_Pyrrha_ **_(AND NORA!)_ **

  
  
Jaune couldn't help but smile at the extra hello from Nora. Suddenly, he felt his scroll buzz, and he realized that he was going to be late. He quickly changed, ran out the door, and hustled to class, praying that Glynda would be merciful for his tardiness.


	20. A Brief Interlude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A brief check in with Daniel and Winter in Atlas.

Winter stood outside the Daniel’s bunkroom, idly tapping her elbows as she waited for Qrow’s assessment.  For the first time in a long time, she was worried about something not relating to the security of Remnant, and it felt...bizarrely good and terrible all at once. She wasn’t used to worrying about people, besides her sister, that is. However, getting a call at 2 am from Qrow Goddamn Brawn about dragging Daniel from a bar gave things a different perspective. This was...personal. Finally, the door opened and Qrow walked out, throwing a lazy goodbye over his shoulder as he did.

 

"You’ll be alright, kid. See ya around." 

 

As the door slid shut, Qrow met Winter’s stern gaze before scoffing and giving her a relaxed smile.

 

"Man, you really are worked up about this, huh? Didn’t expect that from you, Schnee." he teased, clearly pleased with the opportunity to get under her skin.  _ **AGAIN.**_

 

"Is he alright?" She asked, keeping her usual demeanor up. Qrow’s smile faltered, and he looked away.

 

"Honestly? The kid’s hurting bad, but he doesn't want it to show." He answered, shaking his head. "I’m not really an expert on stuff like this, and...heh, you’re even less of one."

 

Winter glared at the man before sighing, and offering her hand.

 

"Thank you for finding him, Qrow. I’ll handle it from here."

 

Qrow eyed her hand like it was covered in tar before gripping it and shaking lightly, before turning on his heel and leaving.

 

"No problem, Ice Queen. See ya at the briefing tomorrow."

 

Winter watched him leave, before sighing again, and opening Daniel’s door and stepping in. The gray room was larger then it seemed on the outside, but still not huge. Despite only being a specialist-in-training, Daniel had his own set of perks. Daniel sat in a chair at the far end of the room, swirling a cup of dark liquid around before noticing Winter, beaming at her and trying to stand up.

 

"Heeeeeeey, Snow Angel! Me and bird-brain were just talking ‘bout yoooou!" He slurred slightly as he tried to stand, Daniel wobbled and almost fell, prompting Winter to lunge forward and catch him. She noticed how hazy his eyes were, barely meeting her gaze before laughing.

 

"Huehehheh, you smell nice. Like...lavender…and snow…stuff. That's english, right?" He muttered, mostly to himself. The alcohol, however, completely eradicated his filter.

 

Winter huffed, half dragging Daniel across the room, throwing him into bed. He let out another giggle, sitting up and shooting her a mock flirtatious wink.

 

"Throwing me into bed? My, how SCANDALOUS!" He stated with a mock British accent.

 

"Oum, Daniel, how much alcohol did Qrow give you?!" Winter growled, mentally cursing the drunk once more as Daniel seemed to do some mental math.

 

"...eleven...teen?"

 

"THAT IS NOT A NUMBER!" Winter practically snarled. Daniel giggled again, slumping back into bed while Winter growled in annoyance. Eventually she regained her composure and turned back to Daniel, her tone even.

 

"Daniel, we both know why you were out tonight. If you need to talk about what happened-"

 

Upon hearing her words, Daniel fell silent. His eyes sharpened and his expression sobered as he sat up, finally meeting Winter’s eyes.

 

"I don’t."

 

"Daniel-" Winter started, only to be cut off once more.

 

"It happened, it’s over. I remember it, and them. What is there to talk about?"

 

"You’re not coping." Winter stated firmly, receiving a scoff in response.

 

"Coping, shmoping. I’m fine."

 

"NO, YOU ARE NOT!" Winter shouted, brabbing his wrist briefly before Daniel pulled his hand away, glaring at the Schnee angrily.

 

"Dammit, Winter, just leave me alone!" He spat. "You don’t get it, you NEVER will! You might have been there, but you didn’t lose...you didn’t lose your family…"

 

Daniel’s angry shouts grew weaker as he slumped back onto the bed, not realizing he had even risen in his angry state. He felt tear roll down his cheeks and made no move to stop them. He sat there for what felt like hours, before a pair of arms encircled him, drawing him into an unexpected hug.

 

"You’re right. I don’t understand it. And I can't." She stated, her tone even once more. "I’ve lost coworkers, soldiers, people I’ve barely known but were meant to protect. But I’ve never lost my family, friends...the person I love. You have lost more than anyone deserves to, but you need to stay strong. Please. For your mother. For Arc. For...for me."

 

With those last three words, Winter’s cool blue eyes locked with Daniel’s. The two were silent for a moment before Daniel leaned forward, capturing Winter’s lips with his. The kiss only lasted a second before Daniel shot back, his face now beat red, about as close to sober as possible at the moment.

 

"HolyshitI’msosorryIdidn’tmeantodothatOumwhythehelldidIdothatpleasedon’tbemadI’msorryIsw-!"

 

Winter silenced the rambling man by reuniting the kiss, surprising him as the kiss deepened, becoming more intimate and sensual. Finally, the two broke apart, both gasping for air. Winter let out her own nervous chuckle as she caught her breath, giving Daniel a small smile.

 

"In case it wasn’t clear, you have nothing to be sorry for, Daniel."

 

"Yeah, I uh, I gathered that..." He responded with a semi-delirious giggle. "S-so what happens now?"

 

Winter paused, clearly deliberating internally what the best course of action was. Her logical side reminded her she would never risk getting intimate with someone under her command, especially if that person was intoxicated. However, Daniel’s hopeful expression and the amount of alcohol in her own system screamed “logic be damned”, as she shrugged of her coat and closed the distance between them once more.

 

"I suppose we’ll have to find out now, won’t we?"


	21. Unexpected Emotions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The girls deal with unexpected feelings for Beacon's resident knight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, three things real quick  
> #1: Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. Writers block and school work made it a bit of a drag.  
> #2: Sorry about the changing style of writing. Working with Jack has prompted me to change to normal writing style.  
> #3: I'm gonna need a little break. Only for a week, maybe a little less. Sorry about this taking so long.

“Jaune... would you like to try some of this spiced pasta?”

 

“I’d love to Pyr, but only if you try this steak as well.”

 

There was one overriding thought that ran through the minds of all four members of team RWBY right now.

 

_When did this happen?_

 

The’ this’ in question was the new anomaly in their lunch routine. Things used to be fairly simple, team RWBY or JNPR, whoever got there first, would find an empty table to claim as their own for lunch break, with their sister team joining when they arrived.

 

There would be the usual small-talk, Nora would talk Ren’s ear off half the time, with the other half spent regaling her lunch companions about particularly strange dreams. Blake would bury her head in a new book to avoid the usual barrage of puns from her blonde partner. Weiss and Yang would both scold Ruby when the red reaper inevitably heaped her plate with cookies, Yang in particular had taken to snatching the plate away and replacing it with more healthy and filling food, insisting that she’d die before letting her younger sister rot her teeth out before age 20.

 

All in all, it was a pleasant routine to settle into, with Pyrrha and Jaune in particular simply observing the conversations and occasionally joining in with own input.

 

And therein lay the anomaly. Jaune and Pyrrha, or more specifically, their newly acquired habit of sharing their food.

 

Well, not so much _sharing_ their food, as that was a surprisingly common occurrence among the teams whenever someone was full before finishing their plate, the others would chip in to help them out, no sense in letting good food go to waste.

 

The issue was not that Jaune and Pyrrha shared food, but rather that they had taken to feeding one another. It was eerie how easily they had seemed to fall into that new habit over the last few days, how comfortable they seemed with the close contact and rather _intimate_ nature of putting their own silverware in each other’s mouths.

 

They simply ignored any stares from their teammates on the matter, happily offering each other small bites of their respective meals with smiles on their faces. It was borderline _maddening_ for team RWBY, especially since Nora seemed VERY pleased with this new development, the ginger bomber visibly _vibrating_ with excitement and constantly whispering about how ‘it’ had finally happened.

 

It was Yang who broke the tension, having finally run out of patience with the duo’s affectionate antics.

 

“Alright, look! We’re all thinking it, but I’ll bite the bullet here and ask that question, what is going on with P-Money and Vomit Boy here?” Yang questioned, gaze flicking between the ‘J’ and ‘P’ of JNPR.

 

Both Jaune and Pyrrha were snapped out of their little routine at the sudden question, turning to face the rest of their friends with slight blushes on their faces.

 

“Oh, that’s easy! You see Pyr and Fearless Leader here are-mmpphh!!” Nora had jumped up to answer, but found Ren’s hand firmly clamped around her mouth before she could finish.

 

“Nora, I think that’s for Jaune and Pyrrha to explain, and only if they want to.” Ren explained calmly.

 

“Fine…” Nora sulked, slumping back into her seat and stabbing at the pancakes left on her plate, why shouldn’t she be allowed be tell the world about her teammates newfound happiness? She’d be waiting FOREVER (well, since the start of term) for her leader and ‘sister from another mister’ to stop dancing timidly around the Nevermore in the room and just get together, and now they finally had and she couldn’t tell anyone about it!!

 

“W-well, we’re just...sharing food? I mean, you guys do that all the time.” Jaune defended, followed by Pyrrha nodding in agreement. Yang rolled her eyes, leaning over and while watching both of their faces.

 

“C’mon, lover boy. We both know you’ve been acting a little different lately.”, she accused, only to be met with an amused scoff as Jaune leaned back, arms crossed in defiance.

 

“Really, Yang? You think that I’M acting strange? Did you forget the last few days?”. Yang leaned back, her face flushed with embarrassment over the reminder. The other girls all sported similar blushes as they also recalled the last few days.

~FLASHBACK~

 

_Yang and Jaune were fighting waves of training bots in the training room, overseen by Glynda and their classmates. Jaune slashed one’s arm before kicking it aside, turning to Yang with a confident smirk. “26 for me, you’re slowing down, Yang.”_

 

 _“Ha! In your dreams, Arc.”, Yang quipped, punching her own drone before shooting another. Her count was now 28, meaning there were six bots left. Two landed in front of Yang, and were promptly torn apart by her gauntlets.  She turned on her heel, noticing that Jaune was surrounded by the other four bots. She was prepared to help him take care of them when he raised his sword, the blade sparking with electrical energy. Yang vaguely recalled Ruby mentioning dust strips in_ _Crocea Mors II, but she hadn’t mentioned that Jaune could shoot ACTUAL lightning out of it! Jaune brought his sword down into an arc, sending electricity into all four bots, causing them to explode in spectacular fashion. Jaune looked at Yang’s shocked expression, and gave a shy shrug._

 

 _“What’s wrong, Yang? Not used to such an_ **_electrifying_ ** _experience?”_

 

_Yang felt a whirlwind of emotions at that moment. She was impressed with Jaune’s improvement in combat, amused at his pun, but she also felt...strange. There was a bizarre warmth in her chest when Jaune smiled at her, and she couldn’t help but feel...nice. She realized that Jaune’s expression was now concerned as he waved his hand in front of her face._

 

_“Yang, are you alright? I thought you’d like that one.”_

 

 _“Wh-wha uh yeah. It was, um, it’s was great! Really, um, punny! Hehehe…”. Yang tried to compose herself, but everything felt off now. Why was her face so warm? Why was her heart beating so damn fast? And why did Jaune look so fucking_ **_hot_ ** _right now?!_

_…_

_Wait, what was that last one?_

 

_“Well, you two tied for eliminations in the end. While I expected more cooperation, you still did remarkably well on your own.”, Glynda commented, bringing Yang back to reality. “You both performed quite well. You may return to your seats now.”_

 

_Jaune nodded, walking of the stage, followed closely by a still reeling Yang. As the two parted ways, Jaune threw another smile over his shoulder, and Yang could have swore her knees felt a bit weaker. But that was ridiculous! Yang Xiao-Long did NOT swoon for any boy! Right? Right!_

_…_

_Right?_

_~~~_

_“Um, Jaune? What are you up to?”, Ruby asked, surprised to see the knight up so late, especially in the cafeteria. She had only come to get a glass of milk, but had come across Jaune baking something._

 

_“Oh, hey Rubes! I’m just making some cookies for you and the others. I’m glad you're here, actually. I need a taste tester.”, Jaune said, gesturing the the fresh pan of cookies that were cooling nearby. Ruby froze mid step, her eyes locked with the pan. The smile on her face was enough to clue Jaune in on what her next move would be, so he quickly steeped in front of the pan. “H-hang on, Ruby. They’re still cooling! Give me a minute, then I’ll get them to you!”_

_Ruby crossed her arms and grumbled cutely, but nodded and sat down at the closest table. After a few minutes, Jaune brought out a plate of cookies and a glass of milk, placing them in front of Ruby. She smiled, and gave a happy “Thank you!”, before grabbing a cookie and taking a bite. Her eyes widened, and there was a brief pause before she began devouring the rest of her cookie, reaching for the plate for another. As she dug into the cookies, Jaune chuckled at her antics, reminding him of cooking for his sisters back home. After a minute, Ruby had finished the cookies and her milk, smiling happily._

 

_“So, I take it you liked them?”, Jaune asked playfully, answered by happy nod from the red reaper._

 

_“Jaune, those were AMAZING! I had no idea you knew how to bake!” Ruby practically shouted, much to Jaune’s dismay and amusement._

 

_“Well, I’m glad you enjoyed them. Do you mind helping me get the rest of them to the others?” Jaune asked, getting a thumbs up from Ruby, who flew to the kitchen thanks to her semblance, returning with the other tray of cookies, one of which was in her mouth. Jaune sighed, shooting Ruby a mock glare as he pushed the rest of the cookies onto the plate. “Do you have anything to say for yourself?”_

 

_Ruby gawked at Jaune, as if she just realized what she was doing, swallowing her cookie and giving him nervous smile. “Um...would a hug make it up to you?”, she asked, opening her arms awkwardly. Jaune stared at her for a moment, before rolling his eyes and smiling. “I suppose so.”_

 

_With that, Jaune embraced Ruby, who hummed happily at the feeling of Jaune’s body against hers. While she and Jaune had only hugged a few times, she had grown quite attached to the feeling of familiarity that washed over her when she did so. At that moment, it was even stronger. The scent of sweet cookies, the comfort of her head on his chest. It all felt perfect._

 

_“Um, Rubes? Still with me?”, Jaune questioned, causing Ruby to meet his eyes. Those cool, clear blue eyes that seemed to entice her in a moment. Ruby was always partial to red, but blue was slowly becoming her second favorite color. Her eyes then flicked down, and  locked with his lips as a startling thought echoed through her mind._

 

**_What I wouldn’t give to kiss those lips._ **

 

_“U-um, y-yeah! I’m fine, just fine. ActuallyIgottagonowbye!” Ruby sputtered, quickly zooming out of the room, her face bright red. Jaune was stunned for a moment, before rolling his eyes and grabbing the plate so he could deliver the rest of the cookies to his friends._

_~~~_

_Weiss had been perfectly content minding her business and studying for yet another quiz from Port. She really would have been. Yes, her teammates were currently chatting with the rest of JNPR, but eventually they’d run out of things to talk about and get back on track, so she wasn’t concerned. However, there was something about Jaune that kept catching her attention. It wasn’t the fact that he was still studying alongside her, nor how squirrely Yang and Ruby had been acting around him. It was the nagging notion of how attached she was becoming to Jaune._ _Simply, she trusted Jaune. She hadn’t when she’d first met him, expecting him to act like most men who met her; showering her in false praise and trying to woo her. However, that wasn't the case. Yes, he let the occasional flirt slip, but he was respectful and kind to her, treating her as a person, and not an object. That being said, things had been different as of late. She had started noticing more about Jaune. His habit of drumming his fingers when he got bored, the way his eyes sparkled when he laughed, and most notably, his damn-near irresponsible need to help people. It could be the smallest issue, and Jaune would drop everything to help. It was an almost annoying habit, but also incredibly endearing._

 

_Weiss was startled from her thoughts as Jaune nudged her, looking uncertain. “Um, Weiss? Do you mind helping me out with this question? I can’t quite find where this information is supposed to be.” Weiss nodded quickly, doing her best to ignore the heat on her cheeks._

 

_“W-well, of course. You’ll need to check around chapter thirteen, t-that should give you what you need.”, she replied, leaning over and gesturing to where he should look for the information he needed. She found herself distracted, however, by the proximity between them as she explained, feeling the heat of her cheeks grow warmer as she leaned a bit closer...t-to get a better view of what Jaune was looking at. OBVIOUSLY! “A-ah, there you go!”_

 

_Jaune nodded, and gave Weiss a dorky grin. “Thanks, Weiss!”. Weiss couldn’t help but grin back at the enthusiastic reply, but faltering as Jaune began to look uncomfortable. :Um, you can...back up now. If you want.” Weiss then realized that she was still quite close to Jaune, only a few inches away from his face. She quickly scooted away, trying her best to keep her composer, despite her cheeks betraying her embarrassment. She tried her best to ignore the stares of her friends as Jaune continued to fumble through the question for the test._

_~~~_

 

_“But REEEEEEN! Why not?!”_

 

 _“Nora, please keep your voice down, it’s 2 am. Also, you don't_ **_need_ ** _pancakes at 2 am!”_

 

_Nora glared at her best friend as the two whisper-yelled at each other in their dorm room. Ren was persistent on the belief that they should just go back to sleep, but she couldn’t sleep, and pancakes sounded GREAT at that moment! She was prepared to make another argument when she heard a quiet yawn from the other side of the room, noticing that Jaune was now standing, looking at the two with tired eyes._

 

_“What are you two up to this early?”, he asked, not sounding annoyed or angry, just confused. Ren rolled her eyes, shooting their leader an apologetic look._

_“Nora woke up, and is now demanding I take her out for pancakes.”, she said, ignoring the sharp glare the valkyrie shot her. Neither were expecting Jaune to nod and say, “Alright, I’ll take he to get some pancakes.” There was a pause before Ren shook her head, now looking surprised._

 

_"Are you sure? You really don’t need to-”_

 

_“Hey, sure! I’m already awake, and pancakes sound pretty good right now. Gimmie a second, and I’ll be ready to go.” As Jaune grabbed his clothes and started for the bathroom before getting stopped by Nora, who wrapped her arms around him in a ultra-hug._

 

_“Thank-yoooou!”, Nora half cheered, not noticing the pained expression on Jaune’s face from the tight embrace. She let him go a moment later, letting him stumble to the bathroom with a dazed smile on his face. Nora turned to Ren with a look of excitement and vindication, earning a eye roll from the stoic ninja girl._

 

_“He spoils you, you know.”, Ren said, making Nora blush and giggled quietly._

 

_“Yeah, I know. He’s great like that.”_

 

_Ren rolled her eyes again, but smiled as she went back to bed, throwing some advice to her bestie before laying down._

 

_“You really need to tell him how you feel, sooner rather than later.”_

_~~~END OF FLASHBACK~~~_

 

“Exactly.”, Jaune said, looking confident before noticing all of the blushes on his friend’s faces. “Um, are you guys ok?” Each girl quickly shouted their own excuse.

 

“I-it’s just warm in here!”

 

“I just burnt my tongue on my food!”

 

“I was thinking about Blake’s smut novels!”

 

“HEY!”

 

“I NEED TO SMASH SOMETHING!”

 

Jaune paused after their outbursts, before nodding in acceptance. “Um, alright. Well, tell me if there’s anything I can do to help.”. For some reason, this only seemed to make them blush more. Jaune looked to Pyrrha for help, but she looked just as confused as him, if not a bit...agitated. Suddenly, the bell rang, and lunch period ended. The group began to separate and head to their respective classes. Jaune made it halfway to Combat class when he bumped into another student on accident. “Whoops, sorry about…”

 

He paused as he and the student stared at each other, cobalt eyes meeting mismatched pink and brown.

 

“...Neo?”

 


	22. Inflitration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cinder Fall and her cronies have arrived at Beacon Academy, though all might not be on the same team.
> 
> Brought to you by Jack Simpson, my now official co-author.

Jaune couldn’t quite focus on Combat Class much that day, thanks to the presence of a certain heterochromatic assassin/exchange student. It didn’t help very much that Neo seemed to be shooting him some very…  _ wierd _ looks through the class. Her eyes flashed as she glanced at him, occasionally shooting him small winks and smiles.

 

Honestly, Jaune just thought Neo liked to tease him, she was like Yang in that way. 

 

If Yang was a shorter, slightly psychotic criminal-for-hire.

 

Shaking his head, Jaune decided to shift his focus to Neo’s fellow ‘transfer students’, if that’s what they really were. Perhaps Neo simply snuck onto their team to follow some agenda of her own?

 

Or perhaps there was more to those people than met the eye.

 

Jaune turned his gaze on the two girls beside Neo, one with dark skin and mint-green hair, the other with fairer skin and greyish-silver hair. The green-haired girl was disinterested in the fights, if the glazed look Jaune could spy in her eyes was any indication. That, and the fact that she kept glancing at the scroll below her desk.

 

The silver-grey haired girl, on the other hand, was a different story. She was leaning forward, elbows on her desk and hands laced into a basket below her chin. There was a gleam in her eyes and a small smile on her face. She was clearly having a lot more fun watching the fights than her partner was. Jaune’s eyes glanced over the rest of her, her quite shapely form snugly ensnared by a  _ tantalizingly  _ tight grey bodysuit with black stripes, the knight was rather ashamed to admit that his gaze lingered a little on her chest, a chest that could quite comfortably rival or even  _ exceed _ Yang’s or Pyrrha’s for volume.

 

As if she sensed Jaune’s gaze on her, the girl turned her own gaze in his direction, raising an eyebrow before smiling lightly. Jaune could almost hear the ‘see something you like?’ in that look and at the hint of smugness in her smile. He quickly turned away and re-focused on the match, in order to avoid the blush dusting his cheeks growing any brighter.

 

The match was between Dove Bronzewing of team CDRL and the black beauty of his sister team, Blake Belladonna. Despite no longer being students at Beacon after the incident with Daniel, CRDL were still present to participate in the approaching Vytal tournament, though there were restrictions imposed upon them by the organizers to limit any… disruptive behavior. 

 

Though, calling it a ‘match’ would be rather generous, calling it crushing defeat would’ve been more appropriate, seeing as Blake was running rings around the more cumbersome boy. Her aura was standing at a comfortable 91%, Dove’s at a rather miserable 23%, with Blake having not even used her Semblance at any point but simply leveraging her naturally superior agility to outmaneuver her opponent.

 

All too soon, Blake closed in, sliding past Dove’s rather desperate slash with his dual daggers before whipping Gambol Shroud across his armor, landing about 3 strikes in as many seconds with her speed, bringing her opponent’s Aura down to 14% and causing Miss Goodwitch to step forward and end the fight. Dove slunk back to his team, defeated, while Blake returned to a more triumphant welcome from her own team and JNPR.

 

Jaune’s own cheering and praise for Blake’s win was cut short by the next announcement from Goodwitch.

 

“Cardin Winchester and Jaune Arc. Please equip your weapons and combat gear and make your way to the arena”.

 

_ Oh no. _ Jaune thought, dread filling his stomach. He glanced to the side of the theater and saw Cardin smirking at him devilishly.

 

“Ready to lose, Arc? I promise you’ll get off easier than your friend did.” with that, Cardin left his seat and made his way to the lockers to get ready.

 

The words sent a surge of anger through Jaune as he remembered what Cardin and his minions had done to Daniel. He was determined now to beat Cardin, and with Crocea Mors II, he might just have a chance.

 

_ Don’t worry Daniel, I’ll teach Cardin a lesson for you. _

\---

_ Weak and worthless. _

 

Those were the first thoughts that had crossed the mind of Cinder Fall, false Haven student and emissary of the Grimm Queen, when she first laid eyes on the blonde student as he entered the arena.

 

His form was sloppy, his guard easily broken. He was undisciplined, any half-decent student would have no problem defeating him, her own minions would tear through him so fast it was almost cute. 

 

In short; he wasn’t worth a second glance, just a nobody, out of his league here amongst the trainee Hunters of Beacon. A foolish child playing at being a Hunter.

 

Apparently, looks can be deceiving.

 

It started when the boy had rather unexpectedly summoned flames from his blade, with no visible Dust source available. Upon closer inspection however, Cinder had determined that the boy had managed to weave raw crystalline Dust into his weapon, allowing for an effectively infallible source of elemental attacks.

 

_ Now THAT is interesting… _

 

Perhaps he wasn’t as weak as he appeared. Of course, he was no match for her underlings, let alone Cinder herself, but perhaps a second glance would be worthwhile after all. 

 

The boy, against expectations, managed to defeat his opponent and rather swiftly as well. The most interesting usage of his Dust-enhanced weapon being the Gravity Dust to return his weapon to his right gauntlet, which Cinder presumed was infused with the same kind of Dust. The boy used this to catch his opponent off guard at least twice, allowing time for him to get the upper hand.

 

But ultimately, it was not his aptitude for combat and trickery that won him Cinder’s attention. No, rather it was the reactions of the girls seated in the central seating row, including the Mistral Champion Pyrrha Nikos, that attracted her eye.

 

Common consensus among what few peers she had was that Cinder was a textbook sociopath, incapable of love and affection for another, cold-hearted in the extreme and utterly repulsive socially. Her ‘colleague’ Arthur Watts had been ‘kind’ enough to diagnose Cinder unannounced, the man did love hearing himself ramble on and riling her up with these stupid ‘theories’ of his, had he not been useful to the Mistress then Cinder would’ve seen fit to immolate him then and there.

 

After all, he was wrong.

 

She had once been naïve enough,  _ weak  _ enough,  _ useless _ enough to believe in love and love herself. But those times were gone, she had learnt from that experience, love was meaningless and cruel. It was not the all-powerful savior that many dim-witted and naïve romantics claimed it to be. It was a weakness, an anchor to tie one down, to restrict their potential, to place them in the thrall of another.

 

She had made that mistake once, never again. Why pursue love when she could pursue power instead? The Mistress had shown her the way, the path to becoming powerful, the path that would give Cinder the strength she needed.

 

The strength that would ensure no one could hurt her again.

 

That being said, while Cinder had renounced love’s weakness and banished the feeble emotion from her heart entirely, that did not mean she was incapable of recognizing that same weakness in others.

 

Cinder could see it, she could see it in the eyes of the Champion and the girls around her. The blonde, the shorter redhead, the dark haired girl, the white-haired Schnee heiress, the prodigy with the scythe, the second year rabbit faunus and the beret-wearing girl beside her. She saw the way their eyes sparkled as the boy gained the upper hand, the way they cheered him on every step of the way, their belief in him never wavering. The way their faces lit up as his gaze fell on them. 

 

Most of all though, it was the looks in their eyes, the looks of longing and desire, the looks of affection and support. Cinder could recognize all the signs of a young woman in love on those girls’ faces.

 

Because, once upon a time, she had seen that look in the mirror, on her own face. You didn’t forget that look, or that feeling. The feeling of warmth, comfort and safety.

 

No matter how much she thought she had.

 

Seeing these looks, combined with the fierce hugs the boy received from the girls celebrating his victory, caused Cinder to come to a realization.

 

_ I can use this. _

 

Yes… perhaps the boy could prove useful. Especially since her ally Torchwick’s little minion seemed to be similarly fascinated by the boy.

 

With this new thought in mind, Cinder turned to her underlings, “Marcie, I want you to befriend that boy.”

 

The girl in question raised a brow but simply nodded, while Emerald cleared her throat “Ma’am, are you sure that’s… wise? Merc here isn’t exactly good with… well,  _ anyone _ .”

 

Marcie smirked at her counterpart as she replied “What’s the matter Em? Jealous that you didn’t get picked by the boss this time?”

 

“Oh screw you! You can’t even talk to another person for a minute without sounding like a serial killer, at least I can actually converse with these idiots like a normal person” Emerald hissed back.

 

“C’mon Emmy, we both know I won’t need to talk much, ‘cause it’s not my face he’ll be looking at,” Marcie punctuated her statement by stretching her arms upward, pushing out her prodigiously enlarged bust in the process, a smug smirk on her face the whole time as Emerald seethed.

 

“I know you’re jealous Em, since you have to make do with that butter face-” the grey-haired girl began.

 

“ _ Enough _ , you two.” Cinder called out, snapping the other two to attention and ending their petty squabbling instantly. “My instruction stands, Marcie, you will befriend this boy… ascertain the nature of his relationship with those girls. Then we will know how to turn it to our advantage.”

 

Both girls nodded, accepting. Neo, on the other hand, was still gazing at the boy. Cinder raised at eyebrow, she would have to keep an eye on the diminutive illusionist, that her loyalty was to Roman first and Cinder’s cause second was an unquestionable truth, but if she had developed feelings for the blonde as well… 

 

It appeared that there could be yet another division in her loyalties, and that was a dangerous thing indeed.

\---

Neo was tired.

 

Not physically, her lifestyle insured that that she was always at full readiness whenever possible. Being a wanted criminal ensured that she could never let her guard down for too long, especially now that she was at Beacon Academy.

 

To most, this was a place of strength, a symbol of security and peace from the Grimm. To Neo, it was the den of the enemy, a place that produced the Hunters who would undoubtedly attempt to apprehend Neo and Roman in the future. The atmosphere was practically suffocating to her, she never stayed too long in the dorm room for that reason.

 

But the fact that she was in what most in her profession would call enemy territory wasn’t the only reason for Neo’s fatigue.

 

She was, simply put, tired of the criminal life.

 

She hadn’t been in it for long, given that she started at a mere 13 years of age, continuing to her current age of 19 going on 20. In those 6 years, she had done well to craft the image of Torchwick’s enigmatic yet fiercely efficient enforcer, with that came recognition from others along with the appropriate level of both fear and respect.

 

And therein lay the problem, recognition.

 

It wasn’t just criminals who recognized and feared her, the police, Vale’s armed forces and eventually the Hunters had all taken notice of the duo eventually. But that was fine, they had learned to evade the law early on in their criminal careers so the constant pressure from them was no real issue. It was just something Roman and Neo had learned to live with.

 

Though many liked to think of Neo as a cold and unfeeling  _ force  _ in the underworld, she was still human, she had her wants and desires and needs. She had accepted Roman’s offer of help and the lifestyle that came with it at the tender age of 13, simply because her only alternative was to starve. She had enjoyed stealing from the rich, the fat cats who grew wealthier while the lower classes suffered.

 

Even though she enjoyed fighting, she did not enjoy killing. That was one of the finer achievements for her career, to cultivate a reputation as a merciless killing machine while killing sparingly, wholesale slaughter was not something she could stomach.

 

Quite surprisingly, Roman had understood. Once Neo had ‘talked’ to him about her concerns, Roman had simply sighed.

 

“You know, I knew that one day you’d want out Neo, I just hoped it’d be later rather than sooner. This life isn’t for you Neo, not really. I just wanted to help you defend yourself, is all. But instead I… dragged you down into the dark with me.”

 

Neo had never seen Roman look more vulnerable or apologetic than he had done that evening. He’d promised that he’d help her get out, whatever it took. After all, he’d dragged her into this life, the least he could do was help her get out.

 

They’d planned it all out, all the robberies they would need to set Neo up for a new, legitimate life. A last hurrah, if you will. It was exclusively targeted at the rich, corrupt fat cats of the kingdom, the people who grew rich off the suffering of others and never had to worry about being in danger from a Grimm incursion. The ones Neo hated the most. It was going well, really well.

 

Until SHE showed up.

 

The bitch in the red dress, accompanied by her two little sycophants (well, one sycophant and one snarky bitchy thug), managed to completely ruin the duo’s plans for retirement by conscripting Roman and Neo into helping with her own plans. 

 

Neo didn’t like that woman. At all. Despite Cinder’s assurances that the criminals would be free to go their separate ways once her plans were done, Neo knew that that was not what would happen.

 

In her years of working for Roman, Neo had met quite a few people she would classify as truly monstrous, people who wanted to watch the world burn, who just lived to cause as much pain and suffering as possible. It was those people that were truly dangerous to Roman and Neo above all others, even law enforcement. 

 

With the police, you ended up in a cell, with a hardened psychopath, you ended up in a hole in the ground. If you lucky, you would still be in once piece. Hence, as Roman’s top enforcer, Neo had developed a ‘sixth sense’ for spotting those people.

 

When she had met the flame-wielding bitch in the red dress, all it took was one look for Neo to see it in her eyes. The anger, the bloodlust, the desire to not only be the strongest, but also to stomp on anyone in her way and rub her superiority in their faces.

 

Yet, there was something else there too, which confused Neo. Psychopaths and sociopaths didn’t normally feel anything except hate, and Cinder fit the definition of a psychopath to a T.

 

Unless, of course, it was a mask.

 

A mask to protect herself, a mask to make sure she could never be hurt like she had been, if the pain Neo could see in her eyes was any indication. It was fleeting and well-buried, but it was there. A mask so expertly constructed that even its wearer had forgotten how to take it off.

 

Regardless of Cinder’s motives and her own misgivings on the matter, Neo’s own plans for ‘retirement’ were unchanged. She and Roman would simply have to be more sneaky with how they went about it from now on.

 

They were successful, for the most part. Though Cinder would often question their extra-curricular ‘activities’, mostly about whether it would compromise her own plans, she never stopped them or reprimanded them. Thus, the preparations could proceed as planned.

 

Roman had insisted that Neo get out ASAP, he wanted to her to leave before things turned serious, as soon as she got the opportunity. Neo had wanted to wait and make sure he was safe, but Roman had merely smiled and assured her that he would be fine.

 

“You know me kiddo, I’ll just do what I do best; lie, cheat, steal and survive.” All with that surprisingly dorky smile of his.

 

All that was left for Neo was the hardest part of building her new life. It wasn’t escaping from her ‘associates’, her Semblance made sure that would be easy. It wasn’t changing her identity, Roman had already contacted a highly skilled forger to set her up with a new identity, ready and waiting. No, the hardest part for Neo was finding someone to share her new life with.

 

Neo was a criminal. She was dangerous. She loved fighting and humiliating her opponents for all it was worth. She loved taking from the rich. Yet, she was also a young woman, one who wanted to meet a nice young man to share her life with. She had often dreamed of opening a quaint little ice cream shop, just so she could create some smiles for once. Instead of terror and pain.

 

But who would want her? Who would care about or stomach her? She was a creature of the dark, someone who had lived life in shadow and filth. Her spirit and conscience was dirtied with the blood on her hands. No one would want her weighing them down like some sort of twisted anchor, they didn’t need that baggage in their life.

 

Neo had almost given up hope of ever finding someone willing to take someone like her.

 

Until she met him.

 

The blonde boy from Beacon. The one who dressed like an old timey knight, the one who saved her from falling out of that bullhead at the Docks that night, even though they were on opposite sides. No one had ever done that for her, especially not out of the kindness of their hearts. The only people who protected Neo were paid to do it by Roman.

 

There was an air about the boy, an air of… not quite naivety, but innocence that drew Neo to him. He was clean, he was pure, he wasn’t sullied by cynicism and hate. Not yet. Hopefully it would stay that way.

 

Hopefully he would be the ‘White Knight’ that Neo had secretly sought after these last few years. Maybe he’d be willing to help her build a new life?

 

There was just one problem: the flame bitch.

 

Neo did NOT like the way that red-dressed whore was staring at Jaune, even though there was nothing romantic in her gaze, but there WAS something distinctly  _ predatory _ about that look. The look of a hunter with a new target.

 

Her and Roman’s new ‘boss’ had apparently decided to involve Jaune in her plans for Beacon and Vale. That was something Neo would not, could not let stand.

 

Looks like her retirement would have to be postponed a while longer.

 


	23. The Mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaune experiences his first official mission. It could have gone better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi again! Quick note, there has been one quick retcon to the story: Lie Ren is now Lian Ren, (female Ren). I'll probably go edit all that dialogue for her in the future, but until then, just know that Ren is female.

The chatter in the main hall was scattered as the students waited for Glynda Goodwitch to announce come kind of event for Combat Class. While there were rumors, no one seemed to know anything for sure.

****

Jaune turned to Pyrrha and asked, “Do you have any idea what Ms. Goodwitch called us here for?”, and was met with a shrug.

****

“From what I’ve heard, I think we’re being assigned our first official mission.”

****

Any further chatter was silenced by the appearance of Ozpin himself, followed by Glynda. Ozpin gave a small smile to the hoard of students before him, and then began to speak.

****

“Good morning, everyone. I’m sure you’re all wondering why we brought you all here so early.. Well, I have two important announcements to make. First, the Vytal Festival grows ever near, and some of our fellow academies have allowed their students to visit our grounds. I would like to welcome teams SSSN, NDGO, CEMN, BRNZ, and ABRN.”

****

Applause rippled through the crowd, as well as a few scattered whoops, before Ozpin raised his hand and continued.

****

“As for my second announcement, I believe that Glynda would be happy to take over.”, he said, gesturing her to take over. She nodded, and made her way forward, stone faced as always.

****

“Today is the day that all first years teams will be given their first official mission. Said mission will entail clearing out several pockets of Grimm activity in Forever Fall. An added challenge, proposed by Professor Peach, is the randomization of teams. Team CFVY will also be participating in this mission as a countermeasure against the larger and older Grimm beyond your ability to handle. Any questions?”

****

Of course, several voices shouted questions, all of which were silenced by the harsh glare Glynda shot into the crowd.

****

“One at a time, **please**.”

****

After a few questions, the students were dismissed back to their normal schedules, except for the teams selected for the mission. They were told to grab their gear and meet at the landing pad by noon, after which their teams would be assigned and they would be sent into the forest.

****

After Team JNPR finished packing and started to the pads, Nora broached a question to the group.

 

“So, who do you guys expect to be teamed up with?”

  
  
In hindsight, it was a fair question. While randomized, the all knew most of their fallow first years, and it wouldn’t be wrong to make guesses on who was with who.

****

“I don’t think it really matters,” Ren responded, inspecting Stormflower before slipping it away. “Whatever means they have of randomizing our teams will probably be that; random.”

****

“Yeah, I guess you’re right, Ren.” Jaune agreed, sheathing Crocea Mors II before smiling at his friends. “Regardless, we’ll all do great, no matter who we team up with.”

  
As if right on que, all four of their scrolls vibrated and gave them directions to whichever pad they were leaving from.

  
Pyrrha nodded, wrapping Jaune in a hug and kissing his cheek. “See you soon.”, she said, before leaving the bunks and heading to her pad. Nora gave Jaune her own bone-crushing hug, before sprinting off with an excited “Bye, Jauney!” Ren surprised Jaune with her own softer hug, patting his arm with a quiet “Be careful, ‘fearless leader’”, and making her way to her own pad. Jaune arrived at his pad a few minutes later, noting that there was a board with all the teams listed before the pad.

****

**_Northern Pad: Team A_ **

**_Ruby R. Pyrrha N. Emerald S. Fox A_ ** **_._ **

****

**_Eastern Pad: Team B_ **

**_Coco A. Nora V. Weiss S. Neo T._ **

****

**_Southern Pad: Team C_ **

**_Ella S. Lian R. Blake B. Yatsuhashi D._ **

****

**_Western Pad: Team D_ **

**_Jaune A. Yang X. Velvet S. Marceline B._ **

****

Jaune gulped audibly as he read the names of his team. Velvet was nice, he wasn’t worried about her. The new girl and Yang, however...

 

Right on que, he heard her shout from behind him, “Well look who it is!”, and let out a sigh of acceptance. This was going to be a long day.

~~~

The cabin was surprisingly quiet as Jaune’s bullhead flew through the air. Yang was tinkering with her gauntlet idly while Marcie just tried to sleep, her eyes closed and her posture relaxed. Jaune was in a similar position, minus the “relaxed” part. He was just doing his best to keep from hurling on any of his friends, trying to steady his breathing. A whimper from Velvet brought him out of his focus, as he noticed the rabbit faunus clutching her seat tightly.

****

“Y-you ok, Velv?”

****

Velvet let out a shuddering breath, but nodded slowly.

****

“I’m-I’m fine. Just still not g-great with heights.”

  
Jaune was silent for a moment, before gingerly rising and scooting over to wear Velvet was sitting before taking his own seat and offering her his hand.

  
“I’m no C-coco, but I’m here for you.”, he groaned, even managing a smile as she gingerly took his hand. This was followed by a warm smile from Velvet as she muttered an embarrassed “Thank you”, and gave it a confirmatory squeeze. After a few more minutes of silence, Marcie sat up with a groan and popped her head into her hands with an annoyed expression.

****

“Welp, I’m bored. Anyone got any idea of how to pass the time?”

****

Jaune looked at the others before answering cautiously.

 

“Well, maybe you could tell us about yourself, considering that we’re teammates for the moment.”

****

Marcie wore an unamused expression with a quirked eyebrow, and for a moment Jaune thought that he had overstepped. A second later, however, and Marcie was smirking at him.

 

“Well, I guess it wouldn’t hurt. Honestly, Arc, if you wanted to know more about me, you could have just asked. I don’t bite!”, she said, before smirking and adding, “Unless you want me to.”, with a sly wink.

****

Jaune flushed a bit at that, but let out a nervous chuckle. He noted that Velvet’s grip on his hand got a bit tighter with Marcie’s remark, and Yang was now staring at both of them.

****

“Ok, um, where are you from?”

****

Marcie looked up at the ceiling for a moment before answering.

****

“I lived by the mountains most of my life. My, uh, teammates found me there a year ago, and we all...applied together.”

****

“Do you have any family?”

****

Marcie’s smile faded with that question, and she nodded slowly.

****

“I did. My mom left after I was born. My dad was a bastard, but he taught me how to fight. How to survive. He...died a few weeks before my team found me.”

****

“I’m-”

****

“Sorry? Please, don’t be. Like I said, he taught me what I know.”

****

A brief silence fell over the cabin before Jaune spoke up again.

 

“What about your weapon?”

 

That brought the smile back to Marcie’s face, who lifted her leg and gestured to the boots on her legs.

****

“That would be these babies. Nothing mind blowing, just some basic firing mechanisms, but they do the trick."

****

Jaune smiled, before the cabin door slid open and the pilot yelled back to them.

****

“Alright, we’re at your drop zone. Good luck, kiddos!”

****

A moment later, the four of them jumped out of the bullhead, landing on an abandoned building on one of the mountains. As the bullhead returned to the air and left them, Velvet pulled out her scroll and the map they were provided with.

  
“Alright, we’re about a mile from our target. After we clear about the Grimm, we head to the extraction zone to our west.”

  
“Thanks Velv,” Jaune said, before turning to the rest of his team. “Alright, it’s go time. Yang, you take point. Velvet and I will stay in the middle and try to get us to the target as fast as possible. Marcie, you’ll cover our rear. Everyone ready?”

  
Each member nodded, and the girls set off. Jaune made to follow them, until something caught his attention.

****

There was a flower growing near the base of the building, a flower growing in the concrete was unusual in itself, but that was not what caught Jaune’s eye.

****

The flower, it was… _glowing_?

****

A faint whitish glow seemed to be emanating from the flower’s petals. Jaune could not help but be entranced by it, he stooped down to touch the flower, just to feel what it was like.

****

As soon as his finger made contact with the petals, however, a jolt of pain and a bright flash of light lanced through his head and mind. Jaune’s hands flew up to clutch at his temples as he grit his teeth, trying to will the pain to go away.

****

Fortunately, the pain subsided quickly, but when Jaune opened his eyes the flower was gone, as if it were never there in the first place.

****

_That was weird, did I imagine that flower being there? Was it just some sort of-_

****

“Hey lover boy, you coming?!” Yang’s voice called, interrupting his thoughts.

****

“Oh yeah, sorry! Be right there!” Shelving any thoughts about flowers for now, Jaune got up and jogged off to catch up to his team.

****

It was only about an hour walk to their target, made a bit harder from the elevation, which required them to find a path down before they could attack. Finally, they got to an elevated ridgeline by their target; a small hoard of Beowolves and two Ursa Minors, all in a clearing that was about the size of a stadium.

****

“Ok, this is it. Velvet, you’re on overwatch. Anything moves out of our target range, you take it out. Yang, Marcie. You’re up.”

****

Both girls nodded in confirmation, priming their weapons as they carefully slid down the hill. Before Jaune followed, Velvet grabbed his arm.

  
“Jaune, wait. Something doesn’t feel right here. Why are they all in a clearing? It’s like they’re waiting for something…”

****

Jaune glanced at the Grimm, then at Velvet. After a few seconds, he nodded slowly.

****

“It’s a bit weird, but don’t worry. We got this, Velv. Pinky promise.”

****

With that, he slid down the hill and joined his teammates, who were now at the edge of the clearing. He looked between them, then nodded. With that the three set upon the Grimm, dust blasts from Yang’s gauntlets killing two in the first few seconds. The rest of the Grimm noticed their attackers, and charged with formidable roars of rage. Marcie provided cover from the edge of the trees while Yang and Jaune advanced, cutting and punching the Beowolves that got to close. One of the Ursa swiped at Yang, but was promptly shot down by Velvet, who was using a copy of Crescent Rose thanks to Anesidora. The second Ursa was cut down a moment later by Jaune, and just like that, it was over. All the Grimm in the field were now dead.

****

“That wasn’t so hard!”, Yang crowed, wiping sweat from her brow as she gave Jaune a playful slap on the arm. Jaune returned the smile, but jolted as roar emanated from the far side forest. Marcie joined the two, and gave them a fearful look.

  
“Please tell me I’m the only one who heard that.”

****

Before either of them could answer, a second louder roar and the sound of trees falling brought their attention back to the forest edge, just in time to see an enormous horde of Grimm crash through the trees. This horde was...different, not only in size, it being somewhere in the hundreds, but variety of Grimm traveling within it. Jaune noted at least ten Ursa Major traveling alongside the Beowolves, Beringel, and King Taijitu, not to mention the Griffins and Nevermore flying above them. All of them were coming right at his team.

****

“We need to go. Now.”

\---

\---

Glynda twirled her riding crop in her hands anxiously as she glared at the forest before her. So far, three of the four teams had returned in relatively good time, having dispatched their Grimm with relative ease.

****

Team D, however, **Jaune’s team** , was still missing. Normally, this wouldn’t have concerned her so. Jaune and his team members were capable fighters, and they were dropped a bit farther out than the other teams, so a longer arrival time would make sense. However, new reports had come in that a larger Grimm horde was spotted assembling somewhere on the Eastern side of the forest, and was last seen charging towards the west side at an increased speed. Right towards Team D.

****

“Ms. Goodwitch, we may have a problem.”

****

Glynda turned to the Atlas technician next to her, who was holding a scroll with a concerned expression. “It appears the Grimm horde we spotted earlier is only 2 miles out.”

  
Glynda sputtered audibly before snatching the scroll from the tech's hands and looking for herself. Sure enough, a wave of black was passing through and over the trees only a few miles away. She felt her face pale as she turned back to the tech, handing him the scroll with shaking hands.

****

“How long until our transports return?”

****

“They’ve just finished refueling, ma’am. It’ll be another half hour before they reach us.”

****

“Get there here in twenty minutes! My students are in danger!” Glynda barked at the technician, who simultaneously jumped at her tone and shivered at her glare.

****

“Y-yes ma’am!” The poor tech gulped, before moving away from her and using his scroll to contact the pilots.

****

Glynda turned away from him, back toward the clearing. Though her face was its usual stern mask, beneath said mask she could feel a slight panic welling up inside her. Mr Arc’s team were still missing, if they didn’t return soon…

****

Glynda could not help but fear the worst.

\--------------

\--------------

“LOOK OUT JAUNE!”

****

Jaune barely registered Velvet’s cry before he threw himself to the side, only for a large claw to impact the ground where he previously stood. Jaune breathed a sigh of relief at his successful dodge, only for that relief to vanish when he got a good look at the battlefield.

****

_Well… this isn’t good._

****

That in itself was a rather large understatement.

****

Though Team D had made good time in retreating to the landing zone, the horde of Grimm pursuing them had made better time. The faster Beowolves and Ursae had flanked them to cut off their escape and though they were easily dealt with, it distracted the quartet of Hunters long enough for the slower Grimm to catch up.

****

Including the King Kaiju and the Goliath, neither of which the team was even remotely equipped to take on. Still, they didn’t need to win. They just needed to get to the evac zone.

****

“C’mon, guys! We’re almost there!”, he shouted to his teammates, who fell in alongside him as the last of their attackers fell, all while the horde behind them grew closer. The forest began to lighten up, and Jaune could even see the clearing where the other teams were waiting.

  
_We’re gonna do it. We’re gonna make it out of here!_

****

Jaune felt a rush of determination as they neared the clearing, but was shaken from his thought by a cry of pain. He stopped and turned around to see Marcie on the ground, clutching her left leg and swearing in pain. He quickly got to her side, watching the nearing horde all the while.

****

“Marcie, what’s wrong?!”

  
“My...leg...won’t...work!”

****

Sure enough, Marcie’s prosthetic leg seemed to have locked up suddenly, and wasn’t moving besides an occasional twitch. Jaune grabbed the leg and tried to pull it apart, but stopped when Marcie let out a hiss of pain.

****

“Arc...just...go!”

****

Jaune looked into Marcie’s cool, grey, panicked eyes, and ground out a calm, “Not a chance.”, before lifting her up bridal style and booking it towards the forest. He barely made it twenty feet when the footfalls of one of the Goliaths grew louder than before. Turned his head and saw the hulking mass of the beast right behind him, so he did the only thing he could.

  
With all of the force he had left, he threw Marcie forward, turned on his heel, and raised his shield just as the Goliath caught up. This did almost nothing to lessen the blow, however, as its leg crashed into Jaune, sending him flying through the air and hitting a tree with a sickening _crunch!_ At this point, the other two members of D Team had realized what had happened, and looked on in horror as an unconscious Jaune lay against the tree, blood now slowly oozing from a wound on his head.

  
“JAUNE!”

\---------------

\---------------

****

The scream from the edge of the forest was barely audible over the landing Bullheads, but it was still loud enough to catch Glynda’s attention, if not for the name screamed itself. She scanned the tree line, and noted the flashes of dust discharge and the distant roars of Grimm.

****

_They made it. His team made it!_

****

Glynda turned to the nearest technician and hissed a quick, “Get them onto the Bullheads, NOW!” before turning and making her way toward the tree line. She paused when an unexpected voice called out behind her.

****

“Ms. Goodwitch, where are you going?”, Ruby called, sprinting over to the teacher, flanked by Coco and the new leader, Cinder.

****

“Ms. Rose, return to the Bullhead immediately!”

****

Ruby looked past her teacher, noticing the fighting happening in the woods, and gave Glynda a determined glare. “Not without my teammates.”

 

Glynda prepared to protest, but faltered when she saw the determined expression on Ruby’s face, mirrored by her fellow team leaders. She let out a growl of annoyance before nodding, and started for the woods.

****

\--------------

\--------------

_What is this?_

****

That was only coherent thought to come into Jaune Arc’s mind as the burning began to take hold in earnest. It wasn’t harmful, it wasn’t even physical. It was more like his Soul was on fire, like his very spirit was burning brightly.

****

And in that instant, he felt… strong, _powerful._

****

Jaune lifted himself up off the tree he’d been smashed into by the Goliath’s attack, all the pain he’d felt was… gone. Replaced by that burning feeling, replaced by the feeling of strength flooding into his body.

****

Despite the chaos raging around him, Jaune stood tall, his gaze sweeping the clearing his team were trapped in. As he wiped the blood from his forehead and other injuries, he saw the Grimm, all of them.

****

He snarled at them. These creatures would pay for threatening HIS team, HIS friends.

****

He began advancing towards to nearest Ursa Major, currently attempting to flank Velvet, intent on making an example of it.

****

_This isn’t fast enough, I need to be faster. I can’t protect my team if I’m so slow like this!_

****

As if it had heard his request, his very spirit complied, Jaune barely having time to blink before a bright light shone from his body.

****

A wave of energy washed over him, filling his being and supercharging his body. By the time the light receded, Jaune felt as if he’d downed about 5 cups of whatever coffee/rocket fuel Dr Oobleck seemed incapable of living without.

****

Ignoring the massive change in his energy levels, Jaune charged the Ursa, intent on skewering the best before it could hurt his teammate.

****

Much to his surprise and the surprise of said teammate, Jaune’s charge lasted about a fraction of a second. There was no other explanation, except that Jaune seemed to flat out _appear_ next to the Ursa, the only indicator he’d even moved at all being a small trail of golden sparks that connected his original location to his current one.

****

With his massively increased momentum, Crocea Mors buried itself deep in the Ursa’s neck with enough force to kill the beast instantly. Before Velvet could process what happened, Jaune was moving again, leaving a path of golden sparks in his wake as he slaughtered Grimm by the dozens, quickly clearing the space around them.

****

Jaune’s elation and confusion at his supercharged speed, as well as his recent success in combat, was cut rather abruptly short as a deafeningly loud roar pierced the clearing.

****

The Goliath and King Taijitu had finally caught up with them.

****

Whereas before Jaune would have felt only terror at the presence of such a massive Grimm, he didn’t feel anything close to fear right now.

****

Now, he felt only anger. Anger at these creatures for trying to hurt his teammates, a bright and burning anger than consumed his body and focused his mind.

****

_These... things need to DIE._

****

Before he realised what was happening, the anger boiling inside of him burst free.

****

His entire body was enveloped in golden flames, his azure eyes surged blood-red as he snarled at his enemies. Ignoring Velvet’s cry for him to stop and fall back, Jaune charged directly at the Taijitu in front of him.

****

Ordinarily, it would be suicide attacking a King Taijitu with a sword like Crocea Mors, the massive assault beasts had evolved a hide that shrugged off anything less than an anti-tank round. Even then, it took massed fire to bring even one down.

****

However, Crocea Mors was no ordinary blade anymore. Even discarding the Dust enhancements, the flames surrounding its owner’s body had been superheating the blade. Thus, when Jaune’s swing connected with the Taijitu’s front, the blade sliced straight through the reinforced armor.

****

Ignoring the Taijitu’s roar of pain, Jaune slashed at the front again to bring the beast crashing down on its front. Before it could try and right itself or the other Grimm could respond, Jaune used the Gravity Dust in his blade to propel himself forward, quickly reaching and slashing at the back in a similar manner.

****

Though the Taijitu was immobilized, Jaune’s rage still burned, he needed to kill it.

****

He needed to make sure it never threatened his team again.

****

With a grunt of exertion, Jaune began to climb on the Taijitu’s back. With the damage done to its legs, the Taijitu was in too much pain to try and shake him off, or even notice his presence until it was too late. As he reached the still wriggling head, Jaune gave a roar of anger of his own as he plunged the heated blade directly into the beast’s exposed neck.

****

The Taijitu began to shake violently, attempting to dislodge the trainee Huntsman from its neck before he could do even more damage, but Jaune held firm. He would NOT be denied, he would slaughter this beast as an example to the others. Despite the Grimm lacking Souls or proper intelligence at such a juvenile age, Jaune’s more predatory mindset knew that this demonstration would teach the survivors. They would grow, they would evolve intelligence as they aged, as all Grimm did.

****

Then they would understand, they would fear him, then they would leave his team alone.

****

With one last downright feral snarl of rage, Jaune activated the fire rune of his blade, before driving the sword deep into the Taijitu’s neck. As the beast’s death roar reverberated through the clearing, Jaune felt his rage finally abate, the flames vanishing and the azure color returning to his eyes. Unfortunately, with all his previous exertions plus his burst of superspeed, Jaune had quite literally been fueled by his anger at this point. As his anger left him, the exhaustion began to set in, though Jaune still managed to smile weakly at his stunned team, who had managed to dispatch the remaining lesser Grimm.

****

However, in his tired and depleted state, Jaune failed to register their frantic and panicked expressions, or their cries of alarm.

****

He also failed to register that, while he may have dispatched the King Taijitu,  it was not the only Titan-class Grimm present on the field.

****

By the time Jaune noticed the vibrations of the Goliath’s approach, it was too late for him to run.

****

He managed a half-turn before the colossal paw slammed straight into his body. Despite his large Aura reserves, they couldn’t stand up to a direct blow from a Titan Grimm.

****

The last thing Jaune heard before consciousness left him, besides his team’s shouts of alarm and Velvet’s cries of terror, was the shattering of his Aura and the muted cracking of his bones.

****

_At least there’s no more Grimm… at least my team can escape that Goliath. At least they’re safe…_


	24. A Petal in the Wind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaune has a new, unexpected friend.
> 
> Another chapter written by the lovely Jack Simpson.

Darkness.

****

That was the first thing that Jaune ‘saw’ when consciousness returned to him. Slowly, he sat up, wincing and sucking in a sharp breath as he felt pains lance up his chest and spine. Blinking back to impromptu tears that began to well in his eyes in response to this, Jaune picked himself up and looked around.

****

The same blackness surrounded him, almost choking him. This wasn’t even the blackness of a normal night, where vague silhouettes and outlines of the surrounding infrastructure or nature could be made out, this was complete and total pitch black. It was unnatural in the extreme for the Knight.

****

_Where am I?_

****

This was the first thought that popped into Jaune’s head at seeing his surroundings. He tried to think back, to remember what happened and how he could’ve gotten here. It took him a minute or two, but eventually he pieced together what happened.

****

_I was at Forever Fall… with Marcie, Velvet, Yang… there were Grimm… we were attacked. Oh god, I hope everyone else is okay!_

****

The more Jaune remembered, the more panicked he became, despite the brief euphoria he felt at finally awakening his Semblance, the fact that he couldn’t remember what happened to the others was distressing for him. He may not have known Marcie for too long, but he counted them as friends already, while Yang was one of his first and closest friends at Beacon save for Pyrrha, Ruby, and their respective teams. The thought that something had happened to her, or any of them because he was too weak to protect them properly was chilling.

****

Despite the more rational part of his mind telling him that if anything, they’d would be the one protecting him from all those Grimm with their combat skills, Jaune couldn’t banish the chilling feeling from his mind.

****

After all, it was his duty as a Huntsman to protect people, that included his own teammates as well as innocent civilians, the thought of failing that duty was haunting for the Knight.

****

It took a few moments for Jaune to calm himself down, to put the increasingly paranoid thoughts out of his mind and focus on his own situation. After all, there was no point worrying about his friends before he’d even seen whether or not they were okay.

****

The more emotional part of himself disagreed. There was _always_ time to worry about your friends, they wouldn’t be your friends without the mutual concern for one another’s well being that existed between you and them. Given everything that had happened, and everything they’d helped him get through, Jaune was adamant that he couldn’t have asked for better friends if he’d tried.

****

There was Pyrrha, helpful, smart, kind, kickass ace tournament fighter, his best friend (alongside Ruby) and the pillar upon which he could stand, even in the darkest of times. She’d offered him the training he desperately needed near the start of the semester, she’d even taught him about Aura in the Emerald Forest during initiation. She’d stood by him when he was being bullied by Cardin and helped him train whenever possible. She was just so supportive and caring that Jaune couldn’t help but admire her. Jaune himself had been the one she’d confided in regarding her social isolation from her peers as a result of her fame and skill, who considered her too good for them or couldn’t get over the massive gap in skill that always existed between them and her. Team JNPR and been her first real friends, with Jaune himself being the first at Beacon to not be intimidated by her status and fame (though that was mostly ignorance on his part), just a girl in need of friends. He didn’t see the ‘Invincible girl’, he just saw her as Pyrrha. They been there for each through thick and thin, they’d always have each other’s backs, Jaune had no doubts about that.

****

Oh, and she was his girlfriend now. How about that? Jaune still couldn’t quite believe he’d gotten her as his girlfriend, let alone catch her attention in the first place or even become her combat partner. Still, regardless of whether or not he was worthy of her affection, he’d do his best to be the most supportive and caring boyfriend he could be. He wanted to make her happy, she deserved to be happy.

****

There was Nora and Ren, the former never failed to bring a smile to his face with her antics, her wild stories were always entertaining and her boundless energy and cheer were easily infectious. The latter was always ready with some words of advice for the Knight, offering her silent yet equally unwavering support for her ‘fearless leader’. Jaune was thankful that they supported him, even when he felt as if he didn’t deserve it.

****

His thoughts drifted away from his own team of amazing and quirky girls before settling on his ‘sister’ team, team RWBY. A team of prodigies and equally amazing girls, all of whom Jaune was privileged enough to get to know and befriend.

****

There was Blake Belladonna, the bookish ninja cat-girl with a dark past, formerly aligned with the protest-turned-terrorist group the White Fang before breaking from the group. She then came to Beacon to use her skills to protect the people she once terrorized, a form of repentance. She was intelligent and loyal to her friends and an agile and unrelenting fighter, while also having some admittedly cute cat ears. Jaune briefly wondered if he would ever get to pet them. Blake’s ideal of a equal future between humans and faunus was a lofty and some might say unreachable goal, but for Jaune it was a cause worth supporting, if there was anything he could do to help Blake, he was resolved to do it.

****

There was Weiss Schnee, the ‘Snow Angel’ he had briefly harbored feelings for. She was refined, elegant, almost regal in her beauty. She was similarly determined to improve herself and become the best Huntress she could be, willing to defy her father’s wishes to come to Beacon to train there. Jaune was confident that once she inherited control of the SDC Weiss would excel there similarly, hopefully she could restore the philanthropic heart and soul of the company that her father’s corrupt practices had ripped out. Either way, Jaune would support her alongside her team, no matter where her life took her. Despite her sour first impression of him with his admittedly silly introduction back then, they had moved past that period and Jaune was glad that he could now call Weiss a friend and be called friend in turn by the Schnee heiress.   

****

There was Yang Xiao Long, the Golden Dragon of Beacon and one of the best fighters of their year. Despite her rather terrible sense of humor, at least when it came puns, her sunny disposition helped lighten up many a dreary afternoon. Despite her taking a _little_ too much pleasure in kicking his ass in spars, both in and out of class, Yang was quite the effective close-combat teacher, always making sure to tell her latest pupil/punching bag exactly where they were going wrong and not stopping until they’d improved at least one deficiency. Beyond her combat skill, Yang was loyal to her friends and cared a great deal about those close to her, there wasn’t much she wouldn’t do to help out a friend. This was especially true when it came to her younger sister Ruby.

****

_Ruby._

****

Jaune’s thoughts now turned to the final member of his sister team and his fellow leader, Ruby Rose.

****

The prodigy with the scythe, the Red Reaper, the adorable ball of sunshine and cheer that could brighten up a room and put smiles on anyone’s faces, even better than her sister Yang. She was endearingly nerdy about weapons and Jaune’s first friend at Beacon. The two of them bonding over their shared awkwardness and feeling out of place at Beacon, Ruby because she had been accepted two years early and Jaune because of his… less than legal method of entry. He and Ruby had always gotten along well, with their friendship forming a bridge between teams RWBY and JNPR, allowing the two teams to form a close camaraderie and offer support to each other.

****

Despite the severity of his situation, Jaune still rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment as he remembered exactly how he’d introduced himself to Ruby (and Weiss) back then, he really had been trying too hard to impress. Still, he had gotten a smile out of his younger new friend, so Jaune considered that a personal victory.

****

Glancing around the black void that was his current home, Jaune’s thoughts began to take a darker turn. The last thing he remembered was being attacked by Grimm during his team’s expedition, he’d been doing well against his attackers, what with his new and improved Crocea Mors and unexpectedly unlocking his Semblance. He’d actually been pushing them back!

****

Until that Goliath showed up.

****

The last thing clear thing Jaune could recall was that Goliath’s oversized paw crashing into him after he’d finished dispatching the Taijitu. Only a few things were clear after that. The warmth of his semblance. The cries of the King Taijitu. His bones cracking under the impact of the Goliath's paw.

Velvet’s shriek of horror echoing in his ears.

****

Jaune hoped with all his might that his teammates, temporary as they were, had gotten out of their expedition alright. He just wanted everyone to be okay, even if he… wasn’t. If he really had… passed on, he hoped against everything that he could just see them one last time, that he could apologize for failing them and not returning to them okay.

****

He wanted to apologize to his parents and sisters, to failing to live up to their legacy and leaving them alone.

****

He wanted to apologize to team RWBY for failing them as a friend.

****

He wanted to apologize to his team for failing them as a leader.

****

He wanted to apologize to Pyrrha for failing her as a boyfriend.

****

Most of all, despite everything, he just wanted to hear their voices one more time.

****

He just wanted-

****

“ _Jaune…”_

****

Jaune’s eyes whipped open at the sound of the voice. _What the…?_

****

_“Jaune...”_

****

Jaune turned, following the sound of the voice, only to see something he was sure had not been there when he’d woken up in this place.

****

Light.

****

A dim, faint light had appeared in the distance. Jaune tilted his head in utter confusion, which quickly turned to shock when he heard the voice call his name again.

****

_Is that voice… coming from that light up ahead? I really must be dead if I’m hearing voices from lights…_

****

Despite the depressing turn his thoughts had taken, Jaune squared his shoulders and started walking forward toward the glowing light.

****

‘Infinite in distance and unbound by death’, that was part of the empowering chant that Pyrrha had used when unlocking his Aura. Jaune felt that those words had never been more appropriate for him than right now. If he really was going to his death, or indeed to the afterlife, he would face it head on. There was no point in running.

****

_“Jaune…”_

****

The voice and the light both grew stronger the closer Jaune got. There was no longer a faint whisper or dim glow, Jaune was instead bathed in a bright, warm and comforting light with the soothing woman’s voice in his ears, calling his name.

****

The more Jaune heard the voice, the more he swore he recognized it, though it didn’t click until he finally stood in front of the glowing light and saw some very familiar objects littering the ground.

****

Petals, more specifically, Rose Petals.

****

_Ruby?_

****

It had finally clicked for him, of course the voice was familiar to him. It was Ruby’s voice! At least… if Ruby were older and more mature, a grown woman rather than a teenage girl.

****

Jaune gulped a little, his thoughts beginning to spiral out into borderline irrationality at this point.

****

What if he hadn’t been dead? What if he’d just been in a coma, only he’d been in it for years instead of hours?

****

Would he awaken to a world in which his friends had completed their Hunter education and moved on to become Hunters for real? Evidently, Ruby was there for him, she was still calling to him, hoping he would wake up. Would the others have already moved on with their lives?

****

Perhaps his team had been assigned a new leader in his absence.

****

Perhaps Pyrrha had moved on from him, finding someone who wasn’t in a coma, who could return her affection and actually be there for her. If she had, Jaune wouldn’t blame her, she deserved to be happy after all, if she had found that happiness with someone else while he was… away, then who was he to stand in the way of that?

****

Jaune blinked and took a deep breath. No matter what was waiting for him beyond that light, he would face it with courage and determination, like the Huntsman he always wanted to be.

****

With this in mind, he stepped forward into the light.

\---------------

Line Break

\---------------

A small groan escaped his lips as Jaune opened his eyes.

****

_Where am I?_

****

That was probably the second time he’d asked himself that question, but it was still valid nonetheless. Jaune blinked his sleep-crusted eyes a few times, hoping that his eyes would adjust to the overwhelming light.

****

As his vision began to clear, Jaune could make out his surroundings more clearly. He realized the flood of light was coming from the array of bright lights lining the ceiling and that he was not in fact in the afterlife, but rather in a bed inside Beacon’s medical ward.

****

Well, at least he wasn’t dead, at any rate.

****

Pushing himself up, Jaune reached up to rub at his eyes, before wincing and hissing as a jolt of pain lanced up his spine, down his legs, through his arms and well… just about everywhere else. He glanced over at the appendages, only to see the large dark patches on his forearms, bruises that hadn’t yet healed, even with his more potent than usual reserves of Aura. Looking down, Jaune could see similar bruises dotting his upper legs and his chest.

****

Well, that explained the pain in his body, he’d taken more damage from that Goliath’s attack than he thought.

****

Despite the stabs of pain he felt, Jaune began to push himself up further, preparing to lever himself out of his bed. As much pain as he was in and how much more pain he would undoubtedly be in from aggravating his injuries like this, Jaune needed to see his face, he needed to see if he’d been like this for hours, or years.

****

Grimacing and hissing in pain as he gingerly stumbled out of his bed, Jaune began to gradually make his way over to the large mirror on the nearby wall. Holding his sides as the pain increased with each step, Jaune screwed up his eyes to stop the small, newly-formed tears from leaking out.

****

Finally arriving at the mirror, Jaune waited for the pain to die down before opening his eyes.

****

_Well, that’s a relief…_

****

The face in the mirror was his own, exactly as it had been the last time he’d seen it, the only change he could see was that a day or two’s worth of stubble had grown on his chin. Jaune sighed in relief as his fears of being abandoned by his friends and missing years of their lives melted away. He really could be quite paranoid sometimes.

****

His brief mental celebration was cut short as he gripped his head, a splitting headache had taken hold suddenly, or at least that’s what it felt like. The feeling felt less like the physical pain of a headache and more like… pressure.

****

Pressure that was coming directly from his mind.

****

_What is this!?_

****

Jaune leaned forward toward the mirror, ignoring the pressure in his head, squinting. It may have been his imagination, but he could’ve sworn he could feel a… _presence_ in front of him. But there was no one else here, so how could-

****

“ _Oh hello! You must be Jaune, my name is-”_

****

Now, Jaune was not quite expecting to hear a disembodied voice in his head, so he responded in the only way he thought was appropriate.

****

“GHYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!!!”

****

A high-pitched, downright girlish scream tore itself from his throat as Jaune stumbled back, attempted to retreat from the apparently haunted mirror. Unfortunately, in his disoriented and weakened state, he misjudged where to place his feet, with the result being that his feet slipped out from under him and sent the injured Knight crashing to the floor.

****

With his injures, on top of his depleted Aura, the impact of his head against the ground ensured that he was once again lost to the waking world.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

“Urrrgghhh… not again” Jaune groaned out as his eyes fluttered open. The Knight only needed to glance around at his surroundings to know that he was back in whatever mental purgatory he had been trapped in before. This time, however, Jaune noticed that the pitch-black had been replaced by lush green grass, a blue clear sky overhead with a warm sunny light shining down on the area.

****

Turning around to look behind him, Jaune could see rows of trees flanking the hill he was on, as well as leading away from the edge, as if a whole forest stretched out ahead. Jaune sighed, that way might take him to someplace familiar.

****

Though, given how unfamiliar this whole place was, it was more likely to get Jaune lost for hours on end.

****

With this thought in mind, Jaune prepared to sit down and wait till he could wake up again. He would’ve done too, if he hadn’t spotted a very familiar object on the grass for it.

****

It was a single, shining rose petal.

****

Eyes widening, the young Knight whirled around, finding yet more petals scattered about the grass, yet all coming together to form a faint path that led Jaune further up the hill.

****

_Well, I’ve got nothing else to do and nothing to lose, I might as well see where this leads._

****

The Knight advanced up the hill, noticing that the petals grew in frequency the closer he drew to the top, it was almost as if the petals were leading him, calling him somewhere. Or perhaps, drawing him to someone?

****

Ruby?

****

Why would his dream, or whatever surreal out-of-body experience this was, draw him toward Ruby? She was the only person Jaune knew of who had anything to do with these rose petals, not just because of her name, but thanks to the petals she shed when activating her Semblance.

****

Jaune knew that he and Ruby were closer than most, each was the other’s first friend they made at Beacon Academy before they formed their teams. They were both awkward and got along well together. They’d helped bring their teams closer and helped each other when they were struggling or unsure. Jaune felt a special connection with Ruby and he hoped she felt the same way, he’d always have her back whenever she needed him, he’d follow her to the ends of the earth if he needed to keep his best friend (aside from Pyrrha).

****

Jaune shook himself as his thoughts took a rather… personal turn.

****

_Do I… I do like Ruby? Romantically?_ _No I-I can’t like Ruby like that! We’re just friends, besides Pyrrha is my girlfriend now! Even if i did like Ruby that way… I wouldn’t betray my partner like that._

****

So wrapped up was Jaune in his thoughts that, by the time he’d shaken himself free of his quasi-romantic and borderline treacherous thoughts for his fellow leader, he’d arrived at the last crest of the hill.

****

Taking a deep breath, Jaune placed one foot in front of the other, climbing over the incline and stepping onto the ground beyond. Despite trying to calm himself and prepare himself beforehand, he was still stunned by what he saw. Or rather, who he saw.

****

There was a figure standing on the hill, their back facing Jaune. The Knight narrowed his eyes in confusion and stepped forward, bringing up his hand for a moment, before lowering it again. Taking one last breath to steady himself, Jaune took one last step toward the figure and opened his mouth.

****

“Ruby? Is… is that you?”

****

The figure seemed to jump a little at being addressed, but they turned around to face Jaune, who couldn’t help but gasp and widen his eyes at their appearance.

****

When had Ruby gotten so… mature and beautiful?

****

The woman who gazed back at him was a far cry from the young teenage girl that Jaune knew from Beacon, but it was unmistakably Ruby. The same shining silver pools gazed into his azure orbs, she wore a black dress with red strappings and belts wrapped around it, with a combat skirt fitting snugly around her waist. Rounding off the image was a pair of comfortable boots and stockings covering her long and… _shapely_ legs. Jaune almost gulped at the sight, fighting back what would otherwise be his natural reaction to such an enthralling image.

****

This older Ruby might only exist in his mind, but he’d be damned if he was going to drool over her like some pervert!

****

One thing Jaune did notice was her cape. When did she switch her almost iconic red cape for a white one?

****

The woman’s eyes lit up and her gaze met Jaune’s fully, a smile spreading across her lovely face as she addressed him.

****

“Oh, you’re here! Thank goodness, I was worried that you wouldn’t have noticed me, or that you might not want to talk to me again after what happened last time” the woman explained, the relief in her voice palpable.

****

“Noticed you? What do you mean?” Jaune cocked  his head in confusion.

****

“Well, I did try introducing myself to you after you woke up, but you were rather badly startled. I probably should have waited until you fell asleep again to introduce myself properly” a sheepish look was now plastered on the woman’s face, her hands clasped behind her back as she shifted from foot to foot.

****

Gods did she look borderline _adorable_ when she did that. Then her words actually registered with Jaune, who's previously wandering gaze snapped back to the woman in front of him.

****

“Wait! That was you?! That was your voice I’ve been hearing in my head?!” Jaune cried out.

****

“Ah… yes, it was. I was just trying to help you wake up so that I could introduce myself to you. I’m sorry for startling you, again.”

****

“Uh… that’s alright, I guess. But, why would you need to introduce yourself? Uh… no offense to you but you’re just a figment of my imagination, you’re all in my head right?” Jaune held up his hands and shook his head, while giving a disarming smile at the woman in front of him.

****

“Well, you’re half right there Jaune! I might be in your head, but I can assure you I’m far from imaginary.”

****

“Uh… what do you mean by that? I don’t follow you.” Jaune was just getting more and more confused now, what did she mean?

****

“Well…” the woman sighed briefly, before gazing at Jaune again, a new determination burning in her silver orbs, even as she smiled comfortingly at him. “Jaune, I’m going to just come out and tell you what’s happened, but I need you to promise that you won’t… overreact, okay?”

****

Despite the gentle kindness and soothing tone of her words, Jaune inevitably felt trepidation and a slight amount of fear bubbling up in his chest. Why did she not want him to panic? What was she about to tell him!?

****

The woman took a breath. “Jaune, do you know what a Soul Merge is?”

****

“No. What’s that?” Jaune again felt confusion, which helped to alleviate some of his fear, though only temporarily.

****

“Let me explain. A Soul Merge is… well,  when the Souls, Aurasand consciousnesses of  two people fuse together, sharing a single body. They can access each others’ memories and the… non-corporeal partner can speak to the other one as a voice in their head. They can give advice or just… chat to pass the time.”

****

“Wait wait wait! ‘Non-corporeal partner’? What does that mean?!” Jaune could feel his earlier panic beginning to return now.

****

“Jaune… Soul Merges will only happen between a living and a dead soul. There’s only one body for them to share because one of the… partners has lost their original one.” The woman looked a little pained for a second at that, but Jaune ignored it as his mind began spiralling into a blind panic.

****

“W-what? Y-you mean I’m dead!? Is that what you’re saying?!?” Jaune started to hyperventilate, the fear clouding his mind and almost choking him. Was him waking up in the hospital all just his imagination? Had he died in that Goliath attack, only for his soul to have bonded to the soul of this older version of his fellow team leader? Was this his fate, to be relegated to a voice in Ruby’s head for the rest of her… their lives? Was he-

****

Jaune’s thoughts were interrupted by a gentle hand on his shoulder, snapping him out his downward spiral. He gazed up to find himself face-to-face with the older Ruby… or, at least the Ruby-lookalike.

****

“Jaune, I can assure you that you’re not dead. You’ve got nothing to worry about.” Was she tearing up? But why would she…

****

Oh.

****

Jaune found his own hand coming to rest on the woman’s, squeezing it in what he hoped was a comforting gesture.

****

“Y… you’re the one who’s dead, aren’t you?” Jaune gulped again, dreading her answer, even though he knew what it would be.

****

“Heh… yeah, I guess I am. I’ve been dead for quite some time now, I’m just lucky that you found my Soul when you did Jaune.” Despite her tears, the woman still mustered up a genuine smile that warmed his heart.

****

“Your soul? But where would I have found your… wait.” Jaune looked down as he searched his memories, trying to remember what he saw in the forest as he was losing consciousness. After a minute, he realised what it was.

****

“In the forest, I came across a silver and white rose. I could’ve sworn I’d imagined it at the time but… that was you, wasn’t it? That was your soul.”

****

The woman nodded again. “Yes, when you touched it, my spirit merged with your body and… well, here I am.” She shrugged her shoulders with a small smile “Well, now that we’ve met properly… how about I introduce myself properly?”

****

Jaune removed his hand from her own and took a step back. “Well, I’m Jaune Arc, but you seem to already know that.”

****

The silver-eyed beauty eyed him, a small smile on her face as she stuck her hand out for him to shake. Jaune smiled back, more at ease around his apparently mental lodger.

****

Though his ease quickly vanished, to be replaced with complete and utter shock, when she spoke again.

****

“It’s nice to meet you, Jaune Arc. As I saying earlier, my name is Summer. Summer Rose.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What, you didn't see that coming?


	25. Wake Up Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaune learns some more about Summer, and reunites with his friends.
> 
> Written By Jack_Simpson

To say that Jaune was shocked would be quite the understatement. ‘Shocked’ in fact came nowhere _close_ to describing what Jaune was feeling right now.

****

He stood there for what felt like hours, his jaw having remained open despite the strangled noise of confusion having long since faded to nothing, not having the slightest idea as to how he should respond to the woman - _Summer’s_ \- introduction.

****

What could he say? The Soul of his best friend’s and fellow team leader’s mum had taken up residence in his mind and was now standing in front of him! Where was he supposed to go with that?

****

Better yet, how was he supposed to bring it up with Ruby? She’d inevitably ask about his well being and if anything strange happened on his mission, she always checked up on him from time to time to make sure he was okay, as he did with her. He’d never lied to her before and he _really_ didn’t want to start now, even about something as outlandish as this.

****

How was he going to explain it without sounding either insane or incredibly callous and dickish?

****

_‘Hey Rubes, I know you’ve never told me about your mother before, but I’ve now got her spirit living in my head, you want to say hi?’_

****

Yeah… _that’d_ go over well. Ruby would inevitably think he was playing a cruel prank on her, she might shout at him and get angry, an angry Ruby was not something Jaune wanted to see.

****

Or worse, she could get upset and _cry._

****

An angry Ruby might hurt him, but an upset and in tears Ruby would have him wind up dead, because Yang would certainly not take kindly to the fact that Jaune had made her sweet little sister cry, no matter how friendly she was with him before. She’d turn him into a bloody smear across the floor in a heartbeat before Jaune could explain himself.

****

So engrossed was he in his paranoid thoughts that Jaune jumped when a hand landed on his shoulder. Looking up, Jaune found his azure orbs locked with the deep silver pools of Summer Rose, who gazed back at him with a slightly perplexed look on her face.

****

“Erm, Jaune? You’ve been rather quiet for a while… are you okay? I know this is… a lot to take in. If you need time to process this, then I can always give you some privacy.”

****

At this, Jaune finally managed to find his voice again.

****

“Really? I mean, since you said that we’re… well, sharing one body, it’s not like we can hide stuff from each other, is it?” Jaune asked, “I mean, we’ll hear each other's thoughts from now on so I kinda figured that ‘privacy’ wasn’t an option anymore.”

****

“Jaune, before I decided to reveal my presence to you in the medical ward, did you know I was in your head?” Summer queried, that calm smile taking over her face once more.

****

“Well… actually no. I had no idea you were in my head until you started calling out to me.”

****

“Exactly, I’ve managed to create I suppose what you might call a… ‘personal space’ in your mind. It’s a ‘section’ just for me, I can stay there and keep out of your way if you don’t want to listen to this old Huntress ramble on through the day…”

****

Despite the soft chuckle that followed, Jaune could see the pain in the woman’s eyes at the prospect and immediately sympathized with her. She must have been lonely as a disembodied soul in a flower, waiting around for who-knows-how-many-years, just waiting for someone like him to come along and give her companionship and a friend.

****

“No. You don’t need to do that Miss Rose. Look… as long as you’re uh, not too chatty when I need to listen to lectures or during a mission, then you can talk all you want, I don’t mind! Besides, you’re a full-fledged Huntress! You could probably teach me a thing or two about combat, which I… still kinda suck at, to be honest.”

****

Summer smiled at Jaune again, “Thank you Jaune and please, just call me Summer. You’ve got no idea how relieved I am to be able to talk to another person again, with that being said…”

****

Summer reached forward and lightly cuffed Jaune on the head, causing the Knight to yelp a little in shock.

****

“Hey! What was that for?!”

****

Summer’s expression morphed into a disapproving frown, “You shouldn’t put yourself down like that Jaune! I’ve seen quite a few of your memories from this school year and you’ve gotten a lot better at holding your own in combat, so no more talking down your achievements mister!”

****

Jaune made to protest, but was silenced by the stern glare the silver-eyed Huntress leveled at him.

****

“Y-yes ma’am.”

****

Before Summer could speak again, their surroundings began to shake and rumble.

****

“What the!? What’s going on?!” Jaune cried, swaying a little as he fought to stay upright.

****

Summer could only smile slightly at the Knight in reply before replying.

****

“I’d guess you’re waking up right now, your injuries must have healed while we’ve been here.”

****

“What? But… we’ve not been here THAT long have we?”

****

“Time works differently in the dream world Jaune, from our perspective it might not have been that long, but out there it’s probably been quite a while longer.” Summer patted Jaune on the shoulder in a comforting gesture, even as the entire landscape seemed to _crack and shatter_ around them.

****

“It’s time to wake up, Jaune.”

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

Jaune blinked, his eyes once more adjusting themselves to the bright light of the Beacon Medical Wing. After a brief period of trying to push himself up, he relented and lay back on the bed, closing his eyes so as not to aggravate them too much, they were still sensitive.

****

Well, on the plus side, the chronic bodily pain he had felt last time was gone.

****

On the downside, his arms and legs had turned to jelly. They most likely hadn’t, but with how weak they were they might as well have.

****

A muted groan slipped past the Knight’s lips as he prepared for a long wait in the Medical Wing, it would probably be quite some time before someone came to check on him, there were likely other patients more in need of treatment than him.

****

He didn’t wait long, all too soon Jaune heard the faint and muffled but steadily amplifying sounds of discussion from beyond the double doors leading out of the Medical Wing, as they drew nearer the Knight began to recognize them and barely held back from gasping.

****

His friends were here to visit him already?

****

As the doors opened, Jaune could quite clearly make out the individual voices from the previous cacophony, it was certainly his friends.

****

“Ruby, I really don’t think that Jaune will be awake yet, he’s been completely unconscious for the past two days.” That was Weiss’ voice, elegant and refined as always, though Jaune thought he could detect a hint of worry in it.

****

“That doesn’t matter, Weiss! I promised that I’d be there when he woke up! Besides, classes are done now so we can stay here as long as we want!” Ruby’s high pitched and squeaky voice cut in.

****

“Rubes, as much as I want lover boy to wake up too… we DO still need our beauty sleep, it’s not like we can just pull up chairs and sleep in the Medical Ward. He’ll be fine sis... the docs said his injuries have healed just fine.” Yang cut in, a comforting tone in her own unusually subdued voice as she reassured her younger sibling.

****

“Of course he’ll just fine! He’s our fearless leader, nothing can keep Jauney down for long, you’ll all see! I bet he’s wide awake and bored out of his mind without his awesome team there to cheer him up!” A loud, cheerful and boisterous voice practically _boomed_ above all the rest.

****

Jaune was happy that Nora was still her cheerful self, her seemingly relentless faith in him was also a nice bonus.

****

“Nora, I’m sure Jaune might appreciate your enthusiasm in seeing him, but please try not to aggravate his injuries by hugging him like you usually do.” Lian’s calm and soft voice somehow cut across Nora’s much louder one. It was nice that she was concerned for him too.

****

“Okay Renny! I promise to be super-gentle with Jauney until he’s all better!”

****

“Oh… I hope he’s really okay, I’d never forgive myself if he was injured on that mission with me. Are you sure the doctors said that he’d be okay…?” Another voice meekly interrupted, this one as soft and smooth as Lian’s, while also having a familiar accent.

****

_Velvet? She’s here too? If she’s here…_

****

Jaune suspicions were confirmed a moment later, when another more confident voice answered Velvet’s. “Ah c’mon Bun-Bun, the kid’ll be fine! He may not be the best fighter but I’ve seen him shrug off a hell of lot. Stop worrying okay, your Knight in shining armor will be up and about in no time.” A distinctly teasing tone had entered the voice during that last part, clearly marking it as belonging to Beacon’s resident second year fashionista.

****

“C-coco! S-stop saying things like that!” Velvet cried in reply, clearly embarrassed.

****

The sound of the doors opening reached the Knight’s ears, and he squinted his eyes at the sight of his friends entering the room. The girls all crowded close to the entrance, though still within sight of his bed. He noticed their gazes falling on him, though they clearly hadn’t registered that he was awake yet. It seemed both his team and team RWBY, plus Coco and Velvet, had decided to visit him.

****

_“Oh my… it really has been a long time since I… passed, hasn’t it? My little cookie monster really is all grown up now.”_

****

Jaune almost jumped at the sound of Summer’s voice in his head, but managed to stop himself. He couldn’t help a small smile at Summer’s endearing name for Ruby, even if he frowned a little at her small bout of sadness.

****

_Yeah, Ruby’s been studying with us at Beacon to be a Huntress, she’s… she’s one of the most talented and kind people I know._

****

_“Oh really? That’s wonderful to hear. She did always talk about being a Superhero when she was little, I always hoped she’d do great things when she grew up.”_

****

A small, fond laugh resonated through Jaune’s mind, the feeling of sadness being replaced by happiness.

****

_To be honest, Ruby’s actually only fifteen, but Headmaster Ozpin let her in early, he must’ve been really impressed with those scythe skills for hers to let her skip two years._

****

_“Ozzie’s still working here after so long? Hmmm. Well… I’m not surprised about that, Oz always did have a soft spot for good samaritans._ There was a small pause before Summer continued, with a little confusion in her voice this time, _“Wait… did you say her scythe? She uses a scythe as a weapon?”_

****

_Yeah… she calls it ‘Crescent Rose’ and it’s also a sniper rifle._

****

_“That must mean that Qrow trained her, he’s the only other person I know who uses a scythe. He always doted on her when she was a toddler, so of course she’d be skilled if Qrow decided to train her, he wouldn’t skimp on her training.”_ Summer continued.

****

_Um… who exactly is this ‘Qrow’?_ Jaune asked in his mind.

****

It didn’t take long for Summer to respond, a hint of nostalgia in her voice this time. _“Qrow Branwen, he’s… he_ was _one of my teammates back from my Beacon days. He and Tai… didn’t really get on in the early days. They always played such silly pranks on each other in a juvenile effort to ‘assert their dominance’."_ Though she may have been a disembodied soul in his head, Jaune could practically _feel_ the eyeroll that accompanied that last part.

****

_They sounded like a handful to work with._

****

A tired sigh sounded through his mind before Summer started again. _“Oh you wouldn’t believe how much trouble those two got into, sometimes I felt less like the leader of a team of trainee Hunters and more like a babysitter for two squabbling kids."_ There was a pause, followed by a giggle. _That reminds me of one of the more outrageous things Tai did. It was the first week of classes and Qrow hadn’t had the chance to see the official uniform, so Tai brought him a skirt to wear with his blazer, he… h-he told him that it was a ‘kilt’ and that all men had to w-wear it."_ Summer’s voice was audibly shaking with barely-restrained laughter at the memory. Jaune laughed with her at the images appearing in his head of Tai telling Qrow that he should be wearing a skirt.

****

Jaune realised that this must be the ‘sharing memories’ portion of the Soul Merge that he was currently experiencing.

****

_So… did he actually wear that?_

****

_“Yes he did! He turned up to class wearing it, even when everyone laughing at it he still managed to get the last laugh.”_

****

_Really, how?_ Jaune was intrigued.

****

_“Oh, he just propped his leg up on the table he was standing behind and… well, the skirt didn’t really cover much leg when he wore it…”_ Summer sounded a little flustered when she said that.

****

_So you ogled your teammate’s legs in the first week of class? That doesn’t seem very befitting of a team leader._ Maybe it was a little childish, but Jaune couldn’t resist the opportunity to tease her a little.

****

He also couldn’t resist the smile that broke out on his face when Summer began sputtering excuses in his mind. _“H-hey! I didn’t look for too long! Besides, everyone else looked too, some of them even d-drooled over those legs like… like hungry animals!”_

****

Jaune laughed a little more, pleased at managing to slightly rattle the seasoned Huntress.

****

_What about your other teammates? You mentioned a ‘Tai’?_

****

_“Oh yes, Tai might’ve been a little… troublesome at the beginning, but that was only interacting with Qrow. After they got past it and we actually managed to bond as a team, I got to know the real Tai. Not the joker, not the sex-obsessed teenager, the kind and loyal and…_ amazing _young man who’d walk through Hell to help his team. He was… really one of the best men I’ve been privileged to know.”_ Summer practically gushed the last parts, her voice full of both nostalgia and a large degree of affection for the man, affection that seemed to go beyond the typical team dynamics in the Knight’s eyes.

****

_Um Summer, this might be a bit presumptuous but…_

****

_“Were we involved romantically?”_ Summer preempted. _“Yes, yes we were. In fact, that’s where my little Ruby came from.”_

****

_Wait… Tai is Ruby’s DAD? But… doesn’t that mean he’s Yang’s dad too? I-I mean, no offense to you, but he looks a lot more like Yang than you do so I just assumed-_

****

_“Jaune, Jaune, it’s fine. You’re right actually, Tai was Yang’s father too, she has a different mother. Though I might as well have been her_ actual _mother with how uninvolved she was…”_ Though Summer muttered that last part almost inaudibly, Jaune still picked up on it.

****

_What do you mean ‘uninvolved’? Did she… she did abandon Yang?_

****

The sigh Summer let out before answering contained naught but frustration, though not directed at Jaune. _“Yes, she did. Actually, it was my other teammate, Raven. She and Tai dated at Beacon for the last two years and married a couple years after we all graduated. I really thought they’d be happy together, but she just… left, shortly after Yang was born. I don’t know why. Tai didn’t take it well at all, he… he was just a mess. That’s why I helped with Yang, I just couldn’t leave him or Yang like that. It started as me just helping my friend and teammate through a difficult time in his life, but as we spent more time together we couldn’t help but grow closer. Eventually… we decided to give it a try ourselves, we just seemed to click like that and we both wanted to see where it went.”_

****

_So, were you happy with him?_

****

_“Yes, yes I was”_ This time, a feeling of happiness and contentment spread through Jaune’s mind from Summer. “ _We were together at least 7 years, and they were some of the happiest of my life. Tai was just… so loving with me, he was fine with taking care of Yang and Ruby while I went on missions. He’d always be waiting for me with a smile and a kiss when I got back. He knew just what to say to make me smile when I felt down, or laugh when I needed it. Living with him… being married to him, it never stopped motivating me to fight the good fight, to keep protecting people. I hope he’s been coping since I died, I know it’s been almost a decade since then but I… I still really miss him and my little girls.”_

****

The happiness was now replaced by melancholy and regret, Jaune frowned at the depressing turn Summer’s mood had taken.

****

_Ruby and Yang may not talk about you much, but I get the impression that they still miss you too. For what it’s worth… when I asked Yang about her mum one time, she told me about you. As far as Yang’s concerned, you’re her mother Summer, not Raven. That counts for something right?_

****

_“...thank you Jaune”_ Summer’s voice was quiet, yet thick with emotion, she sounded close to tearing up.

****

_You’re welcome Summer._

****

Jaune would’ve conversed with the Huntress in his head further, but he could now spy the girls making their way over to his bedside. Evidently, Summer had ‘noticed’ as well, since she fell silent again, and Jaune could feel that slight ‘thrumming’ in his mind that accompanied her presence abate.

****

“See Rubes… lover boy’s perfectly fine.” Yang assured her sister as the girls approached Jaune’s bed.

****

“I still want to stay here, Jaune would stay with us if it was one of us in that bed, so we’ll be there for him” Ruby insisted, the tone of her voice indicating she wasn’t going to be dissuaded.

****

At this point, Jaune decided to speak up, despite the lingering sluggishness.

****

“Heh… well you’re right about that. I wouldn’t leave any of you hanging, what kind of friend would I be if I did that?”

****

His voice may have sounded weak and slightly hoarse from dehydration and underuse these past two days, but the girls clearly heard him, since all their gazes immediately snapped straight to Jaune, their eyes widened and looks of shock on their faces.

****

For a while, no one spoke, until a small voice piped up to address the injured Knight, relief palpable in their tone.

****

“Jaune…?”

****

“Yeah?”

****

“JAUNE!!!”

****

All at once, Jaune was tackled even further into the bed when not one, not two, but _three_ of the girls practically _launched themselves at him,_ slamming him back as the girls connected with him.

****

As Jaune lifted his head up once more, he could see that the three girls had now latched themselves onto various parts of his body, cuddling up to him like affectionate barnacles. Jaune couldn’t quite blame them, they’d been waiting for him to wake up for two days, it must’ve been agonising for them.

****

One of them was, unsurprisingly, the bubbly bomber Nora Valkyrie. His orange haired teammate had latched onto his left arm, snuggling against his side and humming in contentment.

****

The Red Reaper herself had claimed his right arm as her territory, her small stature allowing her to wrap herself almost entirely around his arm and almost hang from it. Small whimpers and whines escaped her mouth as she tried to burrow herself deeper into Jaune’s prone form, clearly her way of expressing gratitude at his survival. Jaune couldn’t resist reaching out and tousling her black and red hair, earning a small squeak from her that he found positively _adorable_.

****

Judging from the flat-out _squeal_ that rang through his mind, accompanied by a string of cuteness-induced baby-talk, Summer clearly agreed with his perception.

****

Surprisingly enough it was Pyrrha Nikos, the Invincible Girl herself, who was now resting pretty much _on top of him._ Her athletic arms were currently tightly wrapped around her partner as she squeezed him close, almost as if she was afraid he’d leave or fall into a coma if she let him go.

****

Jaune could make out the slight sniffles coming from her form, as well as the shivering and trembling, so he decided to lean forward and plant a kiss on her forehead. Pyrrha squeaked out in surprise, accompanied by a few gasps from the surrounding girls. Her face shot up to stare directly at Jaune, a luminescent blush overtaking her cheeks.

****

“Feel better Pyr?” Jaune asked, concerned for his teammate.

****

“Do… d-do I feel better!?” Pyrrha choked out in disbelief, “Jaune, I should be asking YOU that! You’ve been in the hospital for two whole days now, your injuries were so bad! I was so worried, we all were!” By the time she was finished, Pyrrha was almost yelling while her eyes began to brim with tears.

****

Before Jaune could reply, he flinched from a finger jabbing _hard_ into his left side. Turning, he found himself face-to-face with Nora’s turquoise orbs set in a hard glare against him.

****

“She’s right Jaune-Jaune! We were all super worried about you when they brought you back, that Goliath really did a number on you! Then we had to wait while you were put into surgery and we couldn’t even see you yesterday because those mean doctors wouldn’t let anyone visit you so we spent the whole day worrying but it’s okay now because they let us visit and here we are with you and you’ve got a lot of explaining to do mister!”

****

Jaune blinked as Nora ended her rant, both impressed at her ability to string multiple sentences together in one breath and slightly intimidated by her tone. It was clear she wasn’t happy with him for making them worry like that, but that was understandable.

****

“Aw c’mon, we weren’t too worried about Jauney boy here! We knew you’d be fine, you’ve taken worse than that!” Yang cut in, entering his vision with her trademark smile on her face, though one of her hands was twirling several strands of her luscious golden locks as she did so.

****

_“Aaaww, she was worried about you too, Jaune.”_ Summer’s voice rang through his head again.

****

_Really? How can you tell?_ Jaune ‘replied’.

****

_“She’s playing with her hair again, she always used to do that when she was little, she’s nervous or upset about something, probably your little hospital visit.”_

****

Summer’s presence receded again as Lian, Coco , Velvet and the rest of RWBY crowded around his bedside. To his surprise, Velvet leaned over to give him her own hug, looking visibly emotional herself.

****

“Oh! I’m so happy you’re alright Jaune! I should’ve been more careful and looked out for you more, I’m a second year so it’s my responsibility to make sure you first years are safe on missions! I hope you can forgive me.”

****

Jaune didn’t think he’d heard Velvet speak quite so confidently and clearly, even if it was her reprimanding herself.

****

“Hey, cut that out Bun, Jaune’s fine see? Most of his bruises and cuts are all patched up and now that he’s awake, we can get him released and back to normal life in no time.” Coco took a moment to appraise Jaune. “Huh… gotta say, those scars make ya look pretty badass kid. Planning on keeping them as a trophy?”

****

“No, I just want them gone, but with my Aura reserves they’ll be healed in no time once it actually recovers enough.” Jaune explained.

****

While some Hunters wore their scars like badges of honor, Jaune wasn’t that kind of person, he didn’t want scars to ruin his features when he could heal them with Aura.

****

“You know, if you really wanted them gone, Vel here is pretty talented at patching people up. I’m sure she could whip up something that’ll take those scars away in no time. I’m sure she’d appreciate getting to apply it _directly_ to that body of yours… hehe.”

****

“COCO! Stop saying things like that!” Velvet shrieked while stomping her foot, but really, the way her ears flopped as she did so made her look more cute than intimidating.

****

Jaune reached forward and proceeded to pat Velvet on the head reassuringly. “Hey, it’s fine. My Aura will take care of them sooner or later, but uh… thanks for the offer I guess.” He offered the bunny girl a small smile.

****

Velvet squeaked and whimpered a little at the physical contact, before blushing bright red as a grinning Coco took the opportunity to lean in and whisper something into her ear, tugging her rabbit ears down over her face to hide her burning cheeks.

****

“Well, we’re all glad that you’re okay Jaune. We’ll let you rest now if you’d like, you can text us when you’re released and we can bring you something from the cafeteria, you must be hungry after two days of not eating.” Blake took the opportunity to step forward and offer her own opinion, as Ruby, Nora and Pyrrha disentangled themselves from Jaune and got off his bed.

****

“Thanks Blake, I’d like that. I’m so hungry I could eat a whole Nevermore right now!” Jaune agreed.

****

“In the meantime, try not to get into any more trouble while we’re gone! You gave us all a scare with that stunt in the forest, you foolish dolt! Don’t endanger yourself like that again if you can avoid it!” Weiss lectured, the Heiress’ icy tone making it clear she was not to be argued with.

****

Despite himself, Jaune saw fit to reply with “Sure thing, Snow Angel.”

****

Rather than get angry at the nickname like he expected, Weiss seemed to freeze up, her cheeks turning pink as she sputtered a little, before she turned and stormed out of the Medical Ward muttering something about ‘charming clueless idiots’.

****

“See you around lover boy. You better give us the juicy details about killing all those Grimm later on because you were on fire out there! Maybe next time save some for the rest of us, eh?” Yang came up and clapped Jaune on the shoulder, with Blake placing a more gentle hand on his opposite shoulder in support.

****

“Yeah! Yang told us that you were a super-badass Grimm slayer out there, fearless leader! Did you really set yourself on fire to kill that Taijitu? Did you really kill a dozen Grimm in 3 seconds?! Did you-” Nora’s far more enthused voice cut in, the pink bomber barraging her leader with questions until a calmer voice cut her off.

****

“Nora, Jaune needs to rest now, he can tell us all about what happened on the mission later when he’s released. Let’s just get him some food to eat okay?” Pyrrha calm voice snapped Nora to attention.

****

“Okay Pyr-Pyr! Bye Jauney!” With that, Nora was off, charging down the hall to the cafeteria, with Ren and Pyrrha following along with a far more measured pace. Blake, Yang, Coco and Velvet also bid their own farewells and departed, with Velvet sneaking in another quick hug beforehand despite her still-red face, something Coco was swift to jump on to use as teasing material. Soon, only Jaune and Ruby were left, the Reaper still gazing at Jaune with those lovely silver eyes of hers.

****

_Wait… lovely? Did I really think that about her eyes?_

****

_“Aw… isn’t that adorable?”_ Summer cooed in his mind, leaving Jaune hopelessly confused as to what exactly she was referring to.

****

Ruby took this opportunity to step a little closer, still gazing at Jaune with those big eyes of hers.

****

“Um… Jaune?”

****

“Yeah, what’s up Ruby?”

****

“I just wanted to thank you… for looking out for my sister on the mission. I know that she’s tough and she can handle herself in a fight, but still… you guys ran into a Taijitu and Goliath, Jaune. My sis can kick a lot of tail, but even she wouldn’t be able to fight all those Grimm at once.” Ruby explained, shuffling her feet a little.

****

“Hey, don’t worry about it Rubes. I just did what I did because it was the right thing to do, any of you would’ve done the same for me.” Jaune smiled down at his fellow leader.

****

“It’s not nothing Jaune!” Ruby burst out, startling the Knight with her sudden volume. “I mean, you unlocked your Semblance to protect your team from those Grimm! That shows you really care, so I want to thank you and you’re gonna let me!”

****

Jaune blinked, then nodded.

****

“Well alright, um… thanks accepted I guess?”

****

Ruby looked down, lacing her hands behind her back as she did so. Were her cheeks red right now, was she too hot or something?

****

“Actually… could you close your eyes Jaune? Please?” Ruby practically begged.

****

“Oh, okay. This is part of the thanks?”

****

“Yeah, just close your eyes...”

****

Jaune complied, closing his eyes tightly to make sure he couldn’t see anything. Ruby had probably gotten him some sort of card or maybe some cookies as a thank you, she was like that. To be honest, given her weapon obsession, Jaune half-expected to open his eyes to find a gun in his lap. He could hear Ruby drawing closer, so he confidently prepared to receive the gift.

****

_I swear if she gives me a gun or something, I’ll…_

****

Jaune’s train of thought suddenly found itself derailed, then it crashed, then it was set on fire and blown up as his mind shut itself down completely.

****

The reason? A soft pair of lips had just pressed themselves against his own.

****

Jaune’s eyes flew open to find a red-faced, thoroughly embarrassed Ruby moving away from him, face pointed squarely at the ground as she tried very hard to look anywhere but at him. He tried opening his mouth to respond, but his rebooting mind ensured that all he did was flap his jaw uselessly.

****

“Bye Jaune” Ruby whispered, before darting out of the door in a storm of petals, using her Semblance to ensure Jaune didn’t even see her leave.

****

Now alone in the Medical Wing, Jaune could really only press his hand to his lips.

****

They was still warm to the touch, whether it was from Ruby’s peck or his own all-consuming blush was a matter for another day.

\-----

\-----

Another day passed, and Jaune was already feeling a bit stronger. He asked his nurse when he could leave, and she asked in response how his legs were doing. While they were healing, they weren’t up to full strength, but the nurse was kind enough to offer Jaune crutches until he was able to carry his weight fully. Turns out, he was pretty damn good with crutches, being able to move around the medical ward with decent speed. He was actually headed for the exit to get some fresh air when a familiar voice called out.

****

“Friend Jaune! It’s wonderful to see you again!”

****

Jaune turned around to see Penny Polendina approaching him, her signature smile present on her face. Her smile faltered slightly when she took in his appearance, softening into a sorrowful expression.

****

“You’re...injured.”

****

“Yeah, it’s a long story.” Jaune said, shrugging awkwardly before continuing. “So, what brings you here, Penny?”

  
“That would be me, Mr. Arc.”

  
Jaune looked up and saw a man with black hair in a white overcoat, flanked by two Atlas guards. He smiled at Jaune, though it didn’t seem to reach his eyes.

  
“Hello, Mr. Arc. My name is James Ironwood, and I believe we have something to discuss.”


	26. Tensions Rising P1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ironwood offers Jaune a job, Marcie reflects on her past, and the girls confront their feelings for Jaune.
> 
> Also, give some love to Jack_Simpson, who wrote TWENTY pages for this chapter!

“You… want me to come and work for you?” Jaune asked, confusion written all over his features.

****

“Not directly FOR me, Mr Arc” General Ironwood explained, “you could simply be involved in testing one of Atlas’ newest technological breakthroughs. Normally we would have our own specially trained scientific researchers test their inventions, but since this one relates to the field of Aura, it was decided that a Hunter would be the ideal candidate.”

****

Jaune cocked his head before replying.

****

“But, why me? I’m not even a Hunter yet, I’m still just a student. Why pick me when there are lots of more experienced people you can have test this thing?”

****

Ironwood sighed.

****

“To be honest with you, Mr Arc, it’s about Aura capacity. You’ve been noted by Headmaster Ozpin and other staff here to possess an unusually large reserve of Aura for someone your age, a reserve that will only grow exponentially as you age into adulthood. You are the ideal candidate for this project Mr Arc, you would be able to wield this technology far better than most others.” Ironwood smiled lightly down at Jaune.

****

“So… how long to I have to make a decision?”

****

The General actually chuckled a little at this. “Oh don’t worry, you still have plenty of time. The device is still in the testing stages and has to go through plenty of safety checks to make it doesn’t harm the user. I would never ask you, or anyone else, to test this device until I’ve been assured it is safe to use.”

****

Jaune nodded approvingly. “Well, that’s reassuring I guess… but why’s Penny here? Is she part of the project or something?” At this, Jaune gestured to the ginger girl standing to attention at Ironwood’s side.

****

Ironwood glanced at Penny, a small smile on his face as he looked her over.

****

“I suppose you could say that Ms Polendina here is an… integral part of the project, without her contributions we’d have never gotten past the prototype phases.”

****

Jaune considered this while glancing at Penny himself. Was she some sort of teenaged super-genius with a 190 IQ or something? Well, that would explain her being allowed to work on a military project at the age of… 15? 14? She looked about as young as Ruby did, perhaps even younger, just how smart was this girl?

****

“So… you’d talked a lot about this project you want me to test out, Mr-er, General Ironwood. I don’t suppose I get to know what it is beforehand?” Jaune asked, hoping that he hadn’t come off as too pushy.

****

Fortunately, the Atlas General merely gestured to Penny. “Ms Polendia, show Mr Arc the datapad please.”

****

“Yes Mr Ironwood sir!” Penny chirped with her usual cheer, pulling out her scroll and handing it to Jaune, the Knight opened the screen, which displayed a large block of text with some diagrams, the device’s name was proudly displayed at the top of the screen.

****

“Why the name ‘Project APOLLO’?” Jaune asked again, intrigued.

****

Penny answered him readily, “The Project is named after the mythological figure known as ‘Apollo’, whom some believe to hold dominion over healing and medicine, among other things, though his religion’s influence is minor among the global population.”

****

General Ironwood picked up from there, “since Aura is capable of speeding up healing and helping to cure diseases, the project personnel thought the name was appropriate, considering the project deals with Aura.”

****

Satisfied with the explanation, Jaune decided to turn his attention back to the data on the scroll. His eyes grew wider as he read further down, with his jaw steadily opening wider as well. By the time he reached the end, he was certain that his chin was as close to the floor as it could possibly be.

****

“This… this can’t be real. I-I mean, there’s no way this actually exists right? It goes against everything we know about Aura!”

****

“I assure you Mr Arc, the technology exists in our labs. It took many years, countless hours of testing and production and a large investment of resources. But here we are.” Ironwood tone carried a hint of pride at his declaration.

****

To be honest, Jaune would be proud too if he’d invented a device that defied the rules of nature.

****

“You want me to test this… Aura Reactor for you? But I already have my own Aura. Why would I need more?” Jaune knew the question was a little stupid, but he still needed to know.

****

In response, the General took a step forward, clasping his hands behind his back as he did so, while Penny remained where she was with that polite smile still on her face.

****

“Mr Arc, Aura is probably the most useful tool Humanity has at their disposal to help fight back the Grimm, second only to Dust. Hunters and Huntresses rely on it to fight and to protect themselves, but it is certainly not infallible. A person’s Aura can recover naturally, but it takes some time, and during that time the person will be vulnerable. We’ve lost too many good Hunters and Huntresses that way.”

****

Ironwood took a moment before continuing.

****

“The Hunters are spread too thin to completely protect the Kingdoms and their territories on all fronts, which is why the regional militias and primary military forces exist to make up the difference, but those men and women don’t have the advantages we do, Mr Arc. They don’t have mecha-shift weapons or Aura to protect them, their rate of attrition is far too high as of late. I’ve seen too many good men and women die.”

****

Ironwood leaned forward now.

****

“Imagine how many lives could be saved, Mr Arc, if the Aura Reactor could be mass-produced and given to every Hunter! They could stay in the field almost indefinitely, kill far more Grimm than ever before, sparing the lives of the soldiers who would undoubtedly have given their lives to kill those same Grimm. All I ask is that you help us make that dream a reality, you could be the Hero you always dreamed of being, save so many lives, including those of your classmates. All you need to do is-”

****

“ _James.”_

****

Ironwood stopped, while Jaune inadvertently jumped the instant he heard that voice, or rather the cold and downright _hostile_ tone of that voice. Though it was not directed at him, Jaune still felt afraid, especially when he realized who it was that had spoken.

****

Turning his head, Jaune could see that the Medical Wing doors had opened. There, standing in the doorway, a positively murderous look on her face, was Beacon’s resident disciplinarian and combat instructor.

****

Glynda Goodwitch.

****

And boy did she look ANGRY. Angry at Ironwood, specifically.

****

To his credit, the General didn’t even _flinch_ when confronted with the patented ‘Goodwitch death glare’.

****

“Ah, Glynda. I was just on my way to visit you and Ozpin, I simply needed to visit this student first.”

****

“DON’T. Do _not_ try that with me James.” Glynda practically hissed at him. “We’ll be having a long and _difficult_ discussion about this. Right. Now.”

****

Ironwood frowned a little. “I still have unfinished business with Mr Arc.”

****

“General Ironwood.” Another voice, a male one this time, cut in. “As important as I’m sure your business is with my student, I believe it would be best if Mr Arc were allowed to rest after his… experiences on his mission. In the meantime, a word… _please?”_

****

Headmaster Ozpin walked into view, his approach heralded by the clacking of his familiar cane on the ground. He at least was not scowling or trying to kill Ironwood with a glare, as his Deputy was currently attempting to do, but his eyes held a distinct disapproval in them.

****

This time, Atlas’ Headmaster demurred. “Of course, Headmaster Ozpin. Ms Polendina, feel free to keep Mr Arc company if you wish.” With that he strode out the door, following Ozpin with Glynda in tow, the Deputy Headmistress still making a valiant effort to light Ironwood on fire with the force of her glare.

****

Jaune watched the adults leave, until Penny’s soft voice snapped his attention to her.

****

“Friend Jaune… may I speak with you privately?”

****

“Sure thing Penny, what’s up?” Jaune asked, honestly pleased to see the cute ginger again, her childlike enthusiasm and innocence reminded him of both Ruby and Nora at the same time. She really was too adorable for her own good sometimes, Jaune just knew that one day he would die of a cuteness induced heart attack.

****

“It concerns my contributions to Project APOLLO, Mr Ironwood may have downplayed my contributions quite significantly. In truth… I am the sole reason the Aura Reactor exists.”

****

Jaune smiled brightly at his friend. “Well hey, that’s great Penny! That’s a really big achievement for you, I’m happy for you.”

****

Penny smiled, though there was a hint of trepidation behind that smile.

****

“Friend Jaune, I wish to tell you something about myself… but I do not to wish for you to stop being my friend.”

****

Jaune raised his eyebrows at that, hate her? How could he hate Penny? She was great! Sure, she was a little quirky and odd, but who wasn’t these days?

****

“Penny, you’re just being silly, there’s no way I’ll stop being your friend over one little secret, okay? You can trust me.”

****

“Thank you, friend Jaune. Are you ready?” Penny asked.

****

Jaune smiled at her before nodding.

****

“Very well, one moment.” Penny then began fiddling with her right hand, turning away from him while she did so.

****

“C’mon Penny, I’m sure that whatever it is won’t be… too….” Jaune felt his voice die in his throat as Penny turned to face him, raising her right hand so Jaune could get a clear view of the skin.

****

Or rather of the metallic endoskeleton surrounded by torn synthetic skin.

****

_"Hello again, Jaune! I’m sorry for leaving, but I needed some time to organize my thoughts, did anything interesting happen while I was awa… oh, oh my."_

****

Perhaps it was the fact that they were connected via their souls, but Jaune felt that Summer’s response summed up his own thoughts near perfectly.

****

“Oh.”

****

“Do you see now, friend Jaune? I am not a real girl.”

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

The ride in the lift up to Ozpin’s office was chokingly tense.

****

No one had spoken since leaving the Medical Wing, Professor Goodwitch had kept a steady glare fixed on Ironwood the entire time, Ozpin was as enigmatic and unreadable as ever and Ironwood was studiously avoiding looking at the combat instructor.

****

The lift dinged and the doors opened, allowing the occupants to file out and into Ozpin’s office. The Headmaster took his seat at his desk, Goodwitch stood in front of his desk while Ironwood moved to stand by the window, clasping his hands at the small of his back and staring through the window overlooking Vale.

****

For a time, no one spoke, until Ironwood decided to break the silence.

****

“Oz, Glynda, I understand that you might not approve of…” He began.

****

“What were you THINKING!?” Goodwitch interrupted, her voice raising to a rather high pitched snarl. “Attempting to… to _steal_ one of our students for one of your insane ‘projects’! Were you going to consult us on this at any point?!”

****

“Of course I was” the General’s response was calm and measured. “That’s why I asked for a meeting today, I wanted to inform you directly after I’d finished discussing my proposal with Mr. Arc. It was never my intention to leave you out of the loop, old friend.” He addressed Ozpin with that last part.

****

Beacon’s Headmaster laced his hands underneath his chin, his brows furrowed in contemplation. After a moment, he turned his gaze to Ironwood. “James, what exactly could you want with Mr. Arc? Surely there are plenty of able volunteers from your own military or Atlas Academy who would be more than happy to field test this… invention of yours.”

****

Ironwood sighed and turned back to the Beacon duo. “Mr. Arc’s larger-than-normal Aura reserves will allow us to stress-test the Aura Reactor and push it to limits that those with weaker Aura reserves would not be able to handle. We’d be able to gather far more useful data and advance the Reactor’s development significantly. We could have it battlefield capable in _months_ , not years! We could save so many more lives-”

****

“No. Don’t you dare try that little speech with me, James.” Glynda interrupted him harshly. “This is the same argument you used the last time you wanted something from us help one of your ‘special projects’. Whenever you ask for one of our students to help, tragedy inevitably befalls that student.”

****

“That’s not true Glynda. I promise your student will be in safe hands should he choose to accept my offer” Ironwood stated, matching the Deputy’s glare with a stare of his own.

****

“Tell that to Daniel Wilson” Professor Goodwitch snapped back, causing the General to flinch oh so slightly at the _venom_ in her voice. “You requisitioned his team to help your Specialists with a special assignment. Three of those team members did not come back and the fourth was left rather traumatized by his experience. I will not risk Mr Arc experiencing anything similar to Mr Wilson simply because you think you use him.”

****

Ironwood bristled at that. “I don’t intend to ‘use him’ Glynda. I simply need his help-”

****

“What you _need_ is his _Semblance._ THAT is what you’re here to get! Isn’t that right, _James?_ ” The combat instructor snarled at the General, thoroughly fed up with his evasiveness. “I know that you’re aware of his ability to copy the Semblances of others who have them. Such an ability would be invaluable to someone like you, wouldn’t it? Why send in a team of Specialists on a high risk mission when you can have Mr Arc copy all of their abilities and send him in alone instead, no matter the risk to him? Why care about sacrificing one life when you can trade it for dozens or hundreds more!?” By the time she was finished, the normally composed professor was close to shouting.

****

Ironwood sighed in frustration, before glaring back at Glynda. “Alright, I admit that his Semblance IS my primary concern. Just imagine how much more useful he could be with the Aura Reactor to fuel his ability. He could sustain his Semblance for as long as he needs to in combat, and when out of combat the Reactor will simply divert the generated Aura to reinforcing and replenishing his own!”

****

“He could operate for days without needing to recharge his Aura, he could clear out more Grimm than a whole team of Specialists or a battalion of soldiers could manage, with no Human casualties! Just think of how effective he could be if we give him proper support!” The General urged, glancing between Ozpin and Glynda as he spoke, hoping that they would see reason, that they would understand why they needed to take advantage of this opportunity.

****

“You mean give him a proper leash. A leash that ties him to the Atlas military.” Glynda insinuated bitterly, making her feelings clear.

****

Ozpin, who had thus far been silent as his Deputy and the Headmaster of Atlas Academy debated and argued, chose this moment to finally speak up.

****

“Please settle down, the both of you. As much as I dislike the danger involved in this idea of yours James, Mr Arc is a legal adult now. Thus, if he chooses to accept your offer, then he is free to participate in this ‘Project APOLLO’.”

****

Ironwood looked visibly relieved, while Goodwitch looked ready to blow a fuse, visibly shaking with indignant frustration.

****

“However... “ The Beacon Headmaster continued, snapping both other adults out of their trances and getting them to focus on him once more. “While Mr Arc can make his own decisions regarding his participation in your project, he is still a student of this Academy and as such is under my care. If you do truly wish for Mr Arc to test Project APOLLO, then I have a condition that must be met.”

****

“Condition one; I expect weekly reports detailing Mr Arc’s progression with testing this new ‘Aura Reactor’ of yours, including his physical and psychological well being. If I see that he has become physically or mentally unwell while in your care, then I reserve the right to return him to Beacon Academy immediately.” Ozpin stared straight at Ironwood, expecting a response.

****

“Very well, I’ll keep you updated on his progress and you can retrieve him at any time if you feel it would be best for him.” Ironwood accepted, though there was the briefest flash of irritation across his face at that, prompting an uncharacteristically smug smirk from Professor Goodwitch, pleased that her boss wasn’t simply going to let the General poach one of her students willy-nilly.

****

Ozpin sighed a little. “Now that the matter of Mr Arc’s… unusual offer has been dealt with. Perhaps we should discuss… _her._ ”

****

Ironwood’s demeanor shifted entirely at this, gone was any semblance of irritation or exasperation, replaced by the steely-eyed gaze of a determined leader faced with an enemy. Glynda similarly abandoned her animosity with the General at once, both of them coming to stand side by side in front of Ozpin’s desk.

****

The Headmaster himself plugged his scroll into the attachment port on his desk, causing the holographic screens to shimmer for a moment, before a new image stabilized there.

****

Where there had once been the usual pictures depicting the latest news in Vale and the security feeds of Beacon’s cameras, there now floated the image of a chess piece.

****

The Black Queen.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

“Hey Marc. Marc! MARC!!”

****

The sudden shout knocked Marceline Black out the trance she’d been in for the last 10 or so minutes. Thoroughly annoyed at whomever it was decided to interrupt her thinking time, she wheeled around, only to come face to face with the green hair and crimson eyes of her ‘partner’ Emerald Sustrai.

****

“What is it Em? Come to annoy me because the boss ain’t here for you to drool over like a lapdog?” Marcie asked, flashing her trademark smirk at Emerald in the process, riling her up about her borderline slavish devotion to Cinder was always fun.

****

Surprisingly, instead of getting angry and shouting or storming off, or even snarking back, Emerald looked almost relieved.

****

“Finally! I was getting worried that you’d hit your head too hard on that mission two days ago!”

****

“What are you on about Em? The only hit I took was to the legs, nothing I couldn’t fix.”

****

Emerald snorted. “Really? This is the first time in two days that you’ve remembered to actually sass me back, you know. Before, you’d just nod or ignore me. You might be a huge bitch-”

****

“Oh I’m _huge_ alright.” Marcie stated proudly, making a show of pushing out her prodigiously large bust via stretching.

****

“But you’re still my partner and we have to work together for the foreseeable future.” Emerald continued, valiantly ignoring the grey-haired girl’s attempted dig at her appearance. “You hate me, I hate you, but if something’s bothering you then I should know about it.”

****

“Look, I’m fine alright Em? No need to get your knickers in a twist or anything, just thinking about some stuff is all.” Marcie replied, brushing off her partner’s probably false concern, little sycophant was just worried about the possibility of her problems ruining Em’s chances to kiss the boss’s ass again.

****

“What kind of ‘stuff’?” Emerald’s tone was almost accusatory, which made Marcie bristle a little.

****

“Well I was thinking that my personal problems are none of your fucking business, that’s what.” The assassin snapped back, causing Emerald to flinch a little at the bile in her tone. Before she could react, Marcie had already stormed out the door of their allocated dorm room and out into the corridor.

****

Who did that little bitch think she was anyway, prying into her personal life like that? It's not like Emerald gave a damn about her or her problems, not really.

****

Marcie had long since accepted that nobody cared about her or her issues. Nobody would care about her as a person, just as the weapon that her piece of shit dad had turned her into.

****

“Nobody will help you, nobody will want you, nobody will love you, all they’ll do is use you!”

****

Marcie could still hear the old bastard’s words rattling around in her head, he’d spent years beating _that_ particular ‘wisdom’ into her.

****

The worst part was, he was right.

****

Nobody liked her, nobody cared about her. She had no one to turn to or rely on. There were two types of people in the world; those who feared her and those who wanted to use her for her skills.

****

Everyone Marcie ever met either recoiled at the sight of her metallic legs (the former type), or they got this interested look in their eye (the latter type). There was no middle ground for her. There was no one who wanted to get to know her as a person.

****

No matter how much she said otherwise or how arrogant she acted, it still hurt for the girl to be ignored or feared like that.

****

How could it not hurt? Despite her profession, despite her skillset and her attitude, Marcie was still human. She was still a teenage girl with dreams, however flimsy they were. I mean, she had a body that could make _girls_ wet for her, for god’s sake!

****

Yet for all that, no one approached her about a date or getting to know her. Even if they did, the moment they saw her legs they’d make up some lame excuse and get the hell away from her. It was always the same routine, day in and day out. Nothing changed.

****

That was probably why, Marcie reflected, she’d decided to put her dad’s ‘training’ to good use and follow in the family footsteps. Why should she care about people if people never cared for her? Why should she feel bad for hurting a world that hurt her?

****

Even so, she still had some form of morality left. She wouldn’t accept a job to kill an innocent, or a child. That was a line she wouldn’t cross. A part of her knew it was her special little way of telling her old man to go fuck himself, that sick prick had been _fine_ with killing innocents. As long as he was paid, anyone was fair game, it was no wonder that ‘money is all that matters’ was his motto in life.

****

Deep down, though she would never admit it, even to herself, Marcie knew there was another reason for her ‘abstinence’. She didn’t want anyone else to suffer like she had.

****

She didn’t want to do to other families what had been done to hers. To her mother.

****

It had been one of her dad’s rivals who had done it, to ‘make an example’ to her old man. Not only did it lead to the bastard’s own death, it also robbed Marcie of the one person in the world who actually gave a shit about her.

****

It also meant there was nothing stopping her sadist of a surviving parent from turning her into his carbon-copy. He’d never have done it while Marcie’s mother was alive, he actually cared too much for her to do that.

****

Marcie was just surprised he was capable of caring at all.

****

That was just one thing Marcie was surprised about, the other had been the reason for her two day distraction. The events of the mission to Forever Fall hadn’t stopped bothering her since it happened.

****

When that blonde guy leading her temporary team had risked his life to protect her. Jaune, that was his name, right?

****

Why had he done that? She had been injured, her prosthetic legs had been malfunctioning. She was, for all intents and purposes, useless dead weight not worth someone risking their life over.

****

So why, _why,_ had Jaune gone out of his way to do it?

****

It perplexed her, honestly. But it also excited her, just a little. As she thought back to her admittedly limited interactions with Jaune, she remembered his reaction to her legs.

****

The boy was as transparent as a pane of glass, honestly, Marcie could read him like a book. So when she looked into his eyes, she saw something she honestly thought she’d never find.

****

Acceptance.

****

He’d not been afraid of or disgusted by her prosthetics, like all those other intolerant pricks. But he’d also shown no desire to manipulate or use her. He’d just wanted to get to know her. Her. Marcie.

****

It may have been a little presumptuous, but the assassin still felt her breathing quicken a little as she thought about actually befriending Jaune. Cinder wanted her to do it anyway as part of the plan, right? So who cares if Marcie did it for real? She could just lie and say it was easier to sell the illusion that way, no problem!

****

Then she could finally have someone who cared about her, like she used to when her mother was still alive. Someone who could listen to her problems and give her advice. Someone to confide in and trust in. Someone she could just be _normal_ around, without worrying about getting her throat cut while she slept or garroted from behind because she’d let her guard down.

****

Maybe even… someone could like her, in _that_ way… would Jaune be willing to like her that way, once he found out what she did, what she was? When he found out who she worked for?

****

As the thoughts of her ‘employer’ crossed her mind, Marcie’s cautious but still slightly giddy train of thought instantly turned for the worse. It wasn’t that Marcie didn’t like Cinder, oh no…

****

Marcie HATED that bitch in the red dress. Hated her smug smile, hated the arrogance that positively _bled_ from her posture and her voice and her body. Hated her flaunting her oh-so-overwhelming ‘powers’ to get people to do what she wanted, throwing them around like a fucking schoolyard bully would his fists. She hated everything about that callous, sociopathic bitch. Had her old man been alive, Marcie was sure that they’d have gotten along swimmingly. Hell, they’d have likely gotten along so well they’d have been screwing each other by now.

****

That was probably why Cinder had wanted to recruit Marcus in the first place.

****

Yeah, he’d been her first choice for muscle, and Marcie could see why, her dad was an inhuman bastard who could and would kill anyone as long as you paid him enough. Slaughter an innocent family who’d never so much as jaywalked? Sure. Blow up an orphanage or a homeless shelter? No problem. Kill a few Hunters who dedicated their lives to protecting Humanity from the Grimm? Might cost you extra, but okay. Assassinate fricken Headmaster Ozpin himself to really fuck up the Hunter system? Hope you’ve got a big bank account. Marcie herself was a reluctant killer of sorts (ironic given her profession), ordinarily shying away from killing innocents and only targeting those who really deserved it.

****

In short, she was not the ideal person to help plan a terrorist attack on one of the last global bastions of Humanity, but it wasn’t like Cinder could get much use out of a corpse, was it?

****

Yeah, she’d killed her old man. If anyone had a monstrous sadistic demon in human form like hers, they’d do it too. Marcie had gotten lucky, she’d caught him when he was blackout drunk and she’d made sure to poison his tea with a potent paralytic toxin beforehand. She wasn’t going to take any chances when giving the shitstain of a human being that was Marcus Black exactly what he deserved.

****

In the end, it had been close indeed, and Marcie had still paid for it with the lower parts of her legs. Thank god there’d been a hospital nearby that she had literally dragged herself to for medical attention. From there, she’d spared no expense in getting the best replacements money could buy, her dad’s money that is.

****

At least his massive bank account had ensured money was never a problem in making sure she could get back the legs she’d lost, turns out money really could buy almost anything.

****

It’s just a pity that it couldn’t buy back her Semblance as well. Marcus had made sure to take it from her just before he died with his own Semblance. He’d wanted to take something she could never get back, as one last ‘fuck you’ to his ‘disobedient’ little girl. She couldn’t even remember what it was anymore, she’d never really gotten any practice with it before Marcus ‘borrowed it’.

****

Still, she hadn’t needed her Semblance to make a name for herself, to hunt down the scum of the earth who had escaped justice and whose victims’ families would pay good money to have their heads delivered to them on a silver platter.

****

That had been her primary source of income during her career, it may not have paid as much as contracting for stone-cold killers, but Marcie still had her dad’s account to fall back and it wasn’t like she lived in luxury. That might make her more of a vigilante than an assassin, all things considered. Marcie, though, still considered herself an assassin, just one with a heart and conscience.

****

After all, most vigilantes didn’t torture or kill their targets, they took them in alive. Most vigilantes didn’t take sadistic pleasure in that either.

****

If there was a single thing that Marcie was most loathe to admit she took from her hell spawn of a dad, it was his love of hurting people. Fortunately her beloved mother had been a godsend for her, teaching a younger Marcie to channel her instincts in the right direction, for which she would be forever grateful. It may have taken most of the years that her mother had been alive, consequently not leaving much time for family bonding between the two of them, but it was worth it. Worth it to temper the unrestrained violence and rage boiling inside her into controlled and sharp focus that let her fight with more efficiency than almost anyone she’d gone up against.

****

Her enjoyment of fighting was an offshoot of her enjoyment of punishing others, she enjoyed beating the intolerant pricks that heckled her as a ‘metal legged freak’ to teach them a lesson about making fun of her appearance. Especially if the person she was fighting had Aura and their Semblance unlocked. After all, Marcie could fight just fine without her Semblance, while those idiots couldn’t even stop her with theirs unlocked.

****

All in all, the end result was a teenager who still enjoyed hurting and torturing people, but only as long as they were the RIGHT people.  She enjoyed it, enjoyed making those scummy, smug pieces of shit squeal and piss themselves in fear. She enjoyed tearing down their masks of strength and showing them how small and pathetic they really were in front of someone like her.

****

Those people were the ones who deserved to suffer; the rapists, the serial killers, the drug dealers, the bandits, the slavers, the _child molesters_ who escaped lawful punishment through one way or the other.

****

They may have escaped justice, but they never escaped Marcie’s wrath. Her own brand of ‘justice’, her way of making an example.

****

There was another reason for Marcie’s becoming a ‘hitwoman with a heart of gold’, so to speak, to make sure her mother’s efforts were not in vain. To protect people in her own violent way, sparing would-be future victims by dispatching their potential attackers here and now.

****

Marcie wondered if her mother was proud of her, or as proud as she could be of a living weapon who was only good for hurting and maiming and killing other people.

****

Whatever the case previously, if her late mother could see what she was doing, Marcie knew she would not take kindly to her daughter joining up with terrorists to destroy a major population centre.

****

Then again, it wasn’t like she had options. Her new boss’s recruitment pitch had been of the ‘join me or die’ variety.

****

It was understandable really, Cinder had come looking for arguably the best and most brutal assassin in all of Remnant, and all she’d found was the daughter that he’d abused and degraded until she’d snapped and killed him.

****

Marcus could steal other people’s Semblances to use for himself, Marcie didn't even have one of her own. Marcus only cared about money, Marcie couldn’t stomach killing innocents and would often waive her fees if her target was particularly monstrous. Marcus had thousands of kills to his name, Marcie had a hundred or so. Marcus would work with anyone who paid him, Marcie would avoid the usual ‘clientele’ (ie. scum of the earth) like the plague.

****

She would never have worked for someone like Cinder willingly, so the flame bitch didn't give her a choice.

****

She’d been too afraid of Cinder to get out, anyone would be afraid of someone with the kind of power that Cinder flung around. The power that she was so smug about.

****

The power that she’d stolen from that Amber lady.

****

She was someone who Marcie would never have considered harming, especially since she had used those powers to kill Grimm and help small villages. She was essentially a good samaritan, or had been until Marcie’s new boss stole half those powers from her and left her unconscious, possibly in a coma.

****

Now they were here to finish the job, orchestrate an invasion of one of the Kingdoms and destroy one of the four Hunter Academies in the process. A lot of people would be hurt and lose their lives when that happened.

****

Including Jaune.

****

Marcie felt her hands ball into fists as her thoughts circled back to the boy who had been occupying her attention for the past two days. The thought of him being hurt or… killed because of her boss’ plans made her feel… sick.

****

She’d seen the way that Neo girl, Torchwick’s pint-sized right hand they’d poached for their infiltration, had looked at Jaune, she seemed like she’d already formed some sort of attachment to him.

****

The same kind of attachment Marcie wanted.

****

Given the diminutive mute’s Semblance seemed to be some form of teleportation, perhaps keeping Jaune alive wouldn’t be impossible after all..

\--------------

\--------------

The Beacon cafeteria was alive with activity, despite two days passing since the missions to Forever Fall, it was still the talk of the academy. Almost everywhere you looked, you’d find students inevitably discussing the mission they were assigned, or more likely bragging about all the Grimm they’d killed.

****

The eight girls that composed teams RWBY (sans Ruby herself, who had stayed behind in the Medical Wing), NPR and half of CVFY did not indulge in that kind of macho bantering or bragging, all of them were too busy with their own stories and getting enough food.

****

When they did decide to discuss their missions, talk inevitably turned towards the lone male of the two first year teams and his rather spectacular performance.

****

“I can’t believe Jauney killed a Taitiju without us!” Nora huffed loudly, crossing her arms and pouting in her seat at their shared table. She had been rather upset at missing out on her fearless leader ‘being a grade A badass’, in Yang’s own words.

****

“Nora, make sure to eat your food before it gets cold” Ren’s soft and calm voice cut in, the other girl not even looking up from her food.

****

“Alright Renny!” Nora’s sourness vanished instantly as she began to dig into her stack of pancakes, contented moans filtering through her full cheeks as she devoured the stack with alarming speed.

****

“It was really impressive of him.” Velvet admitted, the bunny girl taking gentle bites out of her own cheese and ham sandwich as she talked. “The way he just… fought so hard to protect us, it was so brave of him.”

****

None of the girls, least of all her team leader Coco, missed the way Velvet’s cheeks grew slightly pink as she practically gushed over Jaune. While Coco adopted a knowing smirk as she tilted her shades down to stare at her teammate, another girl did not react quite so well.

****

Pyrrha Nikos, the Crimson Spartan of team JNPR and the ponytailed red-haired belle with the longest personal history with Jaune barring Ruby, couldn’t help but narrow her emerald orbs as she listened to Velvet. She could see the girl liked Jaune, that much was clear, and Pyrrha knew why.

****

Velvet could see what Pyrrha herself saw, she’d seen how kind and loyal and endearing Jaune was. His honesty and bravery, his easy charm and his willingness to make friends, his boyishly cute face and his big muscular…

****

_NO! No, bad Pyrrha! Stop gushing over Jaune right now, stay focused!_

****

“Wow Bun.” Coco cut in, though that _smirk_ was still plastered on her face. “If you swoon over him any more I might start thinking you’ve got a thing for dorky blondes who dress like Knights.”

****

“COCO!” Velvet practically _screeched_ , the rabbit faunus levelling a glare of her own at her team leader, who looked thoroughly unintimidated.

****

“Mmmph, pho what if she likes fearless leader?” Nora asked, the first part of her question still muffled by the pancakes she hadn’t quite swallowed yet. “He’s a great leader and an awesome guy! Sure, he might not be the best in a fight, but he’s gotten a lot better lately! He always listens to our problems if we need someone to talk to and he makes sure we get out on weekends to do fun stuff so we’re not bored! Why wouldn’t anyone like Jauney?”

****

The ginger bomber’s surprisingly insightful comment got the rest of the table to fall silent, considering her words carefully.

****

A lot of what Nora said made sense, Jaune was certainly kind and helpful, he’d gone out of his way to help others even when he didn’t need to. He really was willing to go above and beyond for his friends, even at cost to himself, that was quite the… _attractive_ trait.

****

Blake recalled the time he’d travelled with her to the docks to investigate the White Fang activity, how he’d willingly jumped into the fray alongside herself and Sun despite his comparative lack of training. He’d been in real danger of dying by accompanying her, yet he’d done so without a second thought.

****

He also held no negative feelings toward faunus either, to Jaune they were just people with a few extra features. That was a big plus in Blake’s book. The more she reflected, the more attractive the prospect of actually dating Jaune began to look to her. Why not give it a try? Why not take another chance at happiness?

****

_Yes… I really do like Jaune, but how ill I tell him?_ Blake wondered.

****

Meanwhile, her partner Yang recalled a more recent example of heroism, their mission to Forever Fall, where Jaune had unlocked his Semblance and utterly wrecked an entire horde of Grimm (including the Titan-class King Taijitu!) to protect them from harm. In the moment she’d looked up to see Jaune, quite literally _burning_ with anger and hammering away at the Titan’s head with his sword, the way the light caught his armor really did make him look like a Knight in shining armor.

****

Despite her tough outward exterior and her flirtatious and teasing nature, Yang was not the kind of girl who’d go for a romantic partner based on looks alone. She looked deeper than that, he needed to have the right personality for her, especially where her sister was concerned.

****

The more she thought about it the more Yang realized that Jaune, despite his less than stellar first impression and his lack of combat skill compared to his peers, seemed to fit just right for her in terms of personality.

****

He was kind and charming in a genuine way. He was brave and loyal to his friends and loved ones, Yang knew she could always count on him if she needed to. He was big on family too, since he’d gushed about his seven sisters more than once. Finally, he’d been nothing but supportive and friendly to Ruby; he’d helped her out on the first day, indulged her nerdy obsession with weapons and protected her from that Deathstalker during initiation, even being willing to break his ancestral sword to keep her safe.

****

_“It’s fine Ruby. That was just a sword. It’s replaceable. You’re not.”_

****

Recalling Jaune’s words when soothing her sister in the aftermath, Yang could honestly feel her cheeks heat up a little. She’d kissed Jaune as a thank you for saving Ruby’s life, and at the time she hadn’t thought anything more of it beyond enjoying the Knight getting flustered.

****

Now though, Yang wanted to try it again. She wanted to kiss Jaune again. She wanted to ask him out and see where things went between them. He’d be good boyfriend material, maybe even good husband material if things went that far… and if the size of his family was any indication, he’d likely be gifted in all the right ways. He’d look after their children, he wouldn’t abandon them, not like Raven did.

****

_Heh, sorry Cereal Girl, but I’m not letting this go. You don’t get guys like Jaune too often, so I’m gonna make sure he’s mine._ Yang resolved.

****

While her teammates were engrossed in their thoughts, Weiss was considering her own stance on the blonde Dolt.

****

It was no secret that her opinion of Jaune was… not the best initially, between his throwing up on the airship and not recognizing herself and Pyrrha, Weiss’ initial impression was less than flattering. Especially since he hang around with that Daniel boy, with whom her sister Winter had something of a rivalry. His lack of talent in combat had also rubbed her the wrong way, since Weiss felt that he was out of his depth at Beacon.

****

Now though, after his numerous improvements and a chance to get to know him personally, Weiss’ stance had changed. He may have been a little… simple minded and uneducated and scruffy, but he was a good man at heart. He wanted to see the best in people, he’d helped her and Blake resolve their differences when her teammate had been outed as a faunus. Weiss’ admittedly bigoted views back then would have ensured that the friendship was soured permanently, if not for Jaune stepping in to mediate.

****

It was that kind of goodness and benevolence that Weiss needed, especially once she inherited control of the SDC. Jaune’s kind and generous nature would help keep her focused on her path to reform the SDC, to bring back the philanthropic heart that her father Jacques had torn out. Weiss would restore the company to how it should be, with all it’s workers being treated humanely and paid equally, including the faunus ones. She would drag her family’s name out of the mud that Jacques had thrown it into with his corrupt practices, she would make her grandfather Nicholas proud of her, prove that she was nothing like her father. That she was better than him, kinder than him.

****

There was also the matter of Jaune’s kindness, his genuine care for all of his friends. It was something she could admire, especially in the prospect of a relationship.

****

_It’s settled then, I will approach Jaune about a romantic relationship. I was the one he had feelings for, not anyone else! This will be my chance to show him how appreciative I am of his efforts, and that his feelings were not wasted._ The heiress nodded to herself, satisfied with her resolved course of action.

****

With NPR, their reactions were a little more varied. Pyrrha didn’t need to contemplate Nora’s words at all. She had liked Jaune from the start, she still did. She knew what it was that attracted her to him.

****

And of course, it was HER that he had chosen to ask out. SHE was the one dating Jaune, even if no one else besides her team knew that yet. Jaune was faithful and loyal, he wouldn’t stray from her.

****

Nora and Lian, on the other hand, had to think differently. Both the ginger bomber and the dark-haired lotus ninja also knew why they liked Jaune.

****

For Nora, he’d been an awesome leader, a great friend and a kickass fighter in his own way. He was never one to back down from a fight and he’d go to Hell and back to help his friends. That kind of dedication really struck a chord in the Valkyrie, she and Ren had been alone for so long, only having each other rely on with no one to look after them. Now though, they had their fearless leader! He’d never abandon them, he’d look after them if they got hurt, his awesome fight at Forever Fall to protect his assigned team had made that quite clear indeed. For the first time in a long while, Nora could safely say she’d found someone who made her happy.

****

It also didn’t hurt that he helped get Ren out of her shell. Though she did a good job at hiding it behind boisterous laughter and non-stop talking, Nora had been worried about her bestie’s lack of socialization. She never talked to anyone unless Nora dragged her over by force and even then she only contributed the bare minimum, visibly uncomfortable and looking for the first opportunity to excuse herself.

****

With Jaune though, it was different. Ren actually talked to him with full sentences, even initiating conversation a few times! Nora had been ecstatic to see her best friend finally coming out of her shell. From there she had been willing to talk with team RWBY a few times when the two teams interacted, not shying away from conversation anymore.

****

For Lian, she thought of Jaune in similar terms. He’d been a supportive and caring leader and friend, ready to help them out and listen to their issues if need be, he never pushed any of them for more information than they were willing to volunteer, but he still offered support nonetheless. It was clear to Lian now why Ozpin had chosen Jaune to be team leader, despite his lack of experience. He glued them all together, he kept team JNPR functional, they all listened to him and trusted his judgement in battle. Ren herself was too quiet and borderline antisocial to be effective as a leader, Pyrrha may have had the skill and strength to lead but her insecurity and submissive personality outside of battle wouldn’t fare well for keeping the team together, while Nora was honestly too scatterbrained and fight-happy to be leader.

****

Nora. Another part of why Lian liked Jaune was his treatment of her best friend. He looked out for Nora, he helped keep her grounded and focused on the task at hand. Nora always listened to Jaune and trusted him as a leader, he could reign her in when sometimes even Ren herself couldn’t. More than that, Jaune looked after her and treated her similarly to a little sister, indulging her talkative and loud nature and listening patiently to her wild, outlandish tales with a smile on his face.

****

He also did not shy away from hugging her on the rare occasions her boundless optimism and happiness seemed to fade, a fact that pleased Ren and made Nora very happy indeed. Where her health was concerned, he made sure she ate at least some vegetables with every meal and that she didn’t have pancakes all the time, sometimes lecturing her on the importance of healthy eating, behaving very much like a stern parent.

****

Despite the duo’s newly discovered feelings for their fearless leader, there was still one big obstacle.

****

Pyrrha. Or rather, her relationship with Jaune.

****

Nora and Ren had no issue with sharing Jaune with each other, as they had discussed frequently. Neither of them wanted to hurt the other, nor did they want to give up on a potentially close and intimate relationship with the Knight. So, they had agreed to share him, they already shared pretty much everything else so they had no problem sharing a boyfriend. The primary issue was not whether Jaune would be for it or against it, because even if he was, he wouldn’t agree.

****

After all, he was already in a relationship with Pyrrha, he was too loyal to cheat on her.

****

Therefore, it was Pyrrha they needed to convince to share Jaune with them, however ludicrous the idea sounded, the pair were willing to try it if they could be with Jaune.

****

Pyrrha was unusually possessive where Jaune was concerned, but she still had a soft spot for her team. Nora and Ren hoped that they could convince her that way, that they saw the same things she did in Jaune and wanted to make him as happy as she did. That they cared for him as much as she did and didn’t want to lose him.

****

Hopefully, it would be enough.

****

A loud noise startled the collective girls out of their reveries and musings. They looked up to see a red blur rapidly approaching the table, only to resolve itself into the form of Ruby Rose after getting close enough. Ruby was breathing quite heavily, her cheeks were incredibly flushed and her eyes avoiding everybody’s gaze.

****

Yang was the first to speak, her lilac eyes filled with concern for her sister.

****

“Hey Rubes, you alright? Did something happen with Jaune?”

****

“Well I… I just… wanted to thank him for looking after you on that mission Yang.” Ruby admitted, her big eyes finally meeting her older sister’s.

****

A warm and bright smile filled Yang’s face at this, it was really nice knowing that her sister was as concerned for her wellbeing as Yang was for hers.

****

“Well, that sounds nice Ruby… what did you do for him?” Blake chimed in, a curious look in her eye as she addressed her team leader.

****

“Ooh, maybe she built Jauney a super awesome gun-sword weapon as a thank you! Or a shield that’s unbreakable by anything, even a magic hammer! Or some kickass armor that lets him fly and shoot lasers and rockets and-” Nora offered her own opinion, her excitement keeping her talking a mile a minute until a hand found her shoulder.

****

“Maybe we should just let Ruby tell us what she did for Jaune?” Ren, as always, halting Nora’s excitable chattering and keeping the group on topic.

****

“Sounds good. So kiddo, what kind of present did ya give to ol’ tall, blonde and hunky back there?” Coco asked, quirking an eyebrow at the younger girl while still giving that same smirk and the same _tone_ that she often gave Velvet when teasing her. The rabbit faunus’ gaze flicked from her leader to the younger girl at this.

****

Had something… _romantic_ happened between Ruby and Jaune in the Wards?

****

Ruby squirmed under the gazes of her friends and the two second years before deciding to answer, even then she lowered her head so her hair covered her face entirely. Her hands played with her skirt, showing how nervous she was.

****

“Um… well. As I said, I wanted to thank Jaune for helping my sister… but then I remembered all the things he’d done to help me too! Like helping me up and being nice to me the first day here, or helping find Blake when she ran away, or even saving my life in initiation… he’s been so nice and helpful to me, he’s like a Knight from a fairytale.” Ruby had raised her head a little as she spoke, so the girls could see that her cheeks now matched her namesake flower even more thoroughly than before.

****

“So… I just felt so happy about everything that Jaune’s done for me, for us, that I… I... I kissed him.”

****

The last part was whispered so quietly that no one, not even Blake and Velvet, could pick up on it.

****

“What was that, Rubes?” Yang asked, confused and slightly concerned by her sister’s shyness on the matter.

****

"I kissed him on the lips.” Ruby whispered, a little louder this time but still mostly inaudible.

****

“Ruby, please be a little louder, we can’t hear yo-” Weiss began, only to be cut off.

****

“I SAID I KISSED HIM ON THE LIPS!" Ruby shrieked, balling her hands into fists and raising her head to meet the others girls’ looks.

****

For the collective group of Huntresses in-training, there was only one reasonable response to Ruby’s admission.

****

The entire cafeteria went silent as a loud, piercing shout of “WHAT!?!!!!” tore through the room.


	27. Tensions Rising P2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaune makes a romantic mistake, discovers his feelings for the girls properly and makes a promise, to both himself and Summer.
> 
> Well, here it comes ladies and gents. The polyamorous goodness is on the way!
> 
> Comments and reviews are welcome.

“So, let me get this straight. You’re an android created by some scientist with the help of the Atlesian Military and General Ironwood, designed to be the first synthetic person capable of generating an Aura.”

“That is correct, Jaune.” Penny responded softly, not meeting the gaze of the blonde knight beside her. It had been a tense half hour as Penny explained what she was to Jaune. Besides the specifications of what she was being fairly intricate, it was also fairly uncertain from even Penny’s standpoint why she was what she was. After all, they only told her so much.

“Huh. Okay.”

Obviously, there was a lot more then “okay” running through Jaune’s mind at that point, but he didn’t know quite how to say it. Really, discovering that one of your friends is a LITERAL ANDROID? It wasn’t easy to just move on from that. Still, Penny was his friend. Just because she was made of metal didn’t change that. As far as he was concerned, she was as human as anyone else, especially since she possessed Aura, which was pretty much the go-to indicator these days that you were alive and had a soul.

“W-would you like me to leave you alone, Jaune?” Penny asked quietly, still staring at her hands, her usual smile nowhere to be seen. Jaune tilted his head, before grabbing her hand slowly and giving it a gentle squeeze.

“Penny, this doesn’t change anything about our friendship.”

Penny’s head whipped up, and she gawked at Jaune with wide eyes, before looking back at her hands.

“B-but...but I’m not a real girl. I’m synthetic...fake…”

“Hey!” Jaune said, tilting her head to meet his with his hand. “You’re not fake. Last I checked, you still have a heart and soul regardless of what you’re made of. You’re as real as me, as anyone!”

To his surprise, Penny flushed at his response before grabbing his hand and leaning a bit closer.

“Jaune…”

Suddenly the door opened, followed by Glynda and Ironwood entering the room. Jaune and Penny quickly separated, causing Glynda to cock an eyebrow and glance between the pair.

“Are we...interrupting something, Mr. Arc?”

“N-no ma’am!” he responded quickly, smiling nervously at the pair. Ironwood also glanced between the two, before smiling and whispering something into Glynda’s ear. All Jaune caught was “competition” before Glynda elbowed Ironwood in the ribs.

“Anywho, General Ironwood and I have just finished meeting with Headmaster Ozpin and we felt it best to share with you the decisions reached during that meeting.” Glynda explained, pushing her glasses up her face as she did so.

“The first decision was that, as a legal adult, you have every right to accept the General’s offer of participation in Project APOLLO and we have no right to stop you.”

Jaune couldn’t help but smile! He could finally help people! If he helped get this project kick-started, then he could be a real hero! He could help save dozens, if not hundreds of lives in the future!

“However…”

His good mood deflated a little at that, of course there was going to be some caveat, wasn’t there?

“While we cannot stop you participating in this project, Mr Arc, what we can do is have you returned to Beacon, should it become clear that you aren’t capable of handling the mental and physical stresses of participating. As your teachers you’re under our care and it’s our duty to ensure your wellbeing, that doesn’t change simply because you’re temporarily reassigned to Atlas’ custody. Is that clear?” The combat instructor levelled a critical gaze at the Knight, expecting a prompt answer.

“Crystal clear, professor Goodwitch” Jaune replied.

Glynda nodded, offering a soft, “Get better, Jaune.”, before turning and leaving, shooting a glare at Ironwood on the way out. Ironwood paid no mind to this, and gave Jaune a small smile.

“So, have you considered my proposal any further?” he asked, prompting Jaune to tilt his head in thought. Honestly, he was still undecided on the matter. On one hand, the opportunity to help protect people, to be a hero, sounded amazing. On the other hand, he’d have to leave his friends, Beacon, everything behind. Was being a hero really worth losing all of that?

“I’m...still thinking about it.” Jaune admitted, giving the general a nervous smile. “I still have more time to think, right?”

Ironwood nodded, his smile growing a fraction. “Of course, it’s not an easy choice. I understand. I’ll actually be in the area for the foreseeable future, so please, take your time.” He gestured to Penny, who stood up in response. “We’ll leave you to it.”

With that, he left, followed by a still blushing Penny who quickly followed with a hasty, “Bye, Friend Jaune!”. As they left, Jaune could have sworn he heard Penny asking the man how “liking” people worked, followed by a hearty laugh from the General. As he sat there, Jaune suddenly realized that Summer had been almost completely silent since Penny’s reveal.

 _Summer, you still there?_ He asked, mentally smacking himself for the stupid question. Of course she was still there, where else could she go?

 _“Yes, yes. I’m here.”_ She finally answered, sounding almost winded. _“Sorry, I wasn’t sure if you were done talking yet.”_

It’s fine, I get it. So, what do you think about this whole thing?

Summer was quiet for a moment, before she answered slowly and carefully, like she was worried what response her answer would cause.

_“I...don’t think you should accept. N-not that you have to actually listen to me, of course! You still have full control of your decisions, I’d never want to-”_

_Summer! It’s fine._ Jaune answered, trying to calm the clearly frazzled woman. _To be honest, I was kinda thinking that myself._

_“Really? But why? It’s like you said, you’d be a hero. Someone that others could look up to.”_

_Maybe,_ he agreed, _but I’d also have to leave my friends behind. I just...don’t think I could that. Not for any dream._

A brief silence fell over the room before Summer spoke again, her voice now soft, but almost proud.

_“I think you’re making the right choice, Jaune.”_

_I sure hope so._  
\--------  
\--------  
Neo was not happy.

That seemed like her default mood these days, ever since she and Roman had been co-opted by Cinder and her cronies into helping them with what amounted to terrorism.

Neo just wanted things to go back to the way they were before, when it was just her and Roman stealing from the idle rich and planning her retirement, before they’d gotten in over their heads.

But that wasn’t possible anymore. Neo was fully aware that, even if they helped the megalomaniacal pyromaniac with her plans, they likely wouldn’t be getting out of it alive, Cinder didn’t seem like the sort to leave potential loose ends.

Even the one seeming bright spot in Neo’s life, flirting with the dorky blonde in the Knight armor, didn’t comfort her as much as it should.

Probably since she’d learned that she wasn’t the only one who had feelings for him.

It was to be expected really. Of course a nice, charming, honest, brave and loyal guy like Jaune would pick up some female attention along the way. No matter how much time girls spent gushing over those edgy ‘bad boys’ in movies, a nice and reliable guy was much more attractive as boyfriend material for a long term relationship.

Now, most guys would have ‘some female attention’, but Neo just had to pick the one who was positively drowning in hormonal girls, all looking ready to take what they wanted.

Maybe it was karma for her years as an enforcer and occasional assassin for a known criminal, maybe this was fate’s way of bitch slapping her across the face and laughing at her, by dangling an almost irresistible and endearingly nice guy in front of her face before throwing 9 other girls into the mix.

However, that wasn’t to say that Neo was one to just give up when things didn’t go her way. Those girls would like him as much as they wanted, they could even compete for him. It wouldn’t matter. Not as long as she got to him before they did.

The medical wing was quiet when she arrived, not a soul in sight besides a receptionist at the front desk. She found Jaune’s room fairly easily, not like there were many other injuries needing a hospital at the moment. He was resting when she entered, his eyes closed and an oh-so-familiar dorky smile on his face. In that moment, Neo felt a pang of happiness, the knight’s cute smile warming her heart. A few seconds later, his eyes opened and he noticed her. Instantly, the smile grew.

“Oh, hey Neo. I was wondering if you were ever gonna come visit me.” he said, shifting in his bed to face her. “N-not that you had to or anything, I just...thought you might...maybe?”

Neo stifled a giggle at the embarrassed blush on his face. Gods, how was he this cute? It was practically illegal, and she KNEW illegal. She snapped back to reality as she noticed he was speaking again.

“So, uh, what did bring you here?” he asked, now a bit less flushed and more composed. She offered a loose shrug and handed him the card she had grabbed on the way there. His eyes widened, but he accepted the card, flipping it over and reading it’s contents aloud.

“Sorry that you got hurt, I hope you are feeling better.” he read, the smile appearing. “Aw, thanks Neo!”

Neo smiled at his response, but motioned for him to continue reading.

“You risked your lives for your friends. You deserve...a reward for that? Huh, well what sort of reward did you have in mi-mmmmpphh!!”

Jaune’s question was cut off in a surprised yet muffled gasp, as the ice-cream themed girl leaned in to press her lips against his. As the surprise wore off, Jaune’s eyes widened in panic.

He couldn’t be kissing Neo like this, no matter how adorable she was or how much she wanted to thank him! After all, Pyrrha was his girlfriend now, he couldn’t just kiss other girls like that!

As reluctant as he was to break the kiss, Jaune placed his hands on Neo’s shoulders and gently eased the girl backward out of the lip-lock. He honestly felt a little saddened as he saw the look of confusion, mixed with reluctance, on her face.

There was no easy way to break this to her, so Jaune figured he might just get it over with.

“Neo… I’m sorry, but we… we can’t do this. Please, it’s not that I don’t like you! Aside from being some criminal’s bodyguard you’re… you’re actually quite an interesting and endearing girl, but the thing is… I-I have a girlfriend, okay? Her name’s Pyrrha, she’s my partner and… she’s funny, she’s beautiful, she’s awesomely kickass and she’s… she’s the best partner I could’ve asked for. I can’t do this to her. I-I’m really sorry, I’m sure there’s someone out there for you, but it isn’t me.”

Jaune closed his eyes, wincing as he got to the end. He knew what would come next, Neo would probably get angry and ‘shout’ at him via her scroll, or maybe she’d hit him or something. Whatever she did, he’d accept it, it was the least he could do for inadvertently stringing her along like he had.

He waited for several moments, but there was no pain from any sudden strikes or thrown objects, maybe she was taking it well after all?

His train of thought died, however, when he heard a small, almost inaudible sniffle.

Looking up, Jaune felt his heart break at he saw Neo. The small mute was shivering and shaking, trying and failing to hold back both her sniffles and the tears that nonetheless began to spill from her mismatched eyes, eyes that changed from pink to brown to back again every second.

Jaune tried to reach out to her, but Neo stepped away, drawing her arms around herself and shrinking. One of her hands began to type something on her scroll.

“N-Neo… please don’t cry. I promise it’s not because I don’t like you, I just have a girlfriend alread-”

For the second time in as many minutes, Juane once again was shocked into silence, this time as Neo brought her scroll up and he could see what she had typed out, though that was made more difficult with the wet teardrops mixed with running mascara that was smeared across the screen.

_‘It’s fine Jaune… it’s fine. Why would you take a chance with a dangerous criminal like me when you’ve got someone like your partner instead? Why would you… why would anyone… take a chance on some c-criminal like me? Why would anyone l-love me…?’_

With that, Neo turned and ran out of the Medical Wing, hand clamped over her mouth, tears spilling freely from her tightly closed eyes.

Jaune lowered his outstretched hand, running it over his face. There was really only one thing to say.

“Damn it… I really screwed this up, didn’t I?”

Jaune closed his eyes.

 _Summer… if you’re there, I could really use some advice on this._  
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Jaune was quiet when he entered the mindscape. Granted, he was quiet beforehand too, but this was different. The air felt too still, too cold. The calm sunset that had been there previously was replaced by swirling clouds, dark and menacing. Still, Jaune walked to the edge of the hill and sat down. He tried to focus, to keep his jumbled thoughts from tearing him apart when Summer spoke.

“I know that this isn’t easy, Jaune.” she said, appearing next to him. “But I think you handled it well.”

Jaune scoffed, and for the first time felt a spike of irritation at Summer. Well? WELL?! He had destroyed Neo, broken her heart like it was glass, and she thought that he handled it well?!

“I didn’t say that you didn’t hurt her.” Summer pointed out, offering a small smile to the distraught knight. “I also think that you know what you need to do next.”

“Apologise?”

Summer actually laughed at that, causing another spike of annoyance to flow through Jaune. “Well, it’s a start, but no. You know what I mean.”

He did know what she meant. It was a thought he had been dwelling on from before their first mission, a thought that seemed so treasoness that he didn’t want to admit it was even there.

Did he love the girls?

Obviously, it was a very, VERY broad thought with a great many different meanings. But it still sat in his mind, scratching away, attracting his occasional attention. He did love his friends. How couldn’t he? They were his friends! There was more, though. More than just compassionate, platonic caring. He really loved them.

It started with Pyrrha. She was his partner, his rock. She had his back and believed in him, no matter what. She was his girlfriend, his first potential love. She would always be special to him in that regard.

Then there was Ruby, the adorable ball of energy that never seemed to leave his mind. Her smile, her eyes, just..her. She believed in him too, she’d helped him build his new weapon to improve himself. She was his fellow leader and proud member of the ‘socially awkward club’, they would always have that bond.

Then there was Yang, Beacon’s blonde brawler. She was bold, badass, and admittedly pretty damn hilarious from time to time. She was also kind, and strong, and would give whatever happiness she could to the people around her. Yang and Jaune could also relate to being older siblings, having to parent their adored younger siblings. Jaune had fond memories of all his discussions with Yang relating to the antics of both his own sisters and a younger Ruby. They’d promised each other and themselves that they would continue to look out for their siblings, no matter how old they got.

Then came Blake, RWBY’s resident ninja-faunus, Jaune’s fellow bookworm, loyal as could be. At first, the two barely spoke, but after what happened with the White Fang, they grew closer than ever. They had even gone on a maybe-date once. Looking back on it, it probably was a date, perhaps something really could come of that. Blake did have that cool and mysterious ‘sexy ninja’ vibe going for her as well, not to mention the cuteness factor that came from her adorable cat ears.

Then came Weiss, the Snow Angel. Gods, their relationship had been so...heh, frigid in the beginning. She could barely stand him, while he would’ve been happy for her to even tolerate his presence. Through their time together, though, they had grown closer. They were actually friends now, and even then, there was something more beneath the surface. Under all the prim and proper attitude, Weiss was just a girl that wanted to be loved. And Jaune was happy to fill that role, especially given Weiss’... less than stellar home life and fractured relationship with most of her family, save her older sister.

Next, there was Nora, Queen of the Castle. Sloth-loving, pancake munching, story spinning Nora. She was the life of the party everywhere she went. And past all that energy, she was actually brilliant and funny and kind and creative and great! Much like Pyrrha and Ruby, Nora supported him in whatever he did, her belief in Jaune’s leadership was unbreakable. Jaune had little doubt that, if he was the one asking, she would walk right into the Grimmlands unarmed if need be.

And with Nora came Lian, the stoic, green-glad gun woman. At first, she and Jaune didn’t talk much, and he couldn’t blame her. She was calm, collected and controlled. At best, Jaune was unprepared and highly erratic, letting his emotions run some of his worse decisions and doing a poor job of keeping his feelings concealed. However, when Jaune finally swallowed his pride and asked his team for help, Ren was surprisingly happy to help out. She taught him to control his aura through meditation techniques, which eventually developed into a routine of theirs every other day. Before long, Ren had begun to open up to her leader through these sessions, confiding in him her worries about Nora and herself. Jaune had naturally agreed to help them out as much as he could, going beyond what would be expected of a team leader, their orphan status tugging on his heartstrings and stirring his protective instincts. They had bonded strongly since the year began, and Jaune honestly couldn't imagine his team without Lian in it, offering her silent yet unwavering support for her leader.

After that, there was Velvet, the second-year with whom Jaune had bonded unexpectedly through their shared phobias. Velvet’s fear of heights and Jaune’s motion sickness ensured that Bullhead trips were a nightmare for both of them. Their mutual fear gave way to mutual comfort, which opened the door of them to grow closer, especially after the mission to Forever Fall where Velvet had been placed under Jaune’s temporary leadership. Their mutual social awkwardness mirrored Jaune and Ruby’s relationship, except that with her shy nature and pair of rabbit ears, Velvet was even cuter than the Red Reaper at times. Jaune certainly had an affinity for cute things...

Then there was Coco. Their relationship was...interesting. They had first met through Velvet, since Coco was her team leader,, and they seemed to get along fine. Coco was a complete tease, however, and would do anything to get under his or Velvet’s skin. Be it flirting, innuendos (subtle or otherwise), or even going so far as to matchmake the two, Coco always had something to make a normal situation as uncomfortable as possible. It was never malicious, of course, always in good fun. Hell, she had even invited him to go shopping with her a few times, a sign of admiration from the fashionista. That, or she wanted to use him as a guinea pig. Either way, as long as she was happy, he was.

The more he dwelled on the thought, the further it grew. He thought of Penny, the peppy android, or Marcie, the elusive new girl. And then he thought of Neo. He thought of their first interaction, him saving her from falling out of the bullhead that she and Roman tried to escape in. Then he thought of her visiting him in the hospital while he recovered, even kissing him and slipping him her number. That was probably the first time that a girl had ever been quite so… forward with him. Looking back, there were few interactions with Neo (not that there were many to choose from) that had not been pleasant for him, despite their technically being enemies.

And then he’d rewarded her efforts by ripping her heart out and stomping on it like an ignorant jackass. The feelings of guilt, regret, and self loathing reached a crescendo in his chest as he came to a stark conclusion.

He was an idiot.

As unconventional as it might be, as borderline insane as it might be, he wanted to make these girls happy. All of them. No matter how much effort it took, no matter how difficult it was, Jaune wanted to give these amazing, kickass, beautiful and wonderful girls in his life the chance to be happy. They deserved that at least.

“I couldn’t agree more” Summer interrupted his musings, replying directly to his thoughts, making Jaune jump as he remembered where he was.

“Summer...is this a good idea?” he asked, the first inkling of fear creeping into his mind. This could ruin everything if he was wrong. If his friends really were just his friends.

The Silver-Eyed Huntress smiled down at Jaune encouragingly, before placing a hand on his shoulder in a supportive gesture.

“Well Jaune, I honestly don’t know. But if you think there’s even the slimmest chance that you’ll be able to make them all happy and form one big, supportive and loving family, then don’t you owe it to them, and yourself, to try?”

Jaune looked down for a moment, mulling Summer’s words over, debating and wrestling with himself. Before long though, he lifted his head, his eyes shining with a new determination.

“Alright… I’ll do it. For them.”

Summer smiled more widely, even winking at the Knight.

“Well, then what are you waiting for? Go and get your ladies ‘lover boy’!” She giggled a little, while Jaune blushed at her appropriation of Yang’s new nickname for him.

“Hey Summer?”

“What is it, Jaune?”

“I promise I’ll look after Ruby and Yang for you, I give you my word as an Arc, and an Arc never goes back on his word.”

The Knight’s vow seemed to shake the Huntress a little, though her smile was no less sincere, it now carried more emotion behind it than before.

“And even if I can’t find a way to tell them about… you, I’ll make sure they know you’re sorry that you’re not there for them today. That they know you loved them then and still do now, and that most of all you’re proud of them and the people they’ve become.”

A small look of shock passed over Summer’s face, shortly before she wrapped her arms around Jaune and pulled him into a tight hug. Jaune wrapped his own arms around the Huntress in return, patting her back as she tried to stifle small sobs.

“T-thank you Jaune… thank you so much.” The Mother's disembodied soul whispered through her tears.

As the world began to crack and rumble around them, a sure fire sign that Jaune would be waking up soon, the Knight still managed a reply before the white light consumed both of them.

“You’re welcome, Summer.”


	28. Heartbreak and Proposals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaune makes his proposal to the girls, Marcie and Emerald attempt to help a shaken Neo.

As Jaune’s eyes flicked open, he grimaced at the sunlight that hit his eyes. He sat up, and glanced at the clock on the wall. It was only 8:30, but he sure as hell wasn’t going back to sleep. He gingerly shifted to the edge of the bed, and placed his feet on the floor. After three days of not walking without support, this would probably be interesting.

 

Sure enough, as he shifted of the bed, he stumbled, barley catching himself on the chair next to his bed. After a few second of muffeled swearing and grimacing, he tried again, and slowly got to his feet.  He took a few cautious steps, and found that he could indeed walk. He looked back at the chair, and his clothes that lay on top of it, and felt an unexpected surge of confidence.

 

He was going to do this. No quitting, no backing out. It was time to tell them how he felt. First, though, he had a heart to mend.

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Line Break

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Cinder wasn’t fond of mornings, that was just a fact.. She was even less fond of mornings when she was woken up by her subordinates bickering with one another. **Loudly**.

 

“I’m just saying! We should find out what has her so worked up. She’s part of this team too and we need her for the plan.” That was Emerald’s voice.

 

“C’mon Em, if Neo doesn’t wanna tell us what’s wrong, then we can’t exactly force her. Just give her some time, whatever happened to her she’ll deal with it. Neo’s a tough bitch, she’ll be fine.” That was Marcie.

 

“What has you two arguing this early, **exactly?** ” she hissed at Marcie and Emerald, who momentarily stopped bickering to look at their employer, their expressions mixed between confused and nervous.

“It’s Neo, ma’am. She’s been in the bathroom all morning.” Emerald answered, a flicker of fear in her voice. Cinder felt her own pang of both confusion and the slightest hint of fear at this news. While she wasn’t attached to her compatriots in any way, her mission would be significantly harder if she were down a number. She quickly stood up and stalked over to the bathroom door, knocking on the cold wood.

 

“Neo? Are you there?” she asked, her voice betraying no emotion. When a sniffle emanated from the otherside of the door, however, Cinder’s concern grew. From what she knew about the pint-sized assassin, she was tough and downright merciless in combat. So if she was legitimately _crying_ over something? Something was seriously wrong.

 

Cinder sighed, turning back to the two.

 

“What happened to her? What could _possibly_ have her this upset? Did something happen to Roman without my knowledge?” From what Cinder knew, Roman was Neo’s only true companion and close friend in the world. For Neo to be this upset, surely something had to have happened to him.

 

A pang of annoyance shot through her at that, despite his continual misfortune when it came to his robberies and operations being foiled by Beacon students, Roman was a valued asset to her plan and he _had_ managed to deliver his dust quota on time. Replacing him on such short notice would be… problematic.

 

A sudden knock at the door of their dorm drew her attention away from Neo. Cinder looked to the other two criminals in question, but they looked as confused as she was. Grumbling about the general incompetence of the people around her, she stalked over to the door, tore it open, fully prepared to snap at whoever was on the other side. Then she noticed who it was.

 

“Oh, h-h-hey. You’re… you’re Ella... right?” A very winded Jaune Arc asked, shooting her as wide a smile as he could muster through his heavy breaths. “Nice to finally meet you officially. I was actually looking for Neo. Is she here?”

 

Quite stunned at his sudden appearance, Cinder managed to recover quickly and answered his question.

 

“Erm… yes, yes she is. I’m afraid she is currently indisposed at the moment, perhaps I could pass on a message to her?”

 

“Oh… th… thanks.” Jaune took a moment to let his breathing stabilise. “Could you tell her that I want to apologise for… what happened yesterday? I was a real ass about handling it and… I want to make things right.”

 

It took Cinder a moment to respond.

 

“...Alright, was there anything else?”

 

“Ah… no. I’ll be going now.” Jaune turned and strode off, leaving the trio rather confused, or intrigued in Marcie’s case.

 

Cinder made to close the door, while Emerald made to return to cleaning her weapons, before both stopped at the sound of Marcie making her way to the door.

 

“What are you doing?” The sound of Cinder’s voice, and the tone of her voice, made her pause momentarily. After a short while, Marcie turned to answer her ‘employer’.

 

“Whatever happened with Neo clearly has something to do with him. We can’t really proceed with the plan if Neo’s distracted like this, can we boss? I figure if I go after him and see what’s wrong, maybe I can help patch things up with him and Neo and we can move on with the plan.” Marcie explained, hoping that Cinder would buy it.

 

After a while, Cinder cocked her head to the side and nodded slightly. “Very well, I applaud your initiative, Marceline.”

 

“Happy to help, boss.” Marcie bowed slightly to appease the megalomaniac, levelling a discreet smirk at Emerald upon seeing her partner silently seething behind Cinder. Marcie would never pass up an opportunity to put the green-haired sycophant down, especially since she had such a stick in her ass all the time.

 

Flashing Emerald one last smug smile, Marcie turned and left the dorm, jogging a little to catch up with Jaune. It took her a few minutes to track the Knight down, but she found him in the corridor that housed his and team RWBY’s dorms.

 

“Hey Jaune!” She called out to him, hoping that the smile on her face didn’t look too weird, she was used to smirking at defeated enemies, smiling like a normal person was rather strange for her.

 

“Oh, hey Marcie!” Jaune replied, turning to face her fully as she closed the distance to stand in front of him. “Uh… was there something you needed?”

 

“Well actually… it’s about Neo.” Marcie admitted. Jaune’s face crumpled into a frown as he heard that, a soft and defeated sigh escaping his lips.

 

“Is she… is she doing okay?” Marcie had a feeling that, judging the defeated tone in his voice, Jaune already knew the answer to his own question.

 

“She’s been in the bathroom all morning, we heard her crying. The last time we saw her she was going to visit you in the Medical Ward. Did something happen between you two?” Marcie asked, judging from what she knew of Jaune, he was too kind to do something that would hurt anyone intentionally. What happened between him and Neo?

 

Jaune swallowed hard, his rejection really had hurt Neo more deeply than he’d thought. At the time he’d never intended to hurt her, he’d just wanted to avoid any conflict between Neo, a potential girlfriend, and Pyrrha his ACTUAL girlfriend.

 

“I… I was stupid Marcie. My partner Pyrrha, she’s… well, she’s not just my partner anymore, she’s my girlfriend now.”

 

Marcie’s eyes shot open at that. The dork and his Champion partner were _dating_ now? That was news to her. It also caused an unpleasant feeling to grow in her stomach as she guessed where this was going. Neo must’ve made a move on him or something that Jaune couldn’t reciprocate. That also meant that, if he was with Pyrrha and Neo didn’t have a chance, then neither did she…

 

Marcie’s mind started going to darker places as she thought of her ‘employer’, this was obviously information that Cinder would want to know about. The emotional connection between and the female friends in his life had already intrigued her enough for her to order Marcie to get close to him, to keep an eye on him and gather information. If she found out that Jaune and his partner had a _romantic_ connection… Marcie didn’t know what that would mean for her plan, but whatever it was Jaune would undoubtedly suffer for it.

 

On the other hand, what Cinder didn’t know about wouldn’t hurt her… or others around her. After all, Marcie and Jaune didn’t know each other all that well, would he really reveal such intimate information about himself so easily? Marcie was already aware that he would… but Cinder wasn’t.

 

She couldn’t stop Cinder from finding out on her own, which she certainly would eventually, but she could stop her from finding out _right now_.

 

Shaking thoughts of her hated ‘employer’ from her mind, the assassin refocused on Jaune, nodding her confirmation and prompting the Knight to continue speaking.

 

“Well, while I was still resting, Neo came to visit me. She said she wanted to thank me for risking my life for my friends, then she… then she kissed me. I liked it… but I couldn’t betray Pyrrha like that. I tried letting her own as easily as I could, but I guess I still managed to hurt her.” Jaune bowed his head, a deep sigh of defeat emerging from his lips as he lamented his failure.

 

“Look… I can try talking to her, tell her you want to apologise. It’s up to her if she accepts it for not, but it’ll be a start right? You seem like a good guy so you should get the chance to make things right.” Marcie offered.

 

“Thanks a lot, Marcie. I really owe you one for this.” Unexpectedly, Jaune proceeded to pull the surprised assassin into a hug for a few moments, a small blush gracing her cheeks as she tentatively hugged him back. Before long, he seperated and was striding away to his dorm room.

 

“I’ve got some things I need to do, see you later!” He called back, leaving the flustered girl to stand there alone, new thoughts swirling in her head.

 

Was that what a hug felt like?

 

Marcie hadn’t been hugged like that in years, not since her mother was murdered, Marcus sure as hell wasn’t the type of man to show that sort of ‘emotional weakness’, even before he lost his wife. It felt nice… really nice.

 

She wanted to be hugged like that again.

 

Marcie started back toward her dorm with a slight spring in her step. Maybe she had lost her chance with Jaune romantically (however flimsy it might have been), perhaps she might not see him for very much longer, but she still wanted to be his friend, for real this time.

 

Then she could experience hugs like that again.

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Jaune let out a nervous sigh as he looked over the edge of the cliffs before the Emerald Forest. He had asked RWBY, the rest of his team, Velvet and Coco to meet him there as soon as they could. He hoped that he didn’t make it sound dire, just important enough. Watching the sun rise over the trees of the Emerald Forest filled his mind with a temporary calm, one he was planning to hold onto as long as possible.

 

 _“You can do this, Jaune.”_ Summer whispered, a smile practically audible in her last words. “ _Make me proud.”_

 

After a few minutes of silence, a voice called out behind him.

 

“Jaune! We’re here!” Ruby called, her smile wide and bright. Yang, Weiss, and Blake trailed alongside her, all wearing their own happy expressions. Soon after, Pyrrha, Nora, and Lian arrived, followed by Coco and Velvet. After they were all assembled, Jaune gulped and steeled himself.

_This is it. All or nothing._

 

“So, I bet you guys are wondering why I called you out here so early.” 

“It’s certainly a fair question.” Weiss half growled, still looking a bit tired. The girls all laughed a bit at that, as did Jaune. After he composed himself, he continued.

“I’ve...I’ve been thinking about some things...about you guys. A-about, what you mean to me.” he said, trying his best to keep his voice from deviating. The girls all noticeably tensed as he brought the subject up.

 

“You guys are the best friends I’ve ever had, and I couldn’t imagine my life without you.” he continued, noticing the blushes and quiet stammers the statement generated. “However, there’s something you all should know.”

 

He took in another breath of air, and continued. “First, I think you should all know that Pyrrha and I have been dating for about a month now.” This created an new set of murmurs from his friends, and more than one sad expression. “I love Pyrrha, and I know my life wouldn’t be the same without her.”

 

As he said this, he looked a Pyrrha, who wore an uncertain smile on her face, her eyes wet with tears. He gulped again, and spoke once more. “However, a part of me, a part that I’ve been trying so hard to ignore, has been getting louder lately. It’s been telling me that when it comes to you, the feelings I had went beyond just friendship. I was scared that… if I admitted that these… feelings were actually there, that I’d be compromising my friendships.”

 

Ruby was the one to speak up. Her voice was tinted with nervousness, along with a little smidgen of hope.

 

“What do you mean Jaune… what ‘feelings’ do you mean?” She tilted her head cutely, making Jaune’s heart briefly skip a beat.

 

“ _Aaaww… isn’t my little girl just_ adorable?” Summer practically squealed in his head, though Jaune ignored her contribution and pressed on.

 

“I mean it when I said that I love Pyrrha… but she’s not the only one that I’ve… started falling for. And she’s not the only one I couldn’t imagine life without.”

 

The girls all seemed to lean in closer, eyes widening slightly, Blake’s bow and Velvet’s ears seemed to twitch slightly as they got closer. Jaune took a deep breath.

 

_Go time._

 

“You’ve… you’ve all been amazing to me, you’re all so special and important to me that, well… I’ve fallen for all of you. As crazy and as far-out as it sounds, that’s the truth. But the problem is… I can’t bear the thought of hurting you, any of you, I care about you far too much to consider doing that. But that’s the thing… I like you, but you all like me too. Me being with Pyrrha means that it’s inevitably hurting you, and I can’t bear that.”

 

“So, and please just hear me out here, I want to date all of you. I want to try and make all of you happy. I know it’ll be tough, that it’ll be demanding, but I still want to make it work. As far as I’m concerned, you’re all worth it to me, you’re worth the effort. If there’s even a chance I can make you all happy, then I want to take it.”

 

Finally finished with his confession, Jaune took a breath and gazed around at the assembled girls. Their expressions were mixed.

 

For his own team, Pyrrha looked conflicted about the possibility of sharing him with the other girls, Lian had a small smile on her face, while Nora had stars in her eyes and was visibly _vibrating_ in place. If nothing else, he’d get a hug out of all of this from the happy Valkyrie.

 

From team RWBY; Yang looked slightly conflicted, happy that he’d confessed to liking her back, but apprehensive about sharing him. Weiss looked slightly confused and a little hesitant. Blake, however, was blushing quite furiously, with her bow twitching heavily as she avoided his gaze. Ruby, meanwhile, had a megawatt grin on her face with the same stars in her eyes as Nora had.

 

Coco and Velvet seemed agreed, Velvet had a blush on her face that rivalled Blake’s, while Coco had her trademark smirk on her face as she gazed at him over her fashionable glasses.

 

“I’ll… give you some time, you probably all need to think about this some more. It’s a big decision… okay it’s basically an insane decision and I wouldn’t want any of you to do something you’ll regret. Take all the time you need, okay?” With that, the Knight walked past them, making his way down the hill as the stunned group watched him go, none of them making a move to stop him.

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Line Break

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When Marcie returned to her dorm, she found Emerald standing near the bathroom door, a look of concern on her face, while Cinder was nowhere to be seen.

 

“Hey Em, where’s the boss?” Marcie asked her partner.

 

“A meeting with Torchwick and her new contact in the White Fang, they’re discussing the next phases of the plan.” Emerald explained.

 

“Any success with little miss ice-cream queen in there?” Marcie jerked her thumb towards the bathroom. Thankfully, the sniffling seemed to have stopped at least.

 

“No, she’s still refusing to come out… what about you? Any success with finding out what happened between her and that Jaune guy?”

 

“Yeah… apparently she came onto him and he shot her down. Tried to do it gently but she still took it quite badly.” Marcie lowered her voice at this part, not wanting Neo to start crying again.

 

“Great… we’re dealing with a broken heart then, how are we supposed to fix that?” Emerald asked, incredulous.

 

“We can’t, but I think there’s someone who can… look, Jaune said he wanted to talk to her right? Well, he said he wanted to apologise to her, maybe that’ll help her get some closure?” Marcie suggested, it was certainly a better idea than either of THEM trying to console the diminutive criminal.

 

“Fine… better him than us anyway.” Emerald groused. She moved over to knock on the bathroom door. “Hey Neo! Can we uh… can we talk to you? Marc’s got something she needs to tell you.”

 

For a short while, neither of them heard anything, until the door lock began to rattle and turn. The door swung open a moment later to reveal Neapolitan, the short heterochromia-afflicted girl was no longer sniffling and looked more composed, though the tell-tale tracks down her cheeks and the red around her eyes showed that she had been crying. Despite herself, she still tilted her head curiously at Marcie.

 

“Alright Neo… I’m gonna tell you something and… well can you promise not to freak out or something until I’m done?” Off the girl’s nod, Marcie continued. “Okay... well, after Jaune came by, I went to go talk to him.” Neo flinched a little at the mention of Jaune, but she stayed put, so Marcie started talking again.

 

“Look, he said he wanted to talk to you, to apologise for hurting you. He said he just wanted a chance to set things straight.” Marcie sighed a little at this, closing her eyes briefly as the memory of _why_ Jaune rejected Neo surged to the forefront, before she forcibly shoved it down again

 

“Look, Neo.” Marcie moved closer to her faux-teammate, lowering her voice a little. “Whatever you think about Jaune, I talked to him for a bit and… he seems like a good guy, okay? He really didn’t mean to hurt you so just… just keep that in mind if you talk to him, alright?”

 

Neo tilted her head at Marcie’s words, eyes widening a little before she gave the assassin a light smile. Before her teammates could react, Neo dashed out of room in a blur of white, pink and brown. Marcie and Emerald blinked once, before noticing a small slip of paper with a hastily scrawled note on it. Emerald picked it up to inspect it.

 

“‘Gone to see Jaune to see what he has to say, don’t wait up for me, Neo.’” Emerald read out loud. “Huh… well that solves that problem I guess.”

 

Marcie sighed, preparing to return to bed. If anything, maybe Neo could get some closure for her broken heart.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go ladies and gentlemen, the polyamorous fluff begins shortly.
> 
> Reviews and Comments and welcome, as always.


	29. Agreements+1

“Weiss-cream, I love you, I do. But please stop pacing, you’re stressing us all out.” Yang groaned, earning a glare from her teammate, who started tapping her foot instead. Teams RWBY, NPR, and Coco and Velvet all lounged in the library, trying to decide what to do about Jaune’s...proposition.

****

“Well excuse me, Yang, but I AM a bit stressed at the moment!” Weiss hissed back, resuming her pacing a moment later. Ruby, who had been near silent since they reached the library, stood up and walked toward the center of the loose circle they had formed.

****

“Ok, moping around about this isn’t going to do us any good.” she said, scanning her friends eyes. “So let’s get a feel for how we all...feel. Anyone who agrees with Jaune’s proposal, raise your hands!”

  
Ruby lifted her hand, followed by Nora, Ren, Blake, and Coco. Slowly, Velvet’s hand also rose.

  
“Alright, so Weiss, Yang, and Pyrrha aren’t sure about it.” Ruby concluded, turning to the three huntresses, all of whom looked sheepish. “Do you want to talk about why you aren’t sure?”

****

The three glanced at each other, before Yang sighed and looked at her little sister. “Speaking for myself? I’m just...not sure. I like Jaune, don’t get me wrong! I’m just...a bit skeptical on the whole “sharing” aspect.”

****

“I agree with Yang on that point, Ruby.” Pyrrha confirmed, before quickly amending her statement. “I-t’s not that I don’t trust any of you! I do! I trust Jaune too! I’m just...nervous about the prospect of sharing Jaune.”

****

“As am I” Weiss chimed in, mercifully the Heiress had finally stopped her pacing, now facing her teammates. “There is a part of me that questions whether or not this is all some elaborate ploy by Jaune to bed all of us as some sort of… badge of prestige.”

****

“Weiss!” Ruby’s squeaky but loud shout cut through the atmosphere like a knife. “Jaune wouldn’t do that to us! He’s way too nice a guy to even consider that, he really cares for all of us and wants to make us happy, why can’t you see that?”

****

Weiss gazed at her partner, a little shocked that she would speak up so rabidly and passionately in the Knight’s defense. Then again, it wasn’t really all that shocking, now that the Heiress thought on it.

****

Jaune had been Ruby’s first and perhaps closest friend at Beacon. He’d picked her up and talked to her the day they arrived, then he’d saved her life during initiation from that Deathstalker’s attack. They say that traumatic or stressful experiences really had a way of encouraging bonding between different people, since Jaune and Ruby were already quite similar individuals, it was no surprise they grew closer after the incident. In all honesty, Weiss _did_ trust Jaune, but only to a fault. This was different than a mission or a quiz, where she knew Jaune would have her back or help her out.

****

“But still, are you sure you’re alright with Jaune… being with all of us?” Weiss asked, still a little unsure. She needed to understand how Ruby was so accepting of this very deviant proposal of Jaune’s.

****

“Well of course I am! We’re basically family anyway, aren’t we? If all of us end up dating Jaune, then we can be a real family! One that loves and cares about each other no matter what!” The young Reaper declared passionately.

****

“Well… she’s not wrong.” Blake admitted, the cat Faunus finally speaking up for the first time since they’d started the conversation. Shifting her team’s attention to her as she continued. “I know this might sound strange, but these kinds of polyamorous relationships aren’t unheard of in Menagerie.”

****

“Menagerie? What’s that?” Ruby asked.

****

“My home, just a small island that the majority of the Faunus population were packed into after the Faunus Wars. It was officially a new land for us, a settlement of our own that we were given during the peace treaty. Unofficially, it was just a way to push us all into one tiny island, to both appease us so that we’d stop raising a fuss and to shift us out of sight so no one would care anymore.” The Faunus paused to allow her team to take in that information, before continuing.

****

“With how tight and packed it is, people have to make do with close proximity to others. Inevitably, relationships do tend in involve more than two partners in Menagerie, it’s a fairly accepted practice as long as all partners are treated well and are happy and loved.” Blake explained.

****

“Jaune’s… well he’s one of the sweetest, most supportive and accepting people I’ve ever been privileged enough to meet. He really cares about us… all of us. He wants to make us all happy, to give us the happiness he thinks we all deserve. I… I think we should give this a chance, girls. It might take a lot of work, and there’s bound to be some pitfalls along the way, but as long as we all do our best to make this work, we can all be much happier with him.” As Blake finished talking, she reached up to wipe the small happy tears that had formed out of her eyes.

****

Seeing her partner’s unexpectedly emotional reaction gave Yang pause. While it was true she was a little… cautious about the prospect of sharing Jaune with anyone else, especially with her own sister, Blake’s reaction got her to think more deeply.

****

It was true that Jaune was a nice guy, protective of his friends and wishing them the best in life. That had been confirmed to Yang when Jaune had risked his life to save Ruby’s own during initiation, and later when he accompanied Blake to the docks simply to help her and the team out. He’d even willingly fought against both the White Fang and Roman Torchwick himself simply to help Blake. Torchwick was trouble for even veteran Hunters to take on in combat, and Jaune had willingly gone against him with a complete lack of formal training. That took bravery, real bravery to do. A big plus in Yang’s book.

****

She also knew that, if Ruby did join this ‘polyamorous relationship’ that Jaune had proposed, she’d be taken care of. Jaune was nice, kind, reliable, helpful… he may not have the training of the mythical Knight in Shining Armor that he resembled, but he certainly had the character to match.

****

It also didn’t hurt that Yang would get her own shot at happiness as well, with a boy who appreciated her for her personality rather than just her (admittedly killer) body. That was another big plus in his favor. The more she thought about this, the more the idea began to appeal to her, as crazy as it might have seemed at first. Didn’t she deserve a chance at happiness, a guy who appreciated her and who would stick with her, even if she had children… like her mother never did. Jaune wouldn’t be like that, he wouldn’t abandon her, or anyone.

****

“Well kitty cat, what can I say? You’ve… you’ve convinced me. We could do a lot worse than Lover Boy, a LOT worse. Maybe… maybe we should give him a chance?” Yang admitted, a new confidence surging in her chest. She turned to the final member of their quartet. “What about you Weiss-cream? Gonna give Lover Boy a chance to prove himself?”

****

Weiss considered this, her teammates seemed willing to go along with this… _unorthodox_ proposal of Jaune’s. Would she be willing to do so as well?

****

Weiss had to admit that Yang raised a lot of good points, there were worse men out there than the genuine, honest, loyal and kind-hearted Jaune Arc. Weiss knew that because she had met men like that back in Atlas, smarmy sycophants or utterly repulsive toadys who only really cared about her name, and the influence that came with it. Weiss had learned very quickly to read people that way, if only to fend off the social climbers and parasites that would try to latch onto her and leech off the prestige of her name.

****

Much like her father Jacques had done with Weiss’ mother, Willow.

****

Weiss thought of Jaune and her father, and how the two couldn’t be any more different.

****

Jacques was head of the largest Dust corporation and one of the richest men on Remnant, while Jaune was comparatively dirt poor.

****

Jacques was impeccably dressed at all times, while Jaune was more akin to a scruffy peasant Knight than anything.

****

Jacques was a slimy, deceptive and manipulative man, while Jaune was open and honest.

****

Jacques was an abusive monster who bullied and emotionally destroyed his family members, Jaune was by all accounts a doting brother who looked after his sisters, both younger and older.

****

Jacques didn’t have an ounce of love for anything except money and influence, while Jaune had enough love in his heart to be willing to share it with all seven of his closest friends, plus others.

****

Was it really such a bad idea for Weiss to try and find love with him after all?

****

“Alright.” Weiss admitted simply. “As… _unorthodox_ as this situation may be, I’ll… agree to this proposal.”

****

“Thank you Weiss!” Ruby called out, swiftly pulling her partner into a hug that the heiress tried, unsuccessfully, to wriggle out of.

****

“U-unhand me, you dolt!” She practically screeched.

****

“Nuh-uh princess, if your cold heart’s finally melting this quickly for Lover Boy, then maybe it’ll thaw even quicker with some hugs from your awesome team.” Came Yang’s voice, as another pair of arms wrapped around Weiss and two rather... _shapely_ objects pressed against her back. Weiss once against cursed her misfortune in that department while glancing at her sole remaining teammate. Blake, however, simply shot Weiss a look that said _‘you’re on your own, sorry’_ and returned to her book.

****

Across the hall, the three present members of team JNPR were also having a similar discussion. With their leader’s proposal still fresh in their minds, the trio of girls had retreated to their dorm to discuss it further. Pyrrha was still nervous about the whole arrangement, while Nora was all for it, and Ren had the task of mediating between the two.

****

“C’mon Pyr-Pyr!” Nora chirped “I don’t see the problem with sharing Jauney! We’re all basically a family already so what’s one huge relationship between us going to change?” The Valkyrie was just happy that her awesome leader wanted to make them all happy, to Nora it was just more proof that he was the best leader they could ask for! Sadly, Pyrrha didn’t seem to share her opinion.

****

The Spartan in question, who had previously been pacing nervously for the past few minutes while mulling over her lead-her _boyfriend’s_ -proposal, came to a halt and turned to face her teammates.

****

“I… I’m sorry Nora. I’m still not entirely sure about this. It’s just… I’ve wanted to try for a relationship with Jaune with quite some time now. I’m just worried that, if we really do try this… polyamorous relationship idea of his, that I’ll be left behind and f-forgotten about. A-after all, he’ll have lots more girls to take care of, he’ll j-just forget about me…”

****

By the time she had finished speaking, the Crimson Champion was sniffling, choked up and close to tears. She wrapped her arms around her waist and closed her eyes to stop the nascent tears from leaking out, only to feel another pair of arms join them a moment later. Looking down, she found herself staring into the turquoise orbs of her ginger teammate.

****

“You looked like you could use a hug.” Was all Nora replied with, and for once Pyrrha was right. Not only did she need one, but Nora was being much more gentle than usual, normally her hugs would wear on the Aura of the person she was hugging to stop her breaking anything in her enthusiasm, but now she was being as gentle as could be.

****

“I’m sorry… I shouldn’t be thinking like this.” Pyrrha whispered, looking down again in guilt and shame.

****

Nora’s arms unwound from Pyrrha’s waist, the Bomber taking a step back to appraise her teammate, before leaning in and giving her a jab to the stomach.

****

“Ah!” Pyrrha cried out, more out of shock than any pain. “N-nora! What was that for!?”

****

“You were right, missy. You shouldn’t be thinking like this!” Nora replied, some of her usual bombastic tone returning as she spoke. “C’mon, you honestly think Jaune’s gonna forget about you? That’s crazy! You heard it yourself when he said he couldn’t live without you in life. He loves you just as much as he loves all of us, he’s not going to leave you behind.”

****

Stepping closer, Nora once again lowered her voice a little as she continued.

****

“Look Pyr… we’ve got a super-awesome team, with a super-awesome leader. Why can’t we all be a super-awesome family as well?”

****

Pyrrha let loose a small sigh, clearly still slightly conflicted, before another hand came to rest on her shoulder and Lian’s voice sounded behind her.

****

“Pyrrha, it’s obvious that Jaune cares for all of us, he wants to make us all happy as much as he can, including you. Would it really be so hard to help him do that? That way, everyone who likes him can be happy, I know it might seem like you’re losing him to the others, but I promise that’s not the case. We’ll be here for you if you want to talk, and Jaune will always make time for you if you ask him to, there’s nothing to worry about.”

****

After a moment’s hesitation, Pyrrha smiled back at her two teammates, a bright smile.

****

“Okay… okay. Thank you.”

\--------

Line Break

\--------

Jaune’s fingers drummed idly on the lunch table as he stared at this food. To say he was anxious would be a bit of an understatement. Granted, he wasn’t panicked or anything. He trusted that whatever choice his friends made, he’d be happy for them. It was the waiting, however, the minute-by-minute waiting that started to wear on him.

****

_This takes time, Jaune_ . He told himself. _You just have to be patient._

****

_“You know you have me to talk to, right?”_ Summer asked, making him jump in his seat.

****

Jaune sputtered slightly while Summer laughed, almost to the point where he could picture her rolling on the ground, tears rolling down her face as her laughter intensified.

****

_“D-did you actually forget I was here...hahahaHAHAHA!”_ The Huntress cackled madly in his head, while Jaune just covered his face and muttered about how he needed to purchase headphones.

****

_I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself, by all means, keep laughing at my expense._ He deadpanned as she finally seemed to compose herself.

****

_“Oh come on, one of us might as well be having fun.”_ Summer giggled, making Jaune roll his eyes but also smirk as his immature side kicked up.

****

_That’s what she said_ . He quipped. A few seconds passed without any sound, and Jaune worried for a moment that his joke wasn’t amusing to her. Immediately after this thought occurred, a hilariously loud _wheeze_ echoed through his mind as another bout of cackles came from Summer.

  
“ _Oum, you’re worse than Tai!”_ She managed to gasp before returning to her giggles. Jaune himself let a few puffs of laugher bubble up as she once again started to relax.

****

_What, I got you to laugh didn’t I? How bad can I be?_ Jaune joked again. Summer was still giggling, but managed to calm down.

****

_“Thank you Jaune, I haven’t laughed like that in ages.”_ She admitted, a hint of nostalgia in her voice. The Huntress paused for a moment before speaking again. “ _You know, you really do remind me so much of him, of Tai.”_

****

_Well yeah… we’re both blonde and have blue eyes, what more could you want?_ He joked again, earning another small fit of laughs from his mental passenger.

****

_“You know I didn’t mean it like that, Jaune.”_ Summer insisted. _“You really are so alike and not just physically. You’re both brave and kind, you’d both do anything to help others or make others happy. And… well, you’re both fairly charming when it comes to women.”_

****

That last admission threw Jaune for a minor loop. _Wait… you’re telling me that your… um, not quite ex-husband was…_

****

_“Popular with the ladies?”_ Summer finished for him. “ _Yes, yes he was… you didn’t think that Raven and I were the only ones whose hearts he captured when he was at Beacon, did you? To tell you the truth, Tai had quite the reputation as a heartbreaker, but only because all those broken hearts were of the girls he didn’t notice were in love with him.”_

****

_And… how many girls was that?_ Jaune asked wearily, almost afraid of the answer.

****

_“Oh almost all of them. Another thing the two of you have in common, you can be incredibly thick-headed when it comes to female attention.”_ Summer’s voice admitted, a hint of playfulness in her voice.

****

_Hey! I’m-I’m not THAT bad…  am I?_ He asked weakly, his confidence in that statement dwindling with every word, especially when Summer’s giggling had started back up again, despite her efforts to conceal it this time.

****

_“I’m sorry Jaune, but you are. I stumbled on some of your recent memories while I was waiting for you to finish talking to them and… well, you were pretty oblivious to their feelings for you for quite a while. I mean, Pyrrha’s been crushing on you since initiation, and my little girl’s had her eyes on you for a few weeks now. You still didn’t notice either of them until a few days ago.”_

****

_Guess you’re right…_ Jaune reluctantly admitted. Even with Summer spelling it out for him, he couldn’t have been THAT bad, right?. It wasn’t like he’d received any female attention before, so how could he know a girl was crushing on him. None of the village girls back home had been interested in him, though they had been very helpful and friendly… talking to him, laughing at his jokes, helping him out. Even so… they’d been quite shy too sometimes, blushing and stuttering when he smiled at them or said they were pretty, especially as he got older…

****

Oh.

****

Oh, wow.

****

He really WAS a dense idiot wasn’t he?

****

_“I’m sorry Jaune… but that l-looks to be the… c-c-case her-hehehe!”_ The Huntress in his mind could barely finish her sentence before falling to another giggle fit about halfway through, much to Jaune’s embarrassment. Even the kind and motherly spirit who lived in his head thought he was a total dork.

****

Jaune was shaken out of his reverie by the sound of footsteps coming from nearby. He tensed up, despite not having his sword and armor on him, he was prepared to go down fighting as best as he could. At least, until he saw who it was that had come to see him.

****

“Neo?”

****

He was both surprised and not to see the cute mute approaching him. He HAD after all gone to her team’s dorm and asked them to pass on a message to her, though considering how badly she’d taken his attempted gentle letdown, Jaune honesty thought she’d never want to see him again. To have her actually coming her to ‘talk’ to him again was a big relief.

****

If only he knew what to say to her now that she was actually here.

****

_“Maybe you should start with how sorry you are that you rejected her like that, even if you were in a relationship at the time and technically right to do so, you still hurt her. Ladies like it when the man apologizes.”_ Summer’s quiet voice suggested, careful not to distract him too much while still offering him advice.

****

“Um, hey. It’s good to see that you’re up and about.” He started, rubbing his neck nervously. “Listen, I’m...I’m sorry for how I handled last night. I should have been gentler and...I should have-”

****

Jaune was cut of by Neo putting a finger to his lips, a small smile on her face. She held up her scroll, which already had a message on it.

****

“You have nothing to apologies for.” he read. “I understand why you did what you did, and I don’t blame you for it.”

****

Jaune look back at Neo’s face, smile still present, but her eyes seemed sadder. He gave her his own smile, and stood up.

  
“Thank you, Neo. But I actually have something to talk to you about relating to your...confession.” he said, noting the quirked eyebrow she responded with, but also a familiar playful twinkle in her eyes.

****

“Alright… well, as it turns out you’re… you’re not the only one who… who feels the way that you do.” At this Neo tilted her head and furrowed her eyebrows.

****

“Yeah… my whole team, a whole OTHER team and two others from a second year team also confessed to… to liking me the same way that you do.” Jaune admitted, rubbing the back of his neck and sighing a little.

****

Neo was shocked, she’d naturally expected that she’d have SOME competition, nice and cute guys like Jaune often attracted more than one girl at once. But nine other girls!? That wasn’t fair! Plus, three of them were from his own team! They slept in the same room as him and got to see him every day, how was Neo supposed to compete with that!?

****

She was snapped out of her reverie by Jaune’s hand landing on her shoulder, he had a small smile on his face, which confused her greatly. Why was he smiling when he’d essentially told her she didn’t have a chance!?

****

“There’s something else I should tell you about. These friends of mine… well, I care about them, all of them. I want to make them all happy, and while I may not have known you as long as them, well… that includes you as well. For all your faults, you seem like a nice girl underneath that image of ‘hardened criminal’. So… can I make you the same proposal?” Jaune asked, looking Neo directly in her mismatched eyes.

****

Hearing the intensity of his gaze and the conviction in his azure orbs, Neo couldn’t help but blush a little, especially at his admission that he cared about her and wanted her to be happy. But what did he mean by ‘proposal’? She typed out a reply on her scroll and showed it to Jaune.

****

“‘What proposal are you talking about?’” Jaune read out. “Well it’s… it’s honestly a little insane, but… I told all the girls that I couldn’t stand to see any of them unhappy, which they inevitably would be if I chose just one of them as my girlfriend. So… I told them I wanted them all to be happy, and if that meant technically dating all of them at once… then I’d be willing to try that, no matter how difficult it might be.”

****

Neo’s eyes not only shot open at that, they even flashed the rare silvery-white color they turned when she was caught off-guard. Was Jaune… talking about a _harem?_ What!? That was _not_ what she would have expected from someone like him. At least his motives were pure though, as opposed to all those other guys who just wanted as much sex as possible from different girls. Jaune didn’t want that, he just wanted to make the girls he cared about happy, that much was clear from the way he spoke about them. And he… wanted her to-to _join_?

****

It was so taboo! So naughty! So… exciting. Neo was surprised to find that she was actually more than a little excited by that idea… especially all the naughty situations they could get into together and with the other girls. Well… Neo might’ve preferred nice guys, but there was still a part of her that found a roguish ‘bad boy’ attractive, now it seemed like she’d gotten the best of both worlds! In a sense, at least.

****

“So, uh, **are** you interested?” Jaune asked, his face flushed slightly.

****

His answer came in the form of a white/brown/pink blur tackling him to the ground. When his head stopped spinning enough from the sudden impact that he re-focused, he saw that Neo was perched on top of him, arms around his waist and face rubbing against his shoulder. It was adorable to see, like a happy cat. What was less adorable and more… _arousing_ was the feel of her almost illogically large and firm bust pressing against his chest.

****

_Wow, so that’s where all that ice cream goes…_

****

Neo picked herself up off of Jaune and sat there, blinking down at him with those big eyes, almost as if she were expecting something.

****

“Do you um… do you want a kiss?” Jaune asked nervously. Off Neo’s rather bashful nod, he took a breath and moved closer to her.

****

A warm, soft sensation blossomed against his lips and they met in a small and surprisingly sweet kiss from the criminal. They maintained the lip lock for a few seconds more before pulling back, Jaune a little stunned and Neo’s face having taken on a surprising color of red, her eyes flashing constantly between pink and brown.

****

Before Jaune could respond, Neo planted another kiss on his cheek, before hopping off him and practically _skipping_ back in the direction of the school. After waiting a moment for his mind to reboot from the experience, Jaune picked himself up and followed her.

****

_What a day…_


	30. The First Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The girls officially accept Jaune's proposition, and Pyrrha and Jaune get together for their first date.
> 
> For those of you wanting smut, this is where the fun begins. Also, said smut was written by Jack, so give him some love, yeah?

“I can’t believe we’re doing this. I CANNOT believe we’re doing this, can you believe we’re doing this? I CAN’T!”

****

“Nora, please. We’re all excited, but please stop. Any more bouncing and you’ll cause an earthquake.” Blake groaned, followed by similar remarks from her friends and teammates. They were walking back to JNPR’s dorm to meet with Jaune and give him their decision. On the way, Nora’s normal hyper nature had advanced to her literally shaking the floor she was jumping so much.

****

“C’mon, Blake! Let her have her fun! You know you’re excited too!” Ruby said, smiling at the cat faunus as they walked.

****

“I’ll admit, as nervous as I am, I’m also quite excited.” Pyrrha confessed, a small smile residing on her face. A few seconds later, the nine girls rounded a corner and ended up at the dorm.

****

“Okay. Everybody ready?” Ruby asked, throwing a look over a shoulder at the other girls.

****

“Ready.” Pyrrha confirmed.

  
“Yup. Let’s do this.” Yang responded.

  
“Now or never, I suppose.” Weiss added.

  
“Let’s do this.” Velvet whispered, a new confidence audible in her tone.

****

The other girls all gave similar confirmations, and Ruby nodded. With that, she opened the door, only to pause at an unexpected sight.

“After that, the Goliath showed back up, and you know how that ended.” Jaune said, earning a nod from the wide eyed girl sitting the the bed across from him. She typed something on her scroll before holding it up for him the read. He laughed, and nodded in return before responding. “Well, I appreciate your concern. I’ll be sure to keep that in mind for the future.”

****

Ruby knocked lightly on the door, drawing the two occupants to the look at her and the other girls. “Are we interrupting anything?”

****

“Oh, hey girls!” Jaune answered, shaking his head. “No, I was just telling Neo about our mission to Forever Fall. Speaking of which, Neo had a question for you before you made your decision.”

****

Neo nodded, quickly standing up and typing out a message quickly before showing it to the girls.

****

_Hi, I’m Neo. It’s nice to finally meet all of you properly, Jaune has nothing but praise for you guys. I was wondering if I could be a part of his proposal, if you’re alright with it._

****

Ruby looked back at the other girls, none of which looked displeased at the notion.

“Well, I don’t see why not. Welcome aboard, Neo!” Ruby cheered, wrapping the mute in a brief hug. Neo smiled at her newfound companions, before turning to Jaune and giving him a happy thumbs up. He chuckled, and returned the smile.

****

“So, h-have you guys reached a decision?” he asked gingerly, his expression shifting to nervous. Ruby looked at Pyrrha and nodded, gesturing forward.

****

“You should tell him, Pyrrha.”

****

Pyrrha nodded, stepping forward and looking down at Jaune, who looked gazed right back, his expression mixed between fear and hope.

****

“Jaune, after we talked about it, we decided that we accept your proposal.”

****

Jaune’s face fell, and his gaze fell to the floor. “That’s alright, I underst-” He paused, as though the words finally sank in, and looked back up at Pyrrha. “Wait, y-you said you accept?”

****

Despite herself, Pyrrha couldn’t help but giggle a bit at the thrilled expression that crept onto Jaune’s face. “Yes, Jaune. We accept.”

****

With that, Jaune leapt to his feet and let out a loud whoop before hugging Pyrrha, quickly moving over to the other girls and giving them their own hugs.

****

“Oh gods, I was so scared you’d say no. Or hate me. Or both!” he muttered mid hug with Blake, who purred at the feeling.

****

“I honestly don’t think anyone could hate you. It’s practically impossible.” Weiss scoffed, crossing her arms. “Trust me. I tried.”

****

“If anyone tried, we’d beat them up, right Nora?” Yang asked, cracking her knuckles for emphasis. Nora let out a resolute “Yep!” as she hugged Juane, who let out a wheeze as the air was squeezed out of his lungs.

****

After he finished hugging all of his friends, Jaune stood in front of all of them, his smile wider than ever. “Thank you, guys. I swear I’ll be the best...boyfriend, I guess, as possible. I give you my word, and an Arc-”

****

“Always keeps his word!” They all finished, smiling at the all too familiar words. And just like that, Jaune’s “harem” was formed.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

The day had finally arrived, after so many hours of extra training and preparation for the event, the Vytal festival was finally in full swing and the students of all 4 academies were in attendance to participate.

****

For team JNPR, they were awoken early on by a _very_ excited Nora Valkyrie bouncing around their room, shouting out “It’s here! It’s here! It’s here!” like an excited child receiving a Christmas present. Ren, Pyrrha and Jaune were slower to wake, still groggy even as Nora’s bombastic voice rang in their ears.

****

“Ugh… Nora, can you please turn be a little quieter?” Jaune groaned, rubbing his temples to ease his incoming headache as he gazed at his ginger teammate.

****

“Okay Jauney.” Nora whispered, stopping her bouncing immediately and simply sitting down on her bed. It was a surprising display of consideration from the bomber, Jaune couldn’t help but smile a little.

****

With the festival having arrived to the Kingdom of Vale, Beacon had suspended classes to allow their students extra time to train for the qualifiers, as well as sample the cultures and interact with the students of the other academies. However, that left team JNPR with a problem.

****

They had nothing to do, nothing except train and practice team attacks.

****

As he was going through his morning routine of dressing and cleaning himself, Jaune felt a hand tap him on the shoulder. Looking around, he found himself face to face with his partner, teammate and first girlfriend, Pyrrha Nikos. She had a shy look on her face and was holding a brush in her right hand, her usual ponytail was absent and her crimson locks spilled down the back of her pajama top, with some hanging over the front of her shoulders

****

Jaune’s heart nearly skipped a beat, long hair _really_ suited his partner.

****

“Jaune?” Pyrrha asked quietly, a small blush coming to her cheeks. “Would you… mind brushing my hair for me? It’s quite difficult for me to reach it all by myself and… um…” She proceeded to lower her face and descent into soft stuttering in embarrassment.

****

Oh my god… she was just _adorable_ like that, Jaune barely kept himself from _squealing_ like a little kid at the cute spectacle in front of him. Especially so when, as his hand made contact with her shoulder, Pyrrha let out an honest to god _squeak_.

****

_“Aaaawwww, she’s adorable!”_ Summer squealed in his mind, the same way one might when faced with a kitten, despite having just woken up alongside Jaune.

****

“Sure thing Pyr… just turn around.” Jaune instructed, after his partner complied, he hefted the brush and got to work.

****

The next few minutes were some of the hardest of Jaune’s life, as he fought a losing battle against the urge to have a heart attack at his partner’s cuteness. Pyrrha’s constant shuffles, squeaks and whimpers as he ran the brush through her soft red hair.

****

However, as he continued with his ministrations, Jaune began to form a plan for something to do today, something that would help both him and Pyrrha.

****

Pyrrha may have been his first girlfriend among all the others, but now it occured to Jaune that he’d never taken her on a… a proper date before. That was something he really needed to do, and what better time to do it than at the Vytal festival, it could help them unwind as well, after all the stress the preparations had heaped upon them, what with training and practicing team combos.

****

“Hey Pyrrha, since there’s nothing going on today, do you… maybe… want to go to dinner with me today?” Jaune asked, a little nervous edge in his voice.

****

Pyrrha stiffened a little in his grasp, a little gasp escaping her.

****

“Oh! R-really? D-dinner with me?” She stuttered, almost as if she couldn’t quite believe her ears. Was Jaune really asking her on a… a date!? “Oh... o-of course! I-I’d love to go to dinner with you today Jaune!” She continued, practically slapping herself internally at her stammering, she was a tournament champion who could take on whole teams without breaking composure or panicking, but now she was stuttering like a schoolgirl in front of her lead-her boyfriend!?

****

_Come on Pyrrha! It’s just dinner… alone… with Jaune. With his strong arms, his soft hair… with his… his firm and chiseled abs- no! NO! Stop that!_

****

Jaune, however, remained oblivious to his partner’s internal panic, and her increasingly lewd thoughts regarding him. “Great! Well, I’m done with your hair now. Perhaps I can pick you up at one today for lunch? Uh… if it’s okay with you, I thought I’d try and find someplace a little fancy for our… first date, so maybe wear something semi-formal?”

****

“Alright Jaune! I look forward to our… to our date!” Pyrrha managed to squeak out amidst the butterflies in her stomach, a date with Jaune? This was perfect! This was what she’d wanted since meeting him!

****

Jaune smiled and nodded. “Heh… okay, me too! I think I’ve still got a spare suit somewhere.”

****

At his mention of a suit, Pyrrha’s mind kicked into overdrive. She needed to get ready! She wasn’t prepared! Luckily, she knew who to turn to in a time like this. Nodding in reply to Jaune and slipping out of her seat, Pyrrha opened their door and stepped out into the hallway, taking a deep and calming breath.

****

Before crossing over to team RWBY’s dorm room and frantically hammering on their door at about a mile a minute.

****

Before long, the door swung open to reveal a groggy yet irate looking Weiss Schnee, she stared up at the blushing and flustered Pyrrha before opening her mouth.

****

“Pyrrha! What are you doing knocking on our door so early in the morning?! What is going on?!” She barked, still a little cranky at being woken up by the Spartan’s frantic knocking.

****

“Hey, is that Cereal Girl there!?” Yang’s voice called back. “Come on Princess, at least let her in before you bite her head off.”

****

Weiss swung the door open and let Pyrrha shuffle her way into the RWBY dorm, Ruby was just waking up, while Blake was up and running a brush through her hair. Yang and Weiss were already up and gazing at the lone occupant of team JNPR, clearly wanting an answer for her early intrusion.

****

“So, P-Money? You wanna clue us in about what’s rustled your jimmies so early in the morn-” Yang began, but didn’t get far before Pyrrha simply blurted it out, unable to hold it in any longer.

****

“Jaune asked me on a date and I need your help to find a dress to wear for our lunch!” She cried out, her blush returning as the thought of the impending date with her beloved leader loomed close.

****

As if a switch had been flipped, the 4 other girls’ expressions flipped; the previously groggy and slightly sleepy Ruby’s eyes shot right open, as did Blake’s and Weiss’, all three of them staring at the Mistral Champion in shock. As for Yang…

****

“Well heeeyy, look at that!” The brawler called happily, draping one arm over Pyrrha’s shoulders and pulling the girl in for a one-armed hug. “Our favourite cereal mascot finally got the date with destiny she’s been fantasising about with her dream man! Way to go, girl! You need help with dressing up, no problem! Just you wait, we’ll get you a dress that shows off enough of that supermodel body of yours that Lover Boy will be fighting not to pitch a tent the whole way through your date.”

****

By the time Yang was finished with her… enthusiastic explanation, Pyrrha whole face had turned a very vibrant shade of pink, especially at that last part. Was she really going to dress up to… _arouse_ Jaune like that!? Did… did she even want to do that, especially since it was their first date! Wasn’t there some sort of rule about… _those_ activities being left to after the third date?

****

“Xiao-Long! We are NOT going to dress Pyrrha up like some kind of… of pin-up girl to satisfy your p-perverted fantasies!” Weiss cried out, the heiress stomping her foot indignantly at her blonde teammate’s outrageous idea. “This is her first date with Jaune, so she should be dress beautifully and _sensibly_!”

****

“You guys are no fun…” Yang complained, though her continued smile suggested that she really didn’t care about the outcome. Then she leaned over and winked at her ponytailed classmate “Don’t worry Pyrrha, all you need to do is rub that sexy, curvy and fit body of yours against him a bit while you’re out, he’ll be putty in your hands before you know it.” This once again got Pyrrha to blush profusely at the idea of seducing her leader like that. At least, until a knock on the door snapped all 5 occupants out of their thoughts and their gazes to the entrance.

****

“I’ll get it!” Ruby called, dashing to the door in a blaze of rose petals, opening it, she found herself staring at her fellow leader and the subject of Pyrrha’s current worry. “Oh, hey Jaune! What’s up?”

****

“Morning’ Rubes, listen… have you seen Pyrrha around anywhere? She sort of… left after I’d brushed her hair and… asked her out. She hasn’t come back yet, so I thought...” the Knight trailed off at that, looking concerned.

  
“Oh don’t worry Jaune, Pyrrha’s right here with us! We’re just getting her ready for your little lunch date today, you just come back in a few hours and we’ll have her all ready for you!” Ruby insisted.

****

“Yeah, and don’t worry about getting her breakfast, we’ll cover that!” Yang’s voice called. “Wouldn’t want you to see the lovely lady before we have a chance to get her all ready for you, now would we, Lover Boy?” She winked at Jaune on that last bit, her lilac eyes alight with amusement.

****

“Um, alright then. I’ll come back later I guess.” With that, Jaune stepped away and began to make his way down the corridor. He might have a lunch date in a few hours, but he wasn’t going to skip breakfast.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

The last hour or so had been tense for Jaune.

****

He had managed to find a half-decent suit and tie from Haven’s team SSSN, specifically Neptune, he’d almost made sure to break into his savings for today. Despite the fact that Pyrrha probably had more lien that she knew what to do with, it was the gentlemanly thing for a man to pay for a meal out and Jaune’s parents had raised him to be a gentleman. That had left him pacing nervously outside team RWBY’s dorm room.

****

Questions flooded his mind as his lingering anxiety over the oncoming lunch date began to surface. Despite all the progress he’d made since coming to Beacon, Jaune’s self confidence issues had not quite vanished yet.

****

_What will Pyrrha be wearing? What if she doesn’t like the place I picked out for her? What if I don’t have enough money to pay for the meal?_

****

_“Jaune, just relax okay. This is Pyrrha’s first date too you know. I’m sure she’s just as nervous and unprepared as you are.”_ The voice of Summer Rose reverberated through his head, at the same time as a wave of calm washed over him. The Huntress was clearly using their mental bond to project her own calm and control onto Juane to stop him freaking out too badly, for which he was grateful.

****

_Yeah… you’re right, I shouldn’t get so worked up about this. It’s only a nice meal out for the both of us… alone._

****

_“Exactly. You’ve been alone with her plenty of times and you’ve not had any problem interacting with her before, why should now be any different? I’m sure that as long as you focus on having a nice time with her, instead of the fact you’re on a date, you’ll both be alright.”_ Summer continued, hoping her words soothed the Knight’s troubled mind.

****

_You really think so? You think this’ll go well?_

****

_“Of course I do, Jaune. After all, it’s you Pyrrha likes, she’s not going on this date to have some nice food, or to see the city or the festival or anything like that, she’s going on this date to spend some time alone with you. As long as it’s you she’s with, I promise you that she’ll be having fun whatever you do or wherever you go.”_ The mother declared.

****

_You… you know, you saying all that makes me think you’ve had… personal experience with this. Is… is this how you felt when Tai took you on dates?_

****

_“Yes, it was.”_ Summer admitted, Jaune could hear the fond and affectionate smile in her voice as she spoke. _“Most of our ‘dates’ in our Beacon years were fairly… mundane. We never really did anything fancy or large-scale. It was mostly just walks around the campus and sitting reading together. But I didn’t care, i was with Tai, so I was happy. At least… until he and Raven began to date anyway”_ There was a note of bitterness in that last sentence.

****

_“After Beacon, most of our time together was spent caring for Yang after… after Raven left. It might not have been most women’s idea of an ideal date… but I didn’t care. I was with Tai, that was what mattered to me. I saw what a wonderful man he was when he looked after Yang, he really stepped up to be there for her, at least after he got over Raven leaving.”_ Summer finished.

****

Before Jaune could reply, or Summer could continue, team RWBY door opened to reveal Yang poking her head out into the corridor. Spotting Jaune, she beckoned him over. “Come on Lover Boy, you’re date’s ready!”

****

“Heh, well with all the time you’ve spent on getting her ready, I’d say it’s about tiiii…” Jaune began to joke, only for his voice to die in his throat, his jaw to hit the floor and his eyes to practically jump out of their sockets as he saw Pyrrha.

****

The Spartan had ditched her regular ponytail, instead tying her hair up in a cute yet messy bun that gave her a very ‘sexy librarian’ appeal, though without the glasses. Her circlet remained in place, which only accented the lovely red dress she had on and the emerald necklace around her collar, which in itself only brought out the emerald flare of her gorgeous eyes even more.

****

It was a simple thing that hugged her body in _all the right ways_ , while revealing absolutely nothing. Jaune may not be able to see anything risque, but he still had to stop himself from drooling at the sight before him, especially since it showed off her curves and athletic form perfectly. Her arms were bare, as were her lower legs, save for the heels encasing her feet. Completing the ensemble was a small fluffy gold scarf draped over her shoulders.

****

Jaune had many moments where he had privately thought of his partner as a beautiful girl, but here and now, faced with this…

****

Pyrrha’s wasn’t beautiful anymore, she was _ethereal,_ she was… a goddess of red and gold.

****

That might’ve been a slight exaggeration, but it was the best description Jaune’s teenaged mind could come up with when looking at the sight before him.

****

“So… how do I look Jaune?” Pyrrha asked, a little shyly, one of her hands rubbing her opposite arm.

****

Jaune’s mouth spoke before his brain could catch up and censor it. “You’re far too beautiful to be human… Gods its like you stepped out of a painting depicting pure beauty and grace and strength or something.” Before he could slap his hand over his mouth, he’d finished his sentence.

****

Pyrrha devolved into blushing and downright adorable stammering immediately, her face looked like it was on fire. “J-Jaune! D-don’t say t-things like that… I-I’m not some Goddess or something…”

****

Once again, Jaune’s traitorous mouth decided it wanted to stick his foot in it as much as possible. “Well then you should be! You should be an angel… you’re so beautiful and kind and perfect in every way… what sort of good karma did I get to have someone like you in my life?”

****

This was when Summer decided to chime in, _“wow… you really don’t do half-measures when you praise someone, do you Jaune?”_

****

In an eerie echo of her non-quite-dead surrogate mother, Yang spoke her mind as well. “Wow Lover Boy… most guys would at least wait till they get to the restaurant before they try and compliment and charm their date’s clothes off, you sure work fast don’t you?” She winked at Jaune, enjoying his stammering denials and Pyrrha’s increasing blush.

****

“A-anyway!” Jaune was proud of the fact that his voice didn’t crack when he spoke next, he offered Pyrrha his hand. “Should we get going, Pyr?”

****

As her blush finally faded, the Champion in question nodded her assent, threading her arm through Jaune’s and falling into step alongside him as they exited the dorm. As they were leaving ,Yang couldn’t resist one last parting shot.

****

“Make sure you’ve got protection you two!” She called out, her cackling drowning out Weiss’ icy tones as the heiress started lecturing the busty brawler about her ‘indecency’. Though neither Jaune nor Pyrrha could hear that, or much of anything, over the sound of their hearts thundering in their chests.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

“That was amazing Jaune. Thank you.” Pyrrha admitted, as she and Jaune made their way back to the dorms.

****

“Thanks Pyr, I’ve never been on a date before so… I wanted to make this nice for you.” Jaune rubbed the back of his head with one hand, the other currently wrapped around his date’s own. He still couldn’t get over how soft her palm was, he could hold it for hours…

****

The date had gone surprisingly well, all things considered, especially since his motion sickness had acted up on the Bullhead ride there. Pyrrha had borne it good naturedly, simply rubbing his back to calm him down. Thankfully, he’d managed to keep the bile down until they’d landed and the dizziness went away.

****

The restaurant he’d picked was a reasonably fancy one, a Mistrali-themed one to make sure that Pyrrha enjoyed the food. They had both ordered a fish-based dish, a staple of Mistral’s traditional diet that they both enjoyed. That had been the perfect conversation starter for the two awkward partners.

****

Jaune’s worries that they wouldn’t be able to talk about anything had been unfounded, the conversation about their food had quickly snowballed into talking about when they first tried fish dishes, which had inevitably been during trips with their families. From there, they talked about their parents and Jaune discussed his sisters, the conversation flowed so easily once they started. It was wonderful, it was a lovely chance for them to deepen their bond, helped along by tasty and filling food and the relaxed atmosphere in the restaurant they chose. The candlelight also helped accentuate Pyrrha’s natural beauty even further, Jaune would admit that he ate his meal much more slowly than he should have, he just couldn’t help but steal glances at his lovely and beautiful partner.

****

When the bill came and they saw how expensive it was, Pyrrha had insisted she pay for half.

****

“I’ve got more lien than i know what to do with, Jaune.” She had insisted. “Please, at least let me pay for half of this wonderful meal.”

****

Jaune had initially been uneasy, his Arc honour refusing to budge. At least until his date had given him her own impression of the puppy dog eyes, despite having never used them before, Jaune still found himself staving off a miniature heart attack at the adorable sight. This was when Summer had interjected to coo at how cute Pyrrha was when she did that.

****

They had taken a detour through the city on their way to the docks, neither of them in any real rush to get back and content to enjoy each other’s company. The conversation from the restaurant had continued easily as the two teens had delved into their pre-Beacon lives. Pyrrha had related her rise to fame and stardom during her time at Signal academy, though she had to pause to sniffle a little at the memories of the social isolation that came with her fame.

****

Jaune had been swift to comfort her, taking her into a tentative hug that the Spartan was quick to accept. To cheer her up, Jaune related stories of his own pre-Beacon ‘career’, consisting mostly of him running around in a cape with a wooden sword declaring himself to be a hero, which sent Pyrrha into giggles and swept away her previous sadness. There was also his sisters’ years long campaign to destroy his masculinity by dressing him up in various dresses and cute onesies to make him look like a girl, which according to them made him look “so kawaii!!”

****

It might have been a blow to his male pride to relate those stories, but it was worth it to see Pyrrha smile and laugh again. She always looked so beautiful when she laughed.

****

So engrossed were the couple in their date, that by the time they decided to return to the academy, the light had begun to fade and the dark was setting in. They were undaunted, simply taking the earliest Bullhead they could back to the academy. Jaune once again held his motion sickness at bay until they landed, which brought them to now.

****

The pair stood outside the door to their room, staring at the note left to them by Ren and Nora informing them that they would be participating in an impromptu game night and sleepover with team RWBY. That meant they would have the dorm to themselves for the night.

****

Now, both of them were aware of the rules governing what was ‘acceptable’ during first, second and third dates.

****

However, both of them were also teenagers with, despite the fact that this was only their first date, quite the yearning to take things as far as they could go.

****

Surprisingly, it was Pyrrha who took the first step. “Jaune, would you… would you like to s-spend the night with me tonight?”

****

“Uh, Pyr. We live in the same dorm, of course I’ll be spending the night with… with...” Jaune trailed off as he saw the expression on his date’s flushed face, and in her emerald orbs.

****

There was hope in those eyes, but more importantly, desire.

****

Desire for him. Here. Now.

****

“Oh.” He whispered, as he finally realised what Pyrrha meant by ‘spending the night’.

****

Pyrrha blinked at him before speaking again. “Jaune… do you want to spend the night with me?” She repeated, some of that hope in her eyes transforming into trepidation as she spoke.

****

Jaune gulped, did he really want to take things so far with his friend, with his partner, so soon?

****

Pyrrha was his first friend here, alongside Ruby. She believed in him, she supported him, she trained him and she helped him when she could. She was his rock, his best supporter and his first girlfriend.

****

And right now, she wanted him to spend the night with her.

****

And right now, Jaune wanted to spend the night with her too.

****

Stepping forward, he took one of her hands in his own and smiled down at her.

****

“Of course I would Pyr.” He said simply, softly. Gently, he took her hand, unlocked their door and led her into their dorm.

****

“S-so… how do you want to… to do this?” Pyrrha asked him. “Should we… kiss a little first, or-mmpphh!” She was cut off as her leader placed his hand on her cheek, leaned forward and captured her lips in his own.

****

They stayed like that, lips pressing together softly and steadily, the two partners reveling in the warmth and heat they felt from each other. Jaune felt as if his heart would explode with how fast it was beating, while Pyrrha felt so light headed she honestly thought she’d faint on the spot.

****

She was kissing Jaune! Finally kissing him properly! That it wasn’t all they’d be doing tonight set her heart ablaze even more. If there was anyone she wanted to give her first time to, it was Jaune Arc. They’d connected so much with their date tonight, all that was left was to make their emotional connection a more intimate and physical one.

****

After a few moments, the panting couple pulled back. No matter how willing they were to kiss for much longer, they still needed to breathe.

****

“Wow…” Jaune admitted.

****

“Wow, indeed.” Pyrrha responded, a smile so bright and happy on her face that it banished all of Jaune’s worries from his mind. He’d promised to make the girls he cared for happy, including Pyrrha, and right now he was going to do just that.

****

“Should we… take this further?”

****

“I’d like that.”

****

“S-should I go first, or…?”

****

“O-okay!” Pyrrha’s response was just a little too enthusiastic, her eyes twinkling.

****

Jaune, despite his embarrassment, began to take his clothes off, folding them neatly in a pile in a corner of the dorm as he did so. The cold air bit at his exposed skin, even as he fingered the hem of his boxers. Taking a deep breath, Jaune pulled them down and stepped out of them, wincing a little as the draft found its way to a… certain part of his anatomy.

****

“Uh… okay Pyr, I-I guess I’m… r-ready.” Jaune turned toward his partner, unable to keep his teeth from chattering a little from the cold. “A-are you going t-to… oh my g-god…”

****

As he finally caught sight of Pyrrha, his voice trailed off, his whole body seemed to heat up at once, and his eyes widened once more. There was only one thing that his teenage mind could focus on.

****

His partner was naked, completely bare, all natural, whatever you wanted to call it. In front of him.

****

Her hair, free from the bun it had been tied up in, cascaded down her bare back like a flaming waterfall. As Jaune’s eyes scanned the entirely of her lovely form, his previous descriptions of her as ‘ethereal’ ‘angelic’ and ‘like a goddess of beauty’ came to mind, except instead of sounding like the exaggerated descriptions of an infatuated teenaged boy, they now sounded like the perfect way to describe his partner.

****

He took in all of it, all of her. The long, slender yet firm legs. The supple and shapely thighs that flared out into sharp, wide and curvaceous hips. The strong and slim stomach, with just the faintest hint of muscle beneath the surface. All leading into an _impossibly large_ bosom, both breasts large enough for more than a handful, perfectly shaped enough to defy gravity and topped with pink nipples that were hardened from her own excitement. From there, her collarbone, her curved and rounded shoulders that, despite the lack of visible muscle, still carried strength in them. Finally he took in her face, her beautiful and alluring face, the small freckles on her cheeks, the bow-shaped lips, the bright emerald of her eyes, the newly formed fringe of red hair that came down to cover her forehead.

****

If that wasn’t enough, Pyrrha chose that moment to give Jaune a little twirl on the spot, allowing him to take in her back as well. As expected, her backside was as perfectly shaped and sculpted as the rest of her, a slightly cruder man might’ve said “you could bounce a coin off those buns” but Jaune held himself back from making such a comment, he respected and cared for Pyrrha far too much to use such a crass description for her. Even her shoulder blades and the small of her back complimented her appearance, that was how wonderful she was.

****

“So… this is me, Jaune. All of me. how do I look Jaune?” Pyrrha’s soft voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

****

His answer was immediate and heartfelt. “You’re perfect.”

****

“I… I’m not perfect.” Pyrrha insisted, lowering her head.

****

“Yes you are, you’re perfect to me Pyrrha. You will-” Jaune paused, forcing the lump in his throat down. “You will _always_ be perfect to me.”

****

Pyrrha’s gaze met his now, green eyes open wide on shock, hand over her mouth. Her eyes were glistening with tears, but the upward twitch of her mouth told Jaune that they were tears of happiness.

****

“You really believe that don’t you?” Her voice was low, but to Jaune she couldn’t have been more clear.

****

With his heart full of naught but love for his partner, Jaune replied.

****

“Of course I do.”

****

Neither of them moved, Pyrrha in particular was still drinking in the euphoria she felt at her partner’s admission.

****

Whenever anyone else called her perfect, it was her combat skill and tournament record, it was the _Invincible Girl,_ they complimented. When Jaune called her perfect, he meant _her,_ Pyrrha Nikos.

****

For a while, the only sound in the room was the heavy breathing of the two teens, both of whom struggled to reign in their overflowing emotions. Until the pressure grew too much for them.

****

Both of them crossed the room together, meeting in the middle. Jaune wrapped his arms around his partner’s lower back, while Pyrrha’s arms found their way to his shoulders. Their lips pressed together once more, with much more passion and intensity than they had previously, after a short while of heavy kissing, Pyrrha parted her lips invitingly. The Knight obliged her, pushing his tongue into her mouth to meet her own, earning a pleased squeak from the Champion as their pleasure climbed further.

****

Completely losing himself, Jaune’s arms lowered themselves down her back to rub against his partner’s backside while pulling her closer still. Pyrrha pushed herself deeper into the embrace in response, her own arms reaching up to wrap themselves around Jaune’s neck and shoulders, while her left calf hooked itself lovingly around Jaune’s legs.

****

Soon, far too soon for their liking, the pair broke apart again, panting a little. Their faces were flushed, their breaths were deep, but their hearts were full and they weren't about to stop for anything. Jaune took a moment to appreciate the excitement the spread through him at the feeling of Pyrrha’s bust pressed _deliciously tightly_ against his chest, while the Spartan instinctively rubbed her hips against her partner’s, the fire in her nethers only growing as she could feel Jaune’s own excitement rubbing firmly against her body.

****

“That was… that…” Jaune practically rasped.

****

“I want to go further, Jaune. Please, don’t stop now.” Pyrrha gasped needily in reply.

****

She was desperate for this. Now that she and Jaune were… _together_ , properly together with no barriers between them, not even clothes, her normal shyness had been swept away in the all-consuming excitement and arousal that their naked makeout session had created.

****

Jaune didn’t reply, he just wrapped his hands under her thighs and lifted her off her feet. Pyrrha gasped in shock, but instinctively wrapped her legs and thighs around Jaune’s waist to steady herself. They continued to kiss as they made their way to Jaune’s bed, so absorbed in their mutual pleasure that Jaune ended up hitting his knees on the wooden edge, sending them both toppling over onto the sheets.

****

Jaune threw his hands out to stabilise himself, catching himself before he hit the bedsheets. Breathing heavily, he gazed down to see his bare partner below him, her chest and breasts heaving alluringly as she panted along with him, her emerald orbs diluted with excitement and anticipation.

****

Aroused and eager as he may be, Jaune still had enough common sense to ask the important question.

****

“Do you… do you have any p-protection?” He couldn’t help but stutter a little.

****

Pyrrha raised her hand to his cheek, smiling brightly through her flushed cheeks and deep breaths. “It’s alright Jaune. We don’t need it. Yang… she gave me some birth control pills earlier. I… I took one before undressing. I can take another one tomorrow morning.” This time, Pyrrha whimpered and squirmed a little in desire before speaking again.

****

“Please Jaune, I’ve been waiting for this for so long… please Juane, make love to me now.”

****

Jaune almost winced a little at how firm and stiff he was, after all the emotional and physical stimulation he’d been through tonight, it felt as if he’d never… _get rid of it._ Though, considering that he was no longer alone, that seemed like an overwhelming plus at this point.

****

He simply nodded at the girl below him with a smile of his own. He wrapped a hand around his own shaft, guiding it slowly downward as Pyrrha spread her legs invitingly.

****

“Aaahh!” Pyrrha cried out a little in shock as Jaune entered her, the blonde himself gasping at the sensations erupting through his body, it was as if he’d been struck by lightning. His partner’s cry caused him to lower himself down to his elbows and cup her face with his right hand.

****

“Are you okay?” Jaune asked breathlessly.

****

“Y-yes.” Pyrrha replied, eyes once more glistening with tears as she turned her affectionate gaze to him. “It just… it hurt a little a first, but it feels amazing Jaune. I promise it doesn’t hurt anymore. Please… make love to me Jaune, make me yours.”

****

Jaune didn’t reply verbally, but pushed his hips forward softly, drawing a grunt from his own lips and a gasp from Pyrrha. Now that the pain had stopped, they quickly began to lose themselves to the growing heat and pleasure, Jaune’s hip thrusts stabilising into a steady rhythm that Pyrrha matched with her own.

****

They had agreed to not break eye contact, their left hands tightly wrapped together. Pyrrha had wrapped herself fully around Jaune by this point, her right arm around his shoulders and her legs around his waist. The sensation of being filled by him, the fire in her nethers and the electricity it sent through her body, was indescribable. She wanted him to go as deep as he could with every thrust, to fill her, to be one with her.

****

For Jaune, the feeling of his partner’s firm and tight inner walls clenching around him as he moved inside her generated unimaginable pleasure, such that his vision was filled with white spots and his breaths become shorter and shorter. His mind struggled to process such stimulation and sensory input all at once, at it showed. But he didn’t want it to stop, he never wanted it to stop.

****

All too soon, however, the young lovers both felt a pressure building inside them. They both knew that this was, they’d been given enough education to know what usually happened during intercourse. Still, neither of them stopped thrusting their by now soaked hips into each other, neither of them made to disentangle themselves, they were too lost in each other to really care.

****

Jaune made to pull out, on pure instinct over what might happen if he finished inside his partner, only to be stopped as Pyrrha tightened her grip on him even further.

****

“I-it’s okay Jaune. I t-took the birth c-control, r-remember? F-finish inside me Jaune, please!” She practically cried, the pleasure causing her to erupt into a loud wail as she finished speaking, which finally drove Jaune over the edge completely.

****

The Knight pushed forward one last time, wrapping his right hand around Pyrrha back to pull her closer, their lips and tongues _slamming_ together in desperate need as they climaxed together. The partners rode the waves of pleasure they felt from the hot and wet sensations erupting in their nethers.

****

Finally, mercifully, that wave ebbed away and the two broke apart. Jaune and Pyrrha spent the next few minutes panting and trying to get their breaths back, the duo’s naked bodies still nestled close and rubbing together. Content azure orbs met satisfied emerald, both of them smiled brightly at each other.

****

“That was… _amazing_ Pyrrha.” Was the first thing Jaune said after getting his breath back.

****

“It was Jaune… I-I really liked it so much. It was wonderful.” Was Pyrrha’s reply.

****

Jaune made to pull himself free of her, only for Pyrrha to tighten her grip once again.

****

“Wait… wait. Please don’t… don’t pull out Jaune. Stay inside me… please?” The Spartan pleaded.

****

“Okay… okay.” Jaune reached over to turn the bedside light off, both of them quickly succumbing to fatigue now that the adrenaline and arousal had drained away.Jaune turned on his side, both arms wrapping around Pyrrha to pull her tightly against himself, her body heat a comfort against the cool night air.

****

As the pair of young lovers wrapped themselves in the covers and began to drift off to slumber, they exchanged some last words.

****

“I love you Jaune… I love you so much.”

****

“I love you too Pyrrha."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello guys! Jack here.  
> Just wanted to tell you guys why I wrote the Jaune x Pyrrha scene the way I did.
> 
> I... dislike swear words during sex scenes. As far as I'm concerned, swearing during intimacy scenes ruins the emotional impact it could otherwise have and that's what I wanted to focus on here.  
> I'm a huge Arkos supporter, always will be, even if it... isn't possible anymore. Jaune and Pyrrha are each others' first loves, both in canon and in this fic, and while canon stopped them developing a relationship this story has given them the opportunity to do that.  
> I wanted their scene to focus on the emotions they feel and how good it is for them, despite it being their first time with anyone. I wanted to show Jaune reacting to seeing Pyrrha like that for the first time, and I wanted Pyrrha to react to someone calling her 'perfect' who isn't talking about her Tournament career.  
> Hopefully, despite my... unorthodox writing methods, you found the smut scene enjoyable nonetheless. I hope I made it titillating enough for you smut lovers out there.
> 
> Well, till the next time readers!  
> Jack.


	31. Confrontations and Revalations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Challenges are made, and old friend returns, and beans are spilled.
> 
> Another mountain of applause, please, for Jack, who wrote 25 plus pages for this chapter.

It was early morning when Jaune blearily opened his eyes, stretching a little within his duvet cocoon to work out the kinks before looking around a little.

****

It was then that he realised that he wasn’t alone, that there was another body in his bed, pressed right up against him. It was when red hair entered his vision that he realised it was his partner Pyrrha currently sharing his bed.

****

Seeing his partner, memories of last night came flooding back into Jaune’s mind. The date, the talk of their family, the leisurely walk back to Beacon, the fun they had. Then… Pyrrha’s proposition for their, ahem, _sleeping arrangements._

****

Including what came afterward.

****

At the memory, Jaune’s face promptly lit up bright red.

****

_Did I... did I really have sex with Pyrrha last night?_

****

“ _Well, considering the dreams you had last night, I’d say a resounding ‘yes’ to that question, Jaune!”_ The _very_ chipper voice of Summer Rose chirped in his mind. _“Did you sleep well? I’m sure after last night’s fun you certainly needed a good night’s rest.”_ The last part held a certain teasing nature that was quickly becoming typical of the Huntress.

****

Jaune was thoroughly unprepared for Summer this early in the morning, and so both jumped and let out a loud cry in shock.

****

_Jesus, Summer! H-how long have you been up?! Wait… were you ‘there’ last night?!_ He quickly started panicking at the implications, at the possibility that his mental passenger had been privy to his and Pyrrha’s… _activities._

****

“ _What?! No! NononononoNO! That’s…thats a major breach of privacy, I would NEVER do that to you! Or anyone!”_ Summer quickly responded, audibly embarrassed. “ _I-I made sure to wall myself off in my… private section of our mind while you went on your date. H-how was it, by the way?”_

****

_Oh… well, the date went well, actually! Very well! We talked… we got to know each other, properly this time! We told each other stories about ourselves, our families and our pasts. It was… nice, fun. Really fun._

****

_“I’m glad to hear that, Jaune.”_  Summer responded softly, a smile audible from her tone. Then she chuckled, speaking again. “ _Looks like Pyrrha’s waking up. Go be a good boyfriend, I’ll be waiting._ ”

****

Jaune turned around, and sure enough, Pyrrha was sitting up slowly, blinking the sleep out of her eyes. Pyrrha noticed him, and smiled, a small blush crossing her cheeks.

  
“H-hey, Jaune. Morning.”

****

“Moning, Pyrrha.” He responded, leaning over a kissing her forehead. She giggled quietly, standing and stretching before remembering she was naked, and letting out an awkward “EEP!” and running to the bathroom with a pair of clean clothes. Jaune chuckled at her embarrassed reaction, but got up and started getting dressed as well.

****

After a minute or two, Pyrrha reappeared from the bathroom, and sitting back down on the bed. Jaune followed suit, now fully dressed for the day.

“Last night was...amazing, Jaune.” Pyrrha finally whispered, looking at him with an adorable smile. “I really hope that we can do it again...n-not specifically the sex! Just the dates. It was...nice.”

****

Jaune smiled back at his first girlfriend, nodding in agreement. “I enjoyed last night too. Not specifically the sex.” he joked, sparking a chuckle between the two. After another munte, Juane stood up, offering Pyrrha his hand.

****

“Well, we should get ready for the day. Any ideas what the others are up to?”

****

Pyrrha shook her head as she took his hand, standing. “Actually, no. Ruby mentioned that they’d be over to visit in the morning…”

  
Right on que, a knock sounded from the door. “Ah, I guess that’s them.” Pyrrha said, walking over to the door and opening it, followed immediately by a stream of confetti and and Nora, holding a sign and wearing a foam finger.

****

“CONGRATULATIONS!” Nora shouted, followed by the rest of the girls entering, all wearing their own smiles. It was then that Jaune read what was on Nora’s sign.

****

**_Congrats on finally booping!_ **

****

Jaune sputtered slightly, the message not lost on him even with Nora’s wording. Pyrrha just laughed, a blush still present on her face. “Thank you, Nora. All of you, I suppose, but how did you know?”

****

“Call it intuition.” Weiss said diplomatically, followed immediately by Yang. “We heard you two last night. That good, huh?”

****

Both Pyrrha’s and Juane’s blush intensified at the comment, while Weiss told Yang to “At least try to be decent this early.” Finally, Ruby spoke up, stepping forward from the doorway.

****

“So, does anyone want to go explore the fairgrounds? I thought it might be a fun activity for us to do in between training.”

****

“That sounds great, Ruby!” Jaune replied, the thought of exploring the grounds and their attraction sounding pretty fun. “Everyone else cool with that?”

****

Everyone agreed enthusiastically, making Jaune smile. “Alright then. Ruby, lead the way!”

\--------

Line Break

\--------

Since the Vytal festival and tournament were fast approaching, many different restaurant chains and stores from all over Remnant had flocked to Vale to set up shop and take advantage of the large numbers of tourists soon to arrive. It was a group decision that taking the time to browse the market and see what was offered would be a good idea.

****

Currently, Jaune was being accompanied by all 7 of his closest friends, plus Neo. Coco and Velvet had tagged along too, but CVFY’s leader had dragged the bunny girl away as soon as she saw a particularly risque store, thought not before ‘subtly’ (ie. so Velvet could hear) informing Jaune that she’d make sure to find something _extra-sexy_ for her and Velvet to wear when they went on dates with him. This predictably caused the Faunus to start ranting at her leader again, not that Coco let that stop her of course.

****

Currently, Jaune found himself sandwiched between two of the ladies who remained. Clutching one arm was his first girlfriend, the ponytailed belle Pyrrha Nikos, while his other arm was occupied by the short and cute mute Neo. Pyrrha’s closeness was easy to explain, since she’d been more… openly affectionate since last night, snuggling up to Jaune whenever possible, though this drew stares from the other girls and a cute yet jealous glare from one Ruby Rose. Pyrrha, however, ignored all of it, content to simply cuddle up to Jaune and sigh happily.

****

Neo was a surprise though. Jaune hadn’t figured her for the ‘touchy feely’ type, but there she was, rubbing up against his arm like an adorable little cat wanting some attention. Jaune was happy to oblige, pulling arm from her grasp to rub her head. Though this earned him a brief look of shock and borderline betrayal from the little ice-cream enthusiast, this quickly turned to a pleased look and cute sigh as his hand started rubbing her hair. Jaune swore that, when he started absentmindedly scratching behind her ear, Neo began to _whimper and purr_ a little like a contented cat and rubbed her head against his side and shoulder.

****

Jaune almost squealed, and Summer actually DID squeal, at Neo’s cuteness. Though a small whisper of “that’s cultural appropriation” from Blake drew his attention to the cat Faunus, she was glaring a little at Neo, her bow twitching a little.

****

Jaune decided that he should defuse a potential fight by finding something for them all to do. A grumble from his stomach told him that perhaps it was a good time to get something to eat.

****

“So girls, who’s hungry?” Jaune asked, receiving enthused nods and hands in air in reply. “Huh… we should probably find someplace to eat, right? What does everyone wan-”

****

“PANCAKES!” Nora yelled out in excitement.

****

“I would be happy with some tea and toast.” Weiss said.

****

“I would too.” Ruby and Lian agreed.

****

“I um… I’d like some fish please.” Blake spoke up.

****

“Whatever’s fine with me, Lover Boy.” Yang punctuated her statement with a flirtatious wink toward the Knight. “Maybe you can give me some breakfast of my own…?”

****

Jaune didn’t really understand what Yang was talking about, but it couldn’t have been all innocent, judging from the way Blake went red and Weiss immediately began lecturing Yang on being ‘indecent’ this early in the morning.

****

“Well… I don’t know if there’s any place that serves ALL of those things, but I guess we’ll find something.” Jaune said, trying to soothe the girls’ differing opinions.

****

“That’s okay fearless leader! We just want to have a nice breakfast with you, we don’t care if we don’t all get what we want!” Nora insisted, a bright smile on her face.

****

“Really, are you sure you’d be happy if you didn’t get pancakes for breakfast.” Rather shockingly, it was Ren of all people who spoke up, a teasing tone in her voice and a sly smile on her face as she addressed her best friend. “Are you sure you could give up pancakes for breakfast _just like that?”_

****

Nora’s bright smile dropped like a ton of bricks at that, as she turned to face Ren with a look of horror on her face.

****

“Don’t even _joke_ about that, Renny.” Nora whispered.

****

“Who said it was a joke?” Ren replied. “I keep telling you that you eat too many pancakes, Nora. You really do need to cut down a little.” The green ninja had slipped into the lecturing, ‘stern-parent’ tone she often adopted when Nora did something wrong or outrageous.

****

“Fine!” Nora huffed, pouting and crossing her arms like a small child.

****

Luckily, Jaune had spotted a stall serving breakfasts, including cereals, toast, sweet pastries and pancakes. It was manned by an old man with grey side hair, whom Jaune swore he’d seen before. He shrugged it off as he led the girls over to order breakfast.

****

Nora, of course, had pancakes. Ruby and Neo both sampled from the sweetest cereal they could possibly find. Lian and Weiss were content with the toast. Yang sampled the pastries with gusto, while Pyrrha ordered some orange juice, sausages and beans. Jaune insisted on paying for them all, since it was his idea in the first place, plus it was the gentlemanly thing to do.

****

_“Well, aren’t you just a real sweetie to them? Especially my little girls.”_ Summer cooed fondly in his mind, approving of his decision. “ _I knew you’d be a good choice for boyfriend material.”_

****

_Whoa! Hold on there Summer. I’ve not even been on a date with them yet, why not wait till I’ve actually had that chance?_

****

_“Call it a mother’s intuition, Jaune. I can tell from your memories that you’re quite the mother’s boy, and quite the caring brother too. That’s never a bad thing when trying to impress ladies, especially with my little Rose and Sunflower. After all… they’ve had a less than ideal family life.”_ Summer continued, a note of regret slipping into her tone at the end.

****

Before Jaune could reply or reassure her, he felt a sudden wetness, combined with heat, on his cheek. Looking over, he saw Pyrrha retreating from his face, a small blush on her face.

****

“I-I just thought that… since you’d been so nice to buy us breakfast like this, that maybe I could thank you with a kiss…” She trailed off with an honest to god _squeak_ that Jaune found adorable, so much so that he leaned over and kissed her on the nose, causing her to recoil and squeal a little a happiness.

****

“Aaawww! That’s so cuuute!” Nora squealed happily. “Look at them Renny, aren’t Jaune-Jaune and Pyr-Pyr just the cutest ever!”

****

Jaune blushed and just laughed Nora’s attitude away, until a “watch this!” came from her general direction, followed by a pair of lips planting themselves on his cheek. Jaune blinked as he realized that Nora had just kissed him, giving him a big smile.

****

“Wha...did you...Nora?” Was all he could formulate as he tried to process what just occurred, all while Ren told Nora that she just broke their leader, all while Summer cackled in the back of his head, amazed by how easy it was to break his focus. On the other side of the stall, team RWBY enjoyed their food, while Yang texted someone on her scroll. This eventually gained the attention of her teammates, who grew curious as Yang sent her message, a wide grin on her face.

****

“Uh, Yang? What are you so smiley about?” Ruby asked, slightly nervous. While she loved her sister, Yang also tended to be a bit...mischievous.

  
“Oh, I just asked Ol’ P-money if we could have a little...contest, let’s say.” Yang responded cryptically, drawing a eye roll from Blake.

  
“What kind of contest, Yang?” She asked impatiently, interrupted by the ding of a return message on Yang’s scroll. Yang read whatever it was, and her smile grew as she gave Pyrrha and Nora a thumbs up from across the table.

  
“Oh, just a little contest to see who can make Jaune blush the most with a kiss.”

****

Weiss promptly spit her tea out, followed by Neo crushing the spoon she was using. Ruby’s face flushed, but she also looked excited at the prospect. Blake just smiled, and leaned over.

  
“Sounds promising. Any specifics we should know?” she asked, drawing an incredulous look from Weiss. Neo was also listening when Yang began to list the restrictions.

****

“First, only kissing. Nothing fancy. Second, you can only touch his cheeks or hair, nothing below the belt. Disappointing, I know.” she commented with a mock sigh. “And third, everyone gets one. Pyrrha and Nora already used theirs, so now it’s us, Neo, and Ren.”

****

Blake let out a hum of acknowledgment, nodding in confirmation. “Alright, so who goes first?”

****

“Are we seriously discussing this?!” Weiss hissed, only to be met by surprised stares.

****

“Uh, yeah. Why, do you wanna go first?” Yang asked, smirking at the heiress’s red cheeks. Weiss opened her mouth to retort, but paused, thinking for a moment. Technically speaking, **shouldn’t** she go first? Besides Ren, she was the only one who hadn’t kissed Jaune yet, so shouldn’t she go first?

****

“Y-yes, I do, actually!” Weiss declared, content with her self explanation. Yang arched an eyebrow, but her smile didn’t waver.

****

“Than please, show us how it’s done.” she said, gesturing to Jaune, who was completely oblivious. Weiss felt a stab of nervousness, but quickly quelled it as she marched over to Jaune, who finally took notice of her.

****

“Oh, hey Weiss. Do you need something?” He asked innocently, clearly still oblivious. Weiss felt her face warm up a bit, but smiled nonetheless.

****

“I just wanted to thank you for such a lovely meal.” She replied, taking another step forward as Jaune closed his eyes and laughed.

****

“No problem, I’m just glad you enjo-” he started, before being interrupted by the feeling of warm lips meeting his. The kiss was only a few seconds long before Weiss drew back. Jaune gawked at the white-haired girl, whose normal composure was now nowhere to be seen, her face flushed and her speech quick.

****

“Um, yes. Thank you. F-for this great meal. Ahem.”

****

With that, Weiss quickly strode back to her seat, followed by Yang cackling as she did so. Jaune turned and looked at at Pyrrha questioningly, who just smiled and said, “She must have really enjoyed her meal!”

****

Throughout the rest of their time at the fairgrounds, the girls all gave their own kisses to the clueless knight. Neo gave him one after he won her a stuffed animal at game stall, Ren kissed his cheek when he offered to buy her a emerald bracelet she was eying, and Ruby gave him one while they were looking a parts for Crescent Rose at another stall.

****

He finally started to catch on after Yang kissed him for giving her a lilac flower he found that matched her eyes. Despite being a blushing mess, he was still able to notice what she was saying to the other girls.

****

“And that is how you do it, ladies.” She said with a smirk, slapping her sister’s hand in celebration. “It’s down to Kitty-cat.” Right on cue, Blake walked over to Jaune, who jumped as she tapped his shoulder.

****

“O-oh! Hey, Blake…” he said, still blushing from Yang’s kiss.

****

“Hey Jaune.” She replied nonchalauntly, moving him away from the group slightly. “Are you enjoying yourself?”

  
“Yeah, I’d say that I am.” He responded hesitantly. “...hey, Blake?”

****

“Yes, Jaune?”

  
“Why are you all kissing me?”

****

“Yang proposed a contest to see who could make you blush the most with just a kiss.”

****

“Oh...who’s winning?”

  
“At the moment? Yang.”

  
“Heh, y-yeah. I guessed as...wait, at the mom-”

****

Jaune was cut off as Blake’s lips crashed into his, pushing him against the fair side of a stall, out of view. Jaune expected it to be short, like the others, but his mind went blank as he felt Blake’s tongue enter his mouth, and begin twiring with his own. The next half a minute seemed to pass in a second, but that didn’t stop both parties from feeling the passion that occurred as a result. As they seperated, panting, their eyes met. Cobalt and amber watched each other, full of hope, of love.

****

**Of lust.**

****

“Well, looks like Blake beat us this time.”

  
Both Jaune and Blake blinked and turned and saw the rest of their friends standing there, a series of expressions on their faces. Yang, Nora, and Neo looked impressed, Ruby,Weiss, and Pyrrha were all blushing crazy, and Ren was just smiling. While Jaune continued to blush, Blake seemed to regain her composure, shrugging and simply agreeing.

****

“Let’s  just say it was a mutual victory for the two of us. So, you mentioned a Menagerie stall?”

  
Yang grinned again, and nodded to her faunus partner. “Sure did! Follow me!” With that, the rest of group followed her, marching towards the western side of the grounds, all accept Jaune and Weiss. Jaune finally caught his breath, and started to follow his friends, but was stopped when Weiss grabbed his hand.

****

“Jaune. I...I need to ask a favor.” She said, her voice quiet and composed, but also laced with subtle emotion. Jaune took one look at her cool blue eyes before nodding, his attention going straight to her.

****

“Of course. What do you need?”

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

“Thank you for agreeing to come with me to meet my sister, Jaune.” Weiss said, as they both stood near the docking platform, waiting for Winter’s Bullhead to arrive. “I appreciate this favour.”

****

“Weiss, this doesn’t need to be a ‘favour’ or anything.” Jaune insisted. “You’re my girlfriend now, well… one of them, I’d be happy to do this with no strings attached.”

****

The heiress blushed a little at that, but continued on.

****

“N-nonetheless! Schnees always repay a favour or debt, as will I once this is done. That is _non-negotiable_.” She replied, stressing that last part when Jaune made to open his mouth in protest again.

****

“Alright then.” He demurred. “So… what’s Winter like, then?”

****

“Ah! Winter is, well… she is an excellent older sibling. I have always strived to follow her path by becoming a Huntress, to prove myself worthy and to prove her faith in me as children was no misplaced. She was, and still is, an excellent role model for me.” Weiss practically gushed as she spoke of her sister.

****

Jaune smiled as she spoke, this was classic big sister-worship right here, he should know since he indulged in it frequently when he was younger, especially when they began training to be Huntresses. He’d never stop talking the ear off of anyone who would listen that he had a family of ‘Superheroes and monster slayers’, it sounded as if Weiss had one something similar for Winter.

****

Jaune’s thoughts were interrupted by a muted roar of the engines of a Bullhead. Looking up, he saw one descending through the sky to land on the platform in front of them. It was sleek and shiny, looking well-maintained and fitted with the latest technology. On the side, the hull was marked with the insignia of the Atlas Military.

****

“She’s here!” Weiss yelped, straightening out her skirt and smoothing her ponytail, fussing hurriedly over her appearance. Jaune honestly hadn’t seen her this concerned before.

****

“Hey Weiss, calm down. You look just fine, I promise.” He soothed, though the heiress remained sceptical.

****

“CAW! CAW!”

****

Jaune was distracted from soothing Weiss’ anxiety further by the loud cawing of a nearby crow, perched on top of one of the nearby lights. As Jaune turned to regard the bird, he idly wondered why a single crow would fly here without a flock.

****

He flinched a little when the crow turned to regard him with one eye, it almost felt like that crow was staring at him, not the way an animal or avian would.

****

The way a person would.

****

The doors to the Bullhead opened, drawing Jaune’s attention to it once more.

****

Out of the Bullhead stepped a woman, flanked by a sextet of Atlesian robots, all holding assault rifles and bearing the insignia of the Atlas Military on their chest plates. These must be the newest ‘Knights’ that he’d heard about the news, the Kingdom of Atlas’ latest model to add to their mechanical forces.

****

Weiss had already started moving toward the woman, forcing Jaune to jog a little at first to catch up. As they neared and he got a closer look, he could quite plainly see the similarities between her and Weiss.

****

They both possessed the same snow-white hair, though Winter’s was done up into a tight and formal bun instead of Weiss’ off-center ponytail, she was taller than Weiss by a good deal, standing at least a foot taller, maybe more. She wore the usual attire of the Atlesian Specialists, with a scabbard at her side holding a rapier similar to Weiss’ Myrtenaster. Jaune could certainly see just from that alone the influence that Winter had on Weiss, she truly did idolise her big sister, not unlike Jaune himself had when he was younger.

****

“Winter! So good to see you.” Weiss greeted her sister formally, actually curtsying, though the tremor in her voice betrayed her excitement at seeing her sister again.

****

“Weiss. It is good to see you too, you must tell me how you’ve getting on while staying here at Beacon.” Winter’s tone was formal and clipped, to most people she might have seemed aloof, but Jaune knew better. As the sisters slipped into conversation about Weiss’ time at beacon thus far, Jaune began to remember the similarities between Winter and his own siblings.

****

Winter was just keeping up her appearances in public, acting the part of Altas Specialist first and older sister second. He had seen this routine before in his own siblings when they began to train as Huntresses. They weren’t as affectionate in public with him anymore, but made up for that in private with hugs and kisses to the forehead, while also explaining that they needed to keep up the image of ‘composed professional’ when out and about.

****

It seemed Winter did the same, no doubt she would open up once she and Weiss were alone. Jaune was forced to refocus on the conversation when the elder Schnee turned to him.

****

“Well, while I am glad to hear you’ve been both surviving and thriving at this academy, I must ask Weiss… who is this friend of yours?” Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly as they focused on Jaune.

****

_Ah boy, here it comes… the sibling interrogating the boyfriend._ Part of him was worried about what Winter, an Atlesian Specialist, would be able to do if she disapproved of his association with Weiss.

****

His mind was filled suddenly with the voice of Summer Rose. _“Don’t worry Jaune, I’m sure that Winter will approve of you and Weiss once she sees what a lovely gentleman you are. After all, you’ve already got the approval of this mother!”_ Jaune could hear the playful wink that accompanied that last part.

****

“Oh!” Weiss jumped a little, but recovered quickly. “Winter, this is my friend Jaune, a fellow student here at Beacon.”

****

“Oh? Is this ‘Jaune’ a member of your team? Team ‘RWBY’ if I recall?” Winter asked, her eyes still turned toward Jaune.

****

“No no no! My team is composed of 3 other young ladies like me. Jaune here is a member of team JNPR, a fellow first year team.” Weiss explains, now looking a little nervous as Winter’s gaze _refused_ to leave Jaune.

****

“I see… Weiss, what exactly is your ‘association’ with this young man? I find it difficult to believe that you would bring a mere ‘friend’ to meet with me without also bringing your teammates as well.” Winter asked, now leaning a little closer to Jaune. “What exactly are your intentions regarding my sister, _Mister Jaune?”_

****

“WINTER!” Weiss cried out, startling both Jaune and Winter. Weiss looked instantly guilty and mollified at her outburst. “I-I apologise for my outburst. But I promise you that Jaune has no ill-intentions toward me. He… he has been nothing but a gentleman and a reliable friend for the majority of my time here. Besides my team, I… don’t think I could ask for a more loyal friend than him.”

****

A light blush was staining the young heiress’s cheeks as she finished, bowing her head slightly. Jaune was pleasantly surprised that she was willing to defend him like that to her older sister, while Winter was positively _shocked_. Weiss had never spoken so brazenly to her before, or so passionately in the defense of another.

****

Winter turned her eyes toward Jaune again, there must be something truly special about this boy if Weiss was willing to… _speak up_ so passionately in his defense. Perhaps… no… could it be?

****

“Weiss.” Winter started, suddenly feeling a little nervous at asking her sister such an… intimate question. “I have a question for you, and please answer as honestly as possible.”

****

“Of course sister. What is it?” Weiss tilted her head curiously, the gesture reminding Winter of the time a younger and cuter Weiss would do that when talking to her, the memory was heartwarming enough that the elder Schnee could not help but smile inwardly. She truly was proud of how far her little sister had come in her journey to prove herself and escape their father.

****

Before Winter could ask, a loud crash and the sound of tearing metal interrupted her, along with a loud shout of “HEY” to accompany it.

****

The sound was shocking enough for Jaune, but this was only amplified when Summer’s voice resounded in his head again. This time though, the Huntress’ voice was not playful, or inquitive, or sad, or even angry.

****

_“O-oh… my Gods. Qrow…?”_

****

No, Summer sounded honestly, utterly _shocked_.

****

Turning toward the sound of the clanking, Jaune could see that one of the six droids that had accompanied Winter were on the ground, head separated from its body. Standing between them with one of the droids in his other hand was a man, dressed in dark trousers, a light grey button-up suit and a… cape? Was that a ratty CAPE on the man’s back!? Yes it was! Also… that was a HUGE sword he was carrying around, you could cleave someone in half with that thing!

****

_“Oh wow… it really is him! He’s still here! I can’t believe it… at least he’s been doing okay, still fighting the good fight as always.”_ Summer’s voice resounded in Jaune’s mind, the shock replaced with a flood of relief and affection for the man.

****

_Wait-wait-wait! THIS is the ‘Qrow’ you told me about? You old teammate Qrow? The guy who wore a SKIRT to class Qrow? Yang and Ruby’s UNCLE QROW!?_

****

_“Yes, that’s him. Though what he’s doing attacking Atlas military’s property like this… I mean, he was always a little reckless but…”_ Summer trailed off as the man, now identified as Qrow, began to speak.

****

“Yeah… I’m talkin to you, _Ice Queen.”_ He leered at the trio, while throwing the headless remains of one of the droids aside, swaying a little on his feet as he did so. The act caused a rather sour scent to catch in Jaune’s nostrils, and he immediately scrunched his face up.

****

_“Hang on… has he been drinking? Is he drunk RIGHT NOW?! QROW!!” Summer practically shouted, the affection and relief how replaced by indignant anger._

****

The remaining droids began to advance slowly toward Qrow, weapons raised, until Winter’s call of “Halt!” stopped them in their tracks.

****

“Excuse me!” Weiss’ own voice rang out, shocking Jaune as she proceeded to walk _right up_ to Qrow. “Do you have any idea who you’re talking to!?” Her indignant question was met with Qrow’s hand directly on her face as a reply.

****

“Shh, shh, shh.” The man practically leaned over her as he replied. “Not you.”

****

With that, he pushed Weiss aside, completely ignoring her cry of “hey!” before turning his gaze to her sister, who narrowed her eyes at him in return.

****

“You.” He stated, simply, though with a noticeable slur to his words present.

****

_“Oh. My. Gods. He IS drunk! He’s drunk and destroying Atlas property! Why!? I knew you could be reckless Qrow, but this is just beyond anything you’ve done before! I can’t believe you’re drinking again! What sort of example does that set for Yang, for RUBY!? I thought you knew better than that, Qrow!”_ Summer continued her rant inside Jaune’s mind, sounding very much like an angry and exasperated parent in the process, though with everything going on in front of him it was difficult for Juane to fully pay attention.

****

Another loud cawing snapped Jaune to attention. This time, it was coming from what looked to be a Raven perched on a nearby light post, which cawed twice before jumping off and flying away.

****

“Saw that gaudy ship o’ yours in town, guess you’re here too.” Qrow continued.

****

“I’m standing right before you.” Winter’s response was immediate and no-nonsense.

****

Qrow leaned forward and squinted in her direction for a few seconds before he responded.

****

“So it would seem.”

****

“You realise you just destroyed Atlas Military property.” Winter stated, though with a noticeable aggressive edge in her voice.

****

Qrow blinked and looked around at the remains of the combat droids he had destroyed earlier, before adopted a look of faux-apology, raising his hands up.

****

“Oooh. Oooh I’m sorry.” Even Jaune could tell that was bullshit. “You see, I mistook this for some kind of… sentient garbage.” He capped it off with a cheeky smile at the Specialist.

****

“I don’t have time for your immature games… _Qrow.”_ Winter snapped back.

****

_“Oh, so he’s done this before, has he?! What kind of trouble has that irresponsible… drunken… HOOLIGAN been getting up to while I’ve been gone!?”_ Summer screeched mentally, still enraged at finding out about her former teammate’s alcoholism.

****

“Wait… you two know each other?” Weiss asked, having made her way back to Winter’s side.

****

“Geeze… you Atlas Specialists think you’re so… _special_ , don’t you?” Qrow accused.

****

“It’s in the _title_.” Winter replied tersely, obviously frustrated with the man already.

****

“Well you know what you _really_ are? A bunch of sellouts! Just like your boss…” Qrow narrowed his eyes.

****

“I’m not sure what you _think_ you’re implying, but I’ve heard _enough._ ” Winter almost snarled out her reply, her irritation and frustration morphing into barely suppressed rage.

****

“Oh, I heard too. Heard how old Ironwood tried to poach one of Ozpin’s students for a little pet project of his.” Qrow sneered. “What’s the matter, Ice Queen? Can’t find enough brainwashed patriots from your own school?”

****

“Wait, Ozpin? Bu-” Weiss began, but was cut off as Winter pushed her to the side.

****

“Weiss, it’s time for you to go.”

****

“Listen to big sister, Weiss. She’ll protect you. Just like Atlas is gonna protect all of us! Heh.” Qrow smirked once more at the Specialist.

****

“If you can’t hold your tongue, then I will _gladly remove it for you.”_ Winter snapped, unsheathing her rapier and pointing it at Qrow, who simply smirked and slicked back his hair in reply.

****

“Alright then… come take it.”

****

For a moment, it looked as if the two were about to come to blows, until the muted roar of what sounded like an engine interrupted them. This was quickly followed by both Winter and Qrow’s scrolls buzzing.

****

Before they began to blast the song “Shoot to Thrill” at full volume in conjunction with a loud, confident and _very familiar_ voice erupting from the speakers.

****

“Hey there, Snow Angel. You miss me?”

****

This was followed by what looked to be a flying suit of armor rocketing down toward the path, it twisted in the air to make a near perfect three-point landing, engaging foot-mounted thrusters to slow its descent. As it moved to make a perfect three-point landing beside Winter, it held out of of its palms toward Qrow, which began to glow and emit a high-pitched whine.

****

As the armored figure landed, a beam of bright bluish-white light erupted from the extended palm, slamming into Qrow and knocking the shocked Hunter on his back. The armor stood up and stared down at Qrow, who was scrambling to his feet and unsheathing his greatsword. The armor responded by opening up a veritable arsenal of weapons; wrist-mounted lasers, shoulder rockets, what looked like a fucking _gatling gun_ on its back, and of course charging those palm-blasters again.

****

“Make a move, bird brain.” The armor intoned, the voice now clearly male.

****

Qrow grunted in annoyance, reluctantly sheathing his sword again.

****

“Good move. So… what’s going on between you two then Snow Angel?” The armored man turned to face Winter, an affectionate quality entering his voice as he spoke.

****

Much to Weiss’ shock, it was Winter’s turn to redden slightly. “I had the situation very well in hand.”

****

“Oh yeah, I saw that. There you were about to fight the drunkest asshole I’ve ever met. Good job ‘handling the situation’ there.”

****

“Well, at least I didn’t ACTUALLY attack the man. You decided to make your grand entrance by blasting him in the chest! Do you have to go for such… needless theatrics!?” Winter huffed angrily.

****

“Ah, cmon! It was worth it to put bird boy here in his place! The guy totally started it, I just ended it. Besides, you didn’t think I was just gonna let him stand there and talk to you like that, did you Snow Angel?” Once again, Winter blushed a little at the nickname, causing Weiss and Jaune’s jaws to sink further to the floor.

****

“V-very well. Thank you for your timely assistance.” Winter replied, her cheeks still slightly pink.

****

“Anytime. So, you gonna introduce me to the kiiii….” His voice trailed off as his eyes came to rest on Jaune. “Well, how about that. Small world after all, isn’t it!? Heya buddy!”

****

The sudden jovial tone the armoured man took with him was a little jarring for Jaune, as well the man patting him on the shoulder.

****

“Uh… do I know you? I mean, you seem familiar but I just can’t place you.” Jaune admitted.

****

“Wow… was I really so forgettable in your eyes, old buddy old friend old pal? I’m shocked, completely shocked.” The man actually _flinched,_ mock-hurt in his voice. “Still, let me ask you this, you been taking care of Destiny for me Jaune?”

****

Now it clicked, there was only one person Jaune knew who not only had a weapon named ‘Destiny’, but had given that weapon to him.

****

“Daniel?”

****

The faceplate of the armor whirred as it slid back, to reveal the grinning face of his old friend.

****

“Long time no see, eh Jaune?”

****

“Wow! Look at you!” Jaune cried out in amazement. “I mean, what the hell is that armor? It’s like a walking armory, and it can fly!? You NEED to show this to Ruby, she’ll probably make you her new hero or something!”

****

Daniel simply smirked good-naturedly in response.

****

“Well, always happy to have more fangirls, just as long as she doesn’t drool on it, we’ll be just fine. To answer your other question, ‘this armor’ is the latest shiny new tech fresh out of Atlas’ MIlitary labs! They call it the ‘Guardian’, it’s supposed to turn a man into a one-person army. And guess who gets to field test it?” He jabbed thumbs to himself, flashing another smirk as he did so.

****

“So, you’re the test driver for this? That’s awesome! But… how does it run properly? All those weapons and fancy gadgets must need a heck of a lot of power!” Jaune was a little giddy, not just from seeing his old friend again, but also at finding out how his armor worked.

****

He chalked it up to spending too much time around Ruby.

****

“Well, you see this little light here?” Daniel pointed to his chestpiece, which upon inspection Jaune saw was emitting a bright whitish-blue glow.

****

“Yeah?”

****

“That is the OTHER tech marvel the lab boys developed. They call it the Aura Reactor, or the Apollo Reactor after the project that created it. It WAS meant to be used to support Hunters in the field, but the developers found it could be used as a power source for certain armor suits like this one, though it had to be a pilot-assisted suit so that the Reactor could synch with the pilot’s Aura.”

****

Jaune raised his eyebrow at that, the same Reactor that Ironwood had wanted him to test out was now powering Daniel’s new armour?

****

“It was the perfect match really, especially since the guy Ironwood wanted to recruit to test the Apollo Reactor pulled out, so he called me up to take his place and test the Guardian at the same time!”

****

This got Jaune thinking. He hadn’t rejected Ironwood’s proposal, though. He was still thinking about it! Why would Ironwood assign another tester before he’d even made his choice? Oh well. At least he didn’t need to make that decision anymore.

****

“Heh… funny story about that.” Jaune began.

****

“Yeah?” Daniel looked interested.

****

“Well… I was the guy Ironwood wanted to test the Aura… er-the _Apollo_ _Reactor_. I hadn’t made a decision, but I guess he didn’t want to wait to test it, so he let you do it instead.” Jaune admitted, earning a shocked look from his friend.

****

“Huh… what the hell?!” Daniel sounded more than a little pissed off. “You telling me old Iron-dome didn’t even let you make a decision before he shafted you out?! Wow… I knew he could be a douche at times, but jeez!”

****

“Daniel!” Winter cried. “That is your superior officer!”

****

“C’mon Snow Angel! The guy ripped my friend off, I think I’m allowed to be a little pissed on his behalf! Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a repulsor blast to introduce him to!” Daniel growled, turning on his heel before Winter stepped in front of him.

****

“I cannot let you do that.” She said, her face set between determined and uncertain.

****

“Oh really? Respectfully, Winter?” Daniel said, his tone still tense. “What exactly are you going to do to stop me?”

****

Winter sighed, grumbling about how much she hated when he acted like this before leaning forward and kissing Daniel on the lips. At this point, Weiss could not be more shocked, and Jaune was right beside her. As Winter drew back, Jaune got a look at his friend’s face, which was now bright red, but not from anger.

****

“Right. Yeah. No murder, got it.” Daniel managed, walking over to Qrow and helping him up. “You doing ok, Robin hood?”

****

“...Gods, I think I’m gonna be sick.”

  
“Sounds about right.” Daniel groaned as Qrow turned around and immediately began puking. Jaune’s attention was pulled away from the disgusting sight by a pair of familiar voices.

  
“Jaune! What the hell happened?!” Yang shouted as she, the rest of team RWBY and JNPR, and Neo arrived. This was followed by Pyrrha grabbing him by his shoulders and looking him over. “Are you alright? We heard something big fly in and then…”

  
She trailed of as she noticed Daniel, who was patting Qrow’s back comfortingly. Daniel noticed the girls and smiled, looking to Jaune with a broad grin. “Well look at that. The gang’s all here.”

****

“Yes, yes. It’s good to see your friends all together.” Winter said, clearly still a bit irritated. “Now Weiss, as for my question earlier. Are you...dating Mr. Jaune?”

****

A brief period of silence fell over the group as all the girls looked at eachother, and Jaune gulped. _Well, better now anyways._

  
“I can answer that, actually, ma’am.” He said carefully, noting that Qrow had now recovered and was alongside the two Specialists. “She is my girlfriend...as are the rest of her team, my team, and three other girls.”

****

Winter was the first to answer, after opening and closing her mouth for a few moments, she managed squeak out a reply.

****

“What…? Y-you are… d-dating my sister… a-and o-other girls a-as w-well?” The Specialist stuttered out as her mind crashed to a halt, unable to comprehend what she was hearing. Weiss had told her Jaune was a gentleman and loyal to her, yet here he was dating not one, not two, not even THREE, but TEN WHOLE WOMEN AT ONCE!?

****

Winter.exe has now stopped working, would you like to send an error report?

****

While Winter was trying to process just how… indecent and _scandalous_ such a reality was, Daniel was the next to respond.

****

“Heh… wowee! Good joke buddy, but c’mon! Docking points for originality there pal, everyone knows the old ‘I’ve got a harem!’ thing has been done to death already.”

****

Jaune turned to face his friend.

****

“It isn’t a joke Daniel. I mean… it’s crazy, but it’s real. I love all of them, they all love me back. I don’t want to have to choose between making one of them happy and breaking the others’ hearts, so I want to try and make them all happy. I know it’ll take a lot of work, A LOT, but it’ll be worth it knowing I made their lives better.”

****

As he’d been talking, the girls had all crowded around Jaune to envelop him in one large group hug, placing kisses on his cheeks when they could. Ruby and Neo especially had latched into his arms while Pyrrha hugged his chest.

****

After a few moments of silence, Daniel spoke up again.

****

“Jesus christ… y-you’re not fucking with me, are you? You actually got all these girls to fall in love with you?”

****

“No, I’m not, and they did.” Jaune replied.

****

“Heh… wow. I mean, I knew you had a way with women Jaune, but I never expected you to find a goddamn harem while I was away!” Daniel grinned like a maniac. “So, a question from one guy, to another. Answer as honestly as you can.”

****

“Uh, sure. What’s the question?” Jaune asked, a little taken aback at the intensity of Daniel’s stare.

****

“Right, so here it is… have you banged any of them yet?”

****

Jaune promptly started coughing in shock.

****

“S-say what!?”

****

“Jaune, Jaune, Jaune! You are literally living every man’s fantasy here, and some women’s! Okay, your intentions are more honestly romantic than manipulatively sex-obsessed, but COME ON! You’ve got ten girls here all thirsty for you! You’ve seriously not had even ONE of them!?” Daniel cried out, completely disregarding the massive blushes on the face of every girl present.

****

“NO!!”

****

Winter.exe has successfully restarted.

****

“No!” the Specialist cried out, rounding on her younger sibling with a manic look in her icy eyes. “I forbid it! I forbid you from giving your… your virginity to this… this manipulative deviant!”

****

“Winter!” Weiss cried out yet again, raising her voice to her elder for the second time that day. “Jaune is MY boyfriend, and if I decide to… t-to give him my virginity, then surely that’s MY choice!”

****

“B-b-but… but…” Winter stuttered, her still rebooting mind unable to handle her sister’s defensive attitude regarding the apparent deviant.

****

“Hell yeah!” Yang cried out, stepping forward. “Sorry Ice Queen 2.0, but if Weiss-cream here wants to ride the D’Arc all night long, then that’s really her decision, right? Hell, I wouldn’t mind having some of that myself sometime soon.” She winked flirtatiously at Jaune.

****

“Just you wait Lover Boy… Cereal Girl over there’s got nothing on what I can do to you.”

****

THAT got Daniel’s eyes to rocket open.

****

“H-holy shit! Of all the girls you could’ve chosen, and you banged the Tournament Champion over there!?” He actually laughed raucously, a triumphant grin on his face as Pyrrha and Jaune both began blushing bright red. “Jesus christ! How was it, you gotta tell me! Please please please…!?”

****

“W-what? N-no! I’m not going to tell you about what Pyrrha and I did, that’s private!” Jaune cried out indignantly.

****

“Um… actually, it really wasn’t.” Ruby admitted, her own cheeks flaring up even brighter.

****

…

****

“W-what?” Jaune and Pyrrha both managed to choke out in unison.

****

“U-uummm, well… it turns out the walls of our dorms are actually quite thin, so…” Ruby trailed off, uttering a small ‘meep’.

****

_“Oh dear. Well… I suppose it was bound to happen eventually. I know that Tai and Yang always thought they could keep Ruby ‘safe’ from everything dirty in the world, but she was bound to grow up eventually.”_ Summer voice chimed in with her comment on the situation.

****

“Oh Gods…” Jaune groaned, slapping a hand over his face.

****

“Y’know, funnily enough that was one of the things we DIDN’T hear last night.” Yang commented, a smirk plastered solidly over her face. “We did hear lots of moaning and grunting though. Plenty of shaking too. Gotta say… I can’t wait for MY turn with that ‘sword’ of yours, Lover Boy.”

****

“NO.”

****

A gruff and stern voice, absolutely dripping with barely suppressed rage, rang in their ears.

****

“U-uncle Qrow?” Ruby squeaked out. Normally, seeing her uncle would’ve been a treat for her! But now… with now angry he seemed to be, angry at Jaune specifically, she was a little scared.

****

“Sorry kid… but if you think I’m letting you get anywhere _near_ my nieces _ever again,_ then you’re even more of a fucking idiot than I thought.” The man snarled, unsheathing his blade and pointing it squarely at Jaune.

****

Ruby gasped a little.

****

_“Oh no.”_

****

_What? What is it?_ Jaune asked the spirit in his head.

****

_“No matter what happened back then, no matter how bad things were or how terrible a day he’d had, one thing Qrow never did was swear in front of them.”_

****

_But he just did, why would he… do that… now?_ Even as he ‘spoke’, Jaune could feel a sinking feeling building in his stomach.

****

_“Because he’s angrier than I’ve ever seen him, Jaune. In his mind… you’re the one who wants to… defile his nieces, he can’t allow that.”_

****

_What!? But I… I don’t want to defile them!_

****

_“It doesn’t matter what you want, what matters is what he thinks, and he thinks you’re a threat.”_ For the second time that day, Summer’s tone was unlike any Jaune had heard before, it wasn’t casual or shocked or angry or sad or happy or even playful, it was all business and very serious. For Jaune, that really only meant one thing.

****

_You… you want me to FIGHT QROW!?_

****

_“We may not have a choice Jaune.”_

****

_BUT HE’LL KILL ME! He’s a fully trained Hunter, I’m barely trainee material, he’ll wipe me across the floor!_

****

_“I know Jaune, you don’t really stand a chance…”_

****

_Then… what are we-_

****

_“But I do.”_

****

_What?_

****

_“Let me fight in your place Jaune. Let me take over, I can fend Qrow off as long as need be.”_ Summer insisted.

****

_Are you crazy?! I mean, you might have been able to do this BEFORE you became a spirit in my head, but you’d be fighting with my body! I mean… that’s a pretty big handi-_

****

_“JAUNE. I’ve been watching you fight, I’ve also practiced on my own in the mindscape when you were busy. I’ve practiced with my old weapons and your own. Please, I CAN fight Qrow. Besides…”_ Some of her playfulness seeped back into her voice now. _“If anything, Qrow needs this handicap more than I do, I wouldn’t want the fight to be over too fast.”_

****

_Y-you’re serious aren’t you? You… are you really that RIDICULOUSLY GOOD!?_

****

_“I’m a Silver-Eyed Warrior Jaune. We were born prodigies in combat. So yes, I AM that good.”_

****

Qrow was advancing on him, even as Ruby and Yang both rushed forward to try and stop him or slow him down.

****

“Qrow stop! Dammit! Don’t do this!” Yang cried out, even as Qrow sidestepped her and continued on.

****

“Sorry Junebug, but this little shit needs to learn what happens when he messes with my nieces.”

****

“UNCLE QROW!!” Ruby shrieked right in his face. “Jaune hasn’t hurt us, or me or anyone! He’s one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met. Please…” Her silver eyes began to brim with tears. “Please don’t hurt him Uncle Qrow… please.”

****

Seeing Ruby cry like that made Qrow pause, and he brought her into a hug.

****

“I’m sorry kid, I’m so sorry…”

****

Ruby seemed a smile a little at that, she’d done it!

****

“... but this kid needs to pay.”

****

What?

****

Qrow pinched gently on a pressure point at the back of his niece's neck, she was out in 5 seconds with his Aura-enhanced strength. He laid her on the ground gently, she’d understand when he was done. It was for her own good.

****

“I’m sorry kiddo, but this is for your own good.”

****

“QROW!!” Yang practically roared as she rushed toward Ruby. “Dammit Qrow, what the hell are you doing!?”

****

Meanwhile, in Jaune’s mind, the elder Rose was practically seething. Not only did Qrow make her little girl _cry_ , but he also knocked her out “for her own good?”

****

No.

****

_“Jaune. Let me take over please. Right now.”_ The steel in the Huntress’ voice made Jaune _shiver_.

****

_W-why?_

****

_“Because it seems my reckless alcoholic of a teammate needs a lesson in manners, and how to treat his family PROPERLY.”_

****

Reluctantly, Jaune complied. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath…

****

Then he fell.

****

When he opened his eyes again, he could still see what his body was seeing, but it felt as if he was looking at it through a dark tunnel. His limbs felt numb, like he couldn’t control them anymore.

****

Qrow, meanwhile, was still coming. Intent on making that corruptive, manipulative little shit pay for trying to seduce and lie to his beloved nieces like that. While he felt terrible for going against them, especially for that pressure point attack he used to subdue Ruby, it was or their own good in the end. He was about 5 feet away when the kid closed his eyes and just… slumped forward. It could’ve been a trick of the light, but Qrow swore he saw a bluish-white flash ripple around the kid’s body.

****

Before he could get closer, a bolt of blue energy came flying at him. He parried it easily before turning to find Daniel, faceplate back in place, already preparing another blast.

****

“Take another **fucking** step and I’ll give you the full-power blast, Branwen”

****

“I’d like to see you fight without that damn Atlas _crutch,_ you little runt.” Qrow snarled back.

****

“That’s alright Daniel, I don’t think that’ll be necessary.”

****

Both men turned to see Jaune, who had spoken, picking himself up off the floor and staring right at Qrow. The man in question, despite his anger and the alcohol in his system, actually flinched when the boy’s eyes met his own. There was a steel in those eyes, a determination, an _anger_ that just wasn’t there before.

****

Wait… were the kid’s eyes… _glowing?_ No. He was just too drunk already.

****

“You… you sure Jaune?” Daniel asked, disbelief in his voice.

****

“Yes. Clearly it’s me he wants to fight, so it’s a fight he’ll get.” Jaune stated, his voice was the same… but the tone, it was… _different_ somehow.

****

“You’ve got stones made of titanium, I’ll give you that kid.” Qrow admitted, kid had to have big brass ones to be willing to fight an actual Hunter one on one!

****

“No, not really.” Jaune replied, eyes narrowing. “Someone simply needs to teach you to treat you family with the proper _respect.”_

****

“Heh. You think you’re going to be the one to do that?”

****

“I do. Look at you. I honestly expected more from you.”

****

Qrow did a double take at that.

****

“What?!”

****

“They told me about you. Ruby and Yang. They talked about you often, and the stories they told! They made you sound like some sort of larger-than-life superhero. Someone who rights wrongs and fights monsters and actually cares about his family.”

****

And then Jaune’s features twisted into a mask of disgust.

****

“I much preferred the fantasy to the reality I see here.”

****

“What the hell’s that s’posed to mean?!” Qrow snarled.

****

“Just LOOK AT YOU!” Jaune snarled right back. “Look at what you’ve turned into! A drunken, reckless… idiot! You attack your own allies and can barely make it through the day without being drunk. You even ignore your own nieces just to satisfy your own irrational hatred against me! What sort of a man does that, _Qrow_?”

****

The way he said his name, Qrow was sorely reminded of a certain white-hooded teammate of his. Of the disappointment in her voice whenever he screwed up. It made him flinch again.

****

“I thought you’d be better than that.” Jaune continued, his azure eyes actually flashing with white for a brief moment. “I… _hoped_ you’d be better than that. Doesn’t ou-don’t _your_ nieces desever _better_ than that? Deserve an uncle who doesn’t drink himself to death every day? Who actually makes time to see them more often that he does?”

****

For the briefest of moments, Qrow paused. He thought, really THOUGHT about what he was trying to do. He looked back at his beloved nieces, Ruby unconscious and Yang spitting threats at him about what she’d do if he hurt Jaune, her eyes blood red and her hair glowing bright.

****

_I did that. I did that to them. I’m… I’m the monster here. Oh gods… oh shit… I’m sorry._

****

Qrow dropped his sword to the pavement and sank to his knees. He felt a hand touch his shoulder, and saw the kid he’d tried to skewer smiling sadly down at him. The way the light reflected, the way his eyes seemed to _shine,_ hell… even his _smile!_ It reminded Qrow so much of…

****

_Summer? I… I’m sorry Sum. I really fucked up. I really let you down bad this time._

****

A shout pulled everyone from their thoughts.

****

“WILSON! SCHNEE! What is going on here!?”

****

The group looked to the source of the voice, only to find General James Ironwood, flanked by Deputy Headmistress Glynda Goodwitch and Headmaster Ozpin, striding toward them with anger in his eyes.

****

_“....... here, Jaune. You should take control back now. I’ve… done what I needed to do.”_ Summer sounded drained… weary. Not physically, emotionally.

****

_Are you… gonna be alright?_

****

_“Yes. I… think that Qrow really needed to hear that. Hopefully now he’ll be able to make that important change. To be there for the girls not just when he has to be. To… find a better means of coping that drowning himself in liquor all the time.”_

****

_Okay… but if you need someone to talk to, I’ll be right here._

****

_“Thank you Jaune, now… it’s time to come back to the surface.”_

****

In an instant, the numbness in his limbs vanished, the tunnel vision he’d been subjected to for the past few minutes shortened until his vision stabilised again. He was back in control, though he did briefly shake himself just to be sure.

****

By the time Jaune had re-oriented himself, the General, the Headmaster and the Witch had caught up with them.

****

“Specialist Schnee, report. What happened here?” Ironwood asked, though Daniel spoke first.

****

“This crazy old arsehole damaged Altas property and tried to skewer my friend!” He snarled angrily.

****

“Can you confirm this, Specialist?”

****

“Yes sir. Mr Branwen was drunk and very hostile and aggressive through the entire confrontation. Even attempting to physically assault Mr Jaune Arc, a Beacon student.” Winter recited, her posture perfect as always.

****

“I see.” Ironwood’s glare now turned to the still kneeling Qrow. “Why is he sitting on the floor like that?”

****

“That was fearless leader’s doing!” Nora cried out excitedly, bouncing forward to wrap an arm around Jaune.

****

“A-are you telling me that Mr Arc… defeated a trained Hunter all by himself?” Ironwood gaped openly at this.

****

“Well yes. But not physically. He did, however, cause quite a bit of emotional scarring.” Winter admitted.

****

“That’s right General.” Blake insisted, stepping forward. “Juane… well, he told Qr-er, Mr Qrow a few… uncomfortable truths about himself and his actions. He didn’t take them very well.”

****

“I see. Mr Arc, it appears you have quite the talent for psychological warfare.” Ironwood nodded approvingly at the Knight.

****

“Oh um… thank you Sir.”

****

“If I might interject here.” Ozpin stepped forward, entering the conversation. “I think forgiveness on all sides might be appropriate. There was no lasting harm done to anyone here, so we can all forgive one another and learn from this experience.”

****

“What!? NO! Fuck that! The guy tried skewering my friend here, teach! He doesn’t deserve ‘forgiveness’, he deserves a four by four cell-” Daniel began hotly.

****

“Specialist Wilson! You are addressing the Headmaster of Beacon, and you WILL show the proper respect.” Ironwood ordered sternly.

****

“.... apologies, Headmaster.” Daniel muttered.

****

Glynda took this opportunity to step forward.

****

“While I will not condone Qrow’s… _behaviour._ Retaliating as you did Mr Wilson did _not_ help the situation.”

****

“What? But he started it Professor! The guy was piss-drunk!”

****

“He’s ALWAYS drunk!” The combat instructor insisted, before sighing and pinching the bridge of her nose.

****

As the adults had been arguing, Ruby had been roused from her slumber by Yang. As soon as she spotted Jaune, she flung herself at him with a loud cry.

****

“JAAAAUUUNE!!!”

****

Jaune barely managed to catch her in time to pull the little Reaper into a hug. She tightened her grip around him as tears spilled from her eyes.

****

“I’m sorry about Uncle Qrow. He isn’t usually so angry or irrational I swear! Please don’t hate me, I tried to stop him but he wouldn’t listen! Please don’t be angry with me! Please ple-” Her apologies were cut off as the Knight pressed his lips against her forehead, causing her to squeak in shock and blush a little.

****

“C’mon Rubes. I could never hate you. I’m fine I promise, no harm done.”

****

“You promise?” She sniffled, a little unconvinced.

****

“Pinky promise.” Jaune stuck his little finger out for her to take, eliciting a giggle from the younger girl.

****

“Hey! What am I, chopped liver?” A bombastic voice called from behind them. The duo turned to see Yang standing there, arms folded and eyebrow raised.

****

Despite her smile being back in place, the telltale shade of red in her lilac eyes and the light glow around her golden mane told Jaune that she was still a little wound up. Jaune disentangled himself from Ruby and made his way over to her, pulling the brawler into a hug of her own.

****

“So, where’s mine then? C’mon, Rubes gets a smooch but not me?” She asked, half-jokingly.

****

Jaune complied anyway, pressing his lips against his fellow blonde’s for a brief moment.

****

“How was that?” He asked with a small smile, only to be startled when Yang pulled him back into the hug and buried her face in his shoulder.

****

“I...I was scared, okay Jaune? I was honest-to-God scared that Qrow would hurt you, that he’d hurt you real bad…” A light sniffle was all he needed to tighten the hug. He held her until she stopped sniffling, with Ruby joining in to hug her sister from behind about halfway through.

****

“Ahem” Glynda interrupted the trio. “As this has been quite the… intense and emotional experience for all involved, may I suggest that you all retire to your dorms, students?” She paused to glare at the still prone and still form of Qrow. “We will take care of this mess.”

****

With that, the 10 students grouped together and began to make their way back to their dormitories.

****

Between the events of last night, and the events of today, they would have a lot of talk about.


	32. The Tournement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> JNPR joins the Vytal Tournament, Jaune and Cinder start a feud, and Ozpins discusses the fate of a maiden.

Jaune blinked, and sat up slowly, his eyes still unfocused and sleepy. He shifted in his bed, looking across the dark room to where his partner slept. Sure enough, Pyrrha was there, sound asleep. Nora and Ren both lied in their beds, also sleeping. Jaune smiled, trying to brush away the bizarre feeling of unease that settled in his chest. Something felt...off. Not necessarily bad, just...different.

****

_Hey, Summer. Am I missing something here?_ He asked, only to receive no response. _...Summer? Hello?_

****

As the silence stretched, Jaune felt his unease grow. It was way too quiet at that moment. No snores, no breathing…something was wrong here.

****

“ _Jaune?”_

****

Jaune jumped a little, but let out a relieved breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.

****

_Jesus, Summer! Where have you been?! I was starting to get-_

****

_“Jaune, you need to wake up.”_

****

_What? What do you mean…_

****

Jaune trailed off as he noticed the room around him begin to grow darker, colder. He shivered as he stood up, noticing mist rising from his breaths.

****

_“Jaune, wake up, NOW!”_

****

_S-s-summer?_

****

As he tried to wrap his mind around what was going on, a cry of pain wavered from behind him. He turned around, and felt his blood turn to ice as the view before him sank in.

****

He was in the middle of a desolate field, the landscape grey and barren. Except for the blood. Blood soaked the ground, the smell almost making him wretch.

****

Then there were the bodies.

  
The bodies of his friends, his teammates, his girls. They were splayed carelessly around, blood seeping from their assorted wounds. Yang clutched her own hand, which had been served from her arm. Weiss’s eyes stared into nothing as she lay still on the ground, her white dress now soaked a dark crimson. Pyrrha’s eyes were closed, the spear in her stomach still brim with blood. Daniel knelt on the ground, a red sword implanted firmly through his chestplate, the blue light of the Aura reactor flickering and dying before Jaune’s eyes. And then there was Ruby. Poor, young, sweet Ruby, whose neck was being crushed by the black clad women who stood in the center of it all. The women’s dark red eyes suddenly flicked to Jaune, and a terrible grin crossed her face.

****

“ **_Let me remind you what happens to heroes in MY world._ **”

****

With that, Jaune howled in pain as a sharp spike of black pierced his back, coming through the front of his chest plate. He whimpered as the pain began to ramp up, and his thoughts darkened further.

****

“No. No no nonononono please. Please, I don’t want to go...I-I DON’T WANT TO-”

****

Suddenly, Jaune jolted awake, drenched in sweat, his breaths shallow and frantic.

****

“ _Jaune. JAUNE! You need to calm down, it’s alright! It was just a nightmare. You’re fine. They’re all fine.”_

 _  
_ Juane nodded slowly, managing to control his breathing after a moment. He was about to thank Summer when a voice caught him off guard.

****

“Jaune, are you alright?”

Juane turned to see Ruby, as well as Yang and Pyrrha at his side, all looking quite concerned.

****

“I’m-I’m fine. J-just a nightmare.” he answer breathaly, trying to smile. “Just a nightmare.”

****

While they didn’t look completely convinced, Ruby gave him a hug, one that warmed his soul right up. “Better, Jaune?” She asked softly, her adorable voice music to his ears at that moment.

  
“Yeah, Rubes. All better.”

****

“Good!” She declared, pulling back from the hug with a wide grin. “Now hurry up and shower. We’ve got to get you to the Colosseum in the next hour!”

****

“The Colosseum?” He asked, sitting up and glancing at his friends. “Why?”

****

Yang grinned, and was quick to spill the beans.

****

“Because Team JNPR is the first Beacon team up at the Vytal Tournament.”

…

****

“WHAT?!”

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

Amity Colosseum was lit up with the screams of hundreds as Jaune led team JNPR out onto the field.

****

_Wow… I didn’t expect there to be quite so many people._

****

_“Well, it IS the Vytal festival, Jaune.”_ Summer reminded him. “ _People show up from all 4 corners of Remnant to attend this event personally, of course there’ll be large crowds.”_

****

“Jaune?” Pyrrha asked, snapping the blonde out of his mental conversation. “Are you alright? You’re not too nervous are you?” She asked kindly.

****

“Well… I gotta say this IS a little nerve-wracking, having to fight with this many people watching all at once.” Jaune admitted.

****

“Cheer up fearless leader!” Nora cried out, the bomber practically bouncing in excitement. “We’ve been practicing a lot. You’ve got your Semblance, we’ve got our super-cool team attacks and we’ve got Pyr on our side, there’s no way we can lose!”

****

The champion blushed a little at the praise from the ginger Valkyrie. The team had reached the center of the arena now.

****

“Oh, is that so? So confident already… we’ve not even begun yet.” A silky smooth voice reached their ears, causing the team to turn to the source.

****

There, standing on the opposite side of the arena, was the team of Haven exchange students; Marcie, Emerald, Neo and their leader, Cinder.

****

“Marcie?” Jaune asked, a little disbelievingly.

****

The girl offered him a quick two-fingered salute from the temple in response.

****

“Hey Jaune, this isn’t how I’d imagined we’d get together again either, can’t say I’ll go easy on you or your team though. After all…” She winked at him. “We’ve gotta put on a good show for the cameras, right?”

****

Jaune quickly leaned over and tapped Nora on the shoulder.

****

“I need you to fight Marcie, Nora. Her metal legs let her hit as hard as you can, so I need you to keep her busy..”

****

Nora nodded and saluted enthusiastically, though Pyrrha leaned over and spoke up.

****

“Are you sure that’s wise, Jaune? I’m sure that would be able to-”

****

“Sorry Pyr.” Jaune cut her off. “I need you to fight that Cinder woman, she didn’t become leader of their team for no reason, so you’re up for her.”

****

Pyrrha’s eyes widened in understanding and she needed in affirmative, Jaune then turned towards his sole remaining team member.

****

“Ren, you’ve got Neo. She’s fast and agile and she fights with her parasol too. Pyr’ll be occupied with the leader so I need you to take her on instead, think you can handle it?”

****

“Of course.” Lian’s eyes narrowed at the ice cream-themed girl, who chose that moment to wink and wave playfully at Jaune from across the field.

****

“Well… that’s the plan, go time then.” Jaune said

****

_“Don’t worry Jaune, just do your best and remember your training with your new Dust sword. Your opponent doesn’t seem to use Dust in her arsenal, so use its elemental properties to your advantage.”_ Summer advised him.

****

As if on cue, the loud voice of Professor Peter Port came over the speakers, amplified through the whole stadium.

****

“Welcome! Welcome to the 80th Vytal festival in the Kingdom of Vale! Today features the first of the team against team battles as qualifiers for the doubles rounds, and what a battle it is! On one side, representing Beacon Academy and Vale is team Juniper! On the other side, representing Haven Academy and Mistral is team Cement!”

****

The crowd erupted into applause and cheers as Port’s bombastic opening speech concluded, though none screamed louder or cheered harder than team RWBY, Coco and Velvet. Ruby and Yang especially had a whole sign above their heads that read ‘Go JNPR!’ with both siblings shouting out the most encouragement.

****

“Represent Beacon you guys!” Ruby yelled out.

****

“Fight well!” Blake added.

****

“Kick their asses, Lover Boy!” Yang threw in her own words of wisdom.

****

“Forget kicking their asses, Jauney.” Coco called out, winking at Jaune over her glasses. “Spank their asses and make them your bitches!”

****

Jaune blushed a little at that, the rabbit Faunus next to Coco looked mortified, while on the opposite side of the field Neo blushed a little at the thought of Jaune… doing _that_ to her. Marcie, on the other hand, simply smirked and stuck her chest out.

****

“Think you can spank us like that, Jaune? Think the big and shiny Knight can punish us bad girls, think you can make us _beg for mercy_ ?” She winked at him again, even flat-out _posing_ a little for him with a rather risque pre-battle stretch. This drew ire from both Pyrrha and Neo at the display. The shorter girl huffed and pouted, while the Spartan _growled_ at the other Mistrali girl, tightening her grip on Milo in the process.

****

“Pyrrha.” Jaune said quietly, drawing the champion’s attention to her leader. “Remember the plan. Fight their leader. If she’s still standing when you’re done, then you can help Nora with Marcie, okay?”

****

“Impressive.” Cinder’s voice caught his attention again, the woman was staring at his team with her head tilted. “You command the respect of your team, yet you are categorically the weakest among them… intriguing.”

****

“Hey!” Nora cried out, looked more than a little miffed. “Don’t talk about Jauney like that missy, or I’ll break your legs!”

****

“Oh, I’m sure you’ll try your best. But I think you’ll find my team and I to be a little… _stronger_ than the average student.” CEMN’s leader allowed a smirk to cross her face at that. “But don’t worry... we won’t crush you _too_ hard beneath our heels.”

****

“ _Yeeesh, does she have to talk like that?”_ Summer asked. “ _At this rate, I’m surprised no one’s mistaken her for a terrorist or a supervillain out of some comic book.”_

****

_Come on Summer, sure Cinder’s a little… eccentric and quirky, but do you honestly think she’s some kind of megalomaniac?_

****

_“Jaune,_ no one _with good intentions, or a decent grasp on sanity, talks like that anymore. U_ _nless they’re intentionally trying to come off like a serial killer.”_ Summer insisted.

****

The merged pair were snapped to attention as Port, having apparently run through a whole new speech in the time they were talking, yelled out “LET THE MATCH, BEGIN!”

****

The arena exploded into action a moment later.

****

In a flash, both Pyrrha and Cinder shot forward directly towards each other, each doubtless recognising the strongest threat on either side. As they reached the centre Milo met one of the blades that the enemy leader had pulled from seemingly _nowhere_ , while the Champion shifted Akouo to block the other.

****

“Hmmm… such _strength_.” The older woman whispered.

****

Nora and Marcie followed suit, the Valkyrie launcher herself forward on Magnhild, while the jumpsuit-wearing girl kicked into the air, propelled by the blast from her boots. Marcie twisted in mid-air to launch a spinning kick toward the ginger bomber, who parried with Magnhild’s shaft before swinging the hammer toward the other girl, Marcie countered by forcing the hammer away with a well-placed axe kick to the handle. The fight was on.

****

“Now THIS is what I’m talking about! C’mon hammer girl, show me a good time!” The grey-haired girl cried out, an excited glint in her eyes as she and Nora re-engaged.

****

Ren and Neopolitan were similarly engaged, the smaller girl practically _dancing_ her way toward the green gun-woman, swinging her parasol around like it was a sword with a cheeky grin on her face. Despite her dancing rings around her opponent, Ren refused to retaliate yet, simply dodging and parrying with Stormflower’s blades, her calm and analytical gaze never leaving her face.

****

After a while of this, Neo herself was starting to get a little frustrated. Usually her opponent was the one who would get frustrated and reckless, but this girl kept herself calm and cool under pressure, and was also fairly flexible. She hadn’t even landed a solid hit yet! Gritting her teeth, Neo lunged forward, intent on hitting her opponent solid in her… rather ample chest (Neo was privately impressed with how well she hid it).

****

Only to receive a solid kick to the face in reply, followed up by a downright _brutal_ palm strike that sent her flying backward. Neo righted herself and landed in a crouch, only to see her opponent facing her with that same critical gaze and impassive look. Neo almost growled a little. This girl was tough! Despite that, she threw herself into the fray again

****

So engrossed was Jaune in watching his teammates battle their opponents, that he barely brought up his shield in time to block the hail of gunfire from the green-haired, dark-skinned girl who was his opponent. Hunkering behind his shield, he waited till the barrage ended to peak out.

****

Bringing up his sword to block the girl’s downward strike with her leftward kusarigama, while he swung Crocea Mors II to intercept the rightward sickle. Tapping the flame rune on his blade’s hilt, the explosion of heat and light forced Emerald to disengage and retreat, which Jaune hastened by swinging his blade in a wide arc, releasing a flame wave that forced the girl to duck and roll away.

****

As Emerald righted herself, Jaune tapped the ice rune on the hilt before driving his sword into the ground, leaving the fighter little time to dodge as an ice wall formed directly underneath her, knocking her off balance a little. This gave Jaune the opening he needed to rush in and shield bash her, satisfied with his assault being a success, he backed off as she shifted her weapons to kusarigama form and swiped at him again, though a couple of lashes got through his guard.

****

Narrowing his eyes, the Knight pressed on as Emerald rushed him again, her right weapon shifting to gun mod and her left to sickle form. This forced him to raise his shield in defense, allowing the girl to close in and slash at him a few times before he parried her. Activating the lightning rune of his blade, he prepared to counter attack when Port’s voice boomed out over the microphone.

****

“Miss Valkyrie of team JNPR and Miss Neopolitan of team CEMN have been eliminated!”

****

Looking around for a brief instance, Jaune caught sight of the unconscious forms of Nora and Neo, with Marcie and Ren standing over their opponents. Ren looked calm, while Marcie had a slightly tired smile on her face.

****

“Heh, good fight! Maybe next time huh shorty?”

****

“Ren!” Jaune called out. “Hold her off!”

****

The green gunner nodded slowly, before advancing slowly on the other girl, who smirked at her.

****

“Another one? Bring it on and keep em coming!”

****

Jaune was prevented from hearing any more as Emerald attacked again, the other fighter vaulting right over the Knight’s head to plant a foot on his back-plate, sending him stumbling. On instinct, Jaune lashed out with his sword in a backward swipe, hoping that the lightning surge would stun her.

****

Unfortunately, in the confusion of the fight, Jaune hadn’t noticed that his hand had slipped down the grip. It wasn’t far, but it was far enough to switch runes so instead of a lightning blast, Crocea Mors wound up unleashing a wave of inertial energy toward the green haired girl, powered by the purple glowing gravity rune.

****

Completely unprepared, Emerald was catapulted high into the air by the wave, flipping over at least two times before landing hard. Thanks to the terrain layout being set to ‘tropical’ by the organisers beforehand, the girl landed in a nearby pool of water. Well, at least it was softer than landing on hard ground, Jaune supposed.

****

Though his minor relief quickly turned to panic when, instead of re-emerging and attacking him again, Emerald simply vanished beneath the water’s surface.

****

Glancing frantically around the arena, Jaune could see that Cinder, Pyrrha, Ren and Marcie were all far too engaged with their own fights to notice. The Champion and the leader of CEMN barely noticed anything else in their single-minded determination to defeat their opponent, Cinder had now switched to some form of glass bow to attack Pyrrha from range, while the Spartan had Milo in rifle form.

****

_Screw it! I don’t care if I have to forfeit the match, I need to make sure she’s okay!_

****

With this in mind, Jaune sprinted toward the pool Emerald had vanished into, shucking as much of his armor as he could and dropping his sheathed sword before diving in. Right as he hit the water, he heard Port again.

****

“My word! What an unconventional and bold strategy by Mister Arc!”

****

Jaune dived lower, as he saw the unconscious Emerald sinking slowly downward. Though the water stung his eyes, he refused to stop. He managed to snag her arm and began to drag her back up, though their combined weight made this much slower. Jaune could feel his vision start to dim slightly as his breath ran out, but he forced a dose of Aura into his legs to speed himself up, hoping he made it to the surface in time.

****

Back up at the arena level, the remaining four combatants had finally noticed that two of their fighters were missing. They broke off their fights to look around in confusion, while the crowd began murmuring anxiously. Team RWBY and the CVFY girls were especially nervous, they’d seen Emerald going into that pool and then Jaune diving in after her, that he hadn’t resurfaced yet was worrying for them.

****

“Come on Jaune, please be alright!” Velvet called out, with Coco patting her on the arm.

****

“C’mon Bun, it’s Jaune we’re talking about. If he can survive a romp with a King Taijitu then a little water’s not gonna do any harm…” She seemed to be trying to convince herself as much as Velvet.

****

Blake said nothing, but with every second that Jaune didn’t reappear, her stoic expression grew more and more panicked.

****

“Yang… why hasn’t Jaune come back up yet?” Ruby asked, causing a sharp spike through the brawler’s chest as she heard the tears in her sister’s voice. The little Reaper was focused intensely on the pool that Jaune had vanished into after Emerald, her hands bunching up her skirt as she fretted.

****

“I dunno Rubes, but he’ll… he’ll be fine, he-he’s going to be f-fine.” The stammer in the blond’s voice betrayed her fear, as did the tearing sounds as she gripped her seat rests so hard they splintered beneath her gauntleted fists.

****

“That dunce is NOT dying in some… some little PUDDLE!” Weiss hissed, balling her hands into fists. “We haven’t… we-we haven’t even gone on our date yet…” The last part was a whisper, with tears pricking the heiress’ eyes.

****

All of a sudden, a loud gasp drew their attention. Jaune was back! Their hearts soared in relief at seeing him again, but he wasn’t alone. He was pulling an unconscious Emerald out of the water.

****

Jaune shook himself off as best as he could before turning to Emerald’s form. Oh gods, she wasn’t breathing! Quickly, he laced both his hands into a basket and began to press rhythmically down on her chest. While being in such an… intimate position with a girl would normally be a concern for him, right now he was far too focused on getting her breathing again to be distracted by the rather large and shapely mounds he could feel beneath him.

****

He barely heard Port and Oobleck calling an end to the match, he barely heard the others rushing over to him, all he was focused on was getting Emerald breathing again. He couldn’t have her death on his conscience, he couldn’t live knowing that he’d killed her in a tournament fight.

****

_Damn it… guess I’ll need more than this._

****

Carefully he lowered his own lips to Emerald’s, took a deep breath, and blew the air into her mouth. Once. Twice. Three times. Then more. Eventually, Jaune lost track of how long he’d been performing CPR.

****

Just as he was ready to give up, he heard a spluttering cough from below him.

****

He had to jerk his head back to avoid Emerald inadvertantly headdbutting him as she jolted upright, coughing and spluttering and hacking up water.

****

“Hey Em! You look even shittier than usual, what the hell happened there?” Marcie asked as she came up.

****

“F-f-fuck off Marc.” Emerald managed to sputter out between coughs.

****

“Well, good to know your sense of humour is still intact, here I was hoping that water had given you enough brain damage that you’d stop being a bitch.” Her partner snarked back.

****

“ _Enough,_ you two.” Cinder snapped, before turning her attention to Emerald. “Emerald, are you well?”

****

“Y-yeah.” Emerald replied, still a little woozy. “Um… t-t-thank you for… for savi-eep!” Her apology was cut off when Jaune leaned forward to wrap his arms around her soaked form. This earned him a small blush from the green-haired girl, a raised eyebrow from Cinder and an irritated glare from Marcie.

****

“Hey, no need to thank me Emerald. I’m just glad that you’re okay. If you’d… if I’d not been able to get to you in time, well… that would’ve been very bad for both of us.” Jaune admitted, smiling down at the slightly flustered girl.

****

At least before he was tackled by a red and gold blur.

****

“Jaune!! What were you thinking just diving in like that!? You could’ve been hurt! You could’ve drowned or… or…” Pyrrha’s lecture was cut off by a hand on her shoulder, turning her so that she was face-to-face with her beloved leader.

****

“C’mon Pyr, what was I supposed to do, leave her in there? Besides, I’m fine see!” His assurance was cut off by a loud sneeze from his own mouth, as well as a shiver that he’d not noticed until now.

****

“You’re not fine! You’ve got a cold now! Oooh… we are getting you into some clean and dry clothes right this instant! We need to get you to the infirmary as well!” Pyrrha fretted, the naked worry on her face plain to see.

****

_“Aaaww, she is such a mother hen…”_ Summer’s voice interrupted. “ _I’m sure she’ll take good care of your children someday.”_ She teased, causing Jaune to splutter and devolve into a hacking cough for a while, startling Pyrrha even more.

****

The medical teams soon arrived to pick up the unconscious Nora and Neo, as well as collect the still groggy and weakened Emerald. Pyrrha and Ren took the opportunity to haul Jaune up and, against his objections, begin dragging him away toward the locker rooms.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

“Jesus! That was the most exciting opening match I’ve seen in awhile.” Daniel hollered, as the pair made their way out of the arena after the match between JNPR and CEMN had been suspended.

****

Winter sighed and nodded in agreement.

****

“It was certainly quite the spectacle, a pity the match was stopped after one of CEMN’s members almost drowned. Though I must say, I am pleased that Mister Arc reacted as quickly as he did, he was able to prevent what would surely have been a tragedy.”

****

Daniel raised an eyebrow at her in reply.

****

“When are you gonna drop the ‘Mister Arc’ and just call him ‘Jaune’, Snow Angel? You’re not still pissed about him hooking up with your sister… and all those other girls as well, are you?”

****

At this, Winter gritted her teeth and clenched her hands into fists a little.

****

“Okay… you’re still pissed, right?”

****

“Why Mister Wilson, whatever do you mean?” Winter asked, her left eye twitching a little bit.

****

“Well it’s just that, whenever you’re mad at someone you only use their last names when you talk about them… like you just did with me, actually. Hey! What did I do!?” At this, Winter whirled around to face her partner.

****

“What did you do? I’ll _tell_ you what you did! You-you… you actually _congratulated_ that-that… MANIPULATIVE BUFFOON! Y-you treated his f-filthy harem like it was some sort of achievement to be proud of!” Winter snarled out, her voice trembling with anger.

****

“Well excuse me for not wanting to congratulate my pal on not only finding some nice girls to hang out with, but making them all fall for him as well! Look, Winter… Jaune’s a nice guy, he really is, he wouldn’t do anything to hurt your sister or any of those other girls, he’s too respectful of women to do something like that.” Daniel explained, hoping it would soothe Winter a little.

****

Winter huffed, still looking unconvinced, so Daniel sighed and tried a different approach.

****

“Okay, how about we go on a date? Right now. Just the two of us, exploring the fairs around Vale, hmm? That’ll get your mind off that… filthy buffoon and his… filthy harem.” Daniel asked, wincing a little at calling his friend ‘filthy’ behind his back, though seeing Winter relax a little made it worth it.

****

“Very well, let us explore and sample their wares, shall we Mister Wilson?” She asked, extending an arm, which Daniel gleefully took.

****

“So it’s still Mr Wilson huh?”

****

“Don’t push your luck.”

****

Daniel smirked and leaned in to whisper in her ear.

****

“I wonder if that’s what you’ll be crying out when we’re alone tonight, eh? ‘Mister Wilson’ does have a sexy ring to it.” He kissed her earlobe for effect.

****

“D-daniel!..meep!” Winter ducked her head down to hide her blush, but didn’t pull away.

****

Daniel chuckled and lead his sort-of-girlfriend down towards the fair.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

Juane tapped has arm anxiously as he waited outside the locker room they had placed Emerald in. The rest of his team had left to find RWBY and the others, but he had stayed behind. He wanted to make sure that Emerald was alright, competition or no.

****

“ _Jaune, while your chivalry is inspiring, you really shouldn’t worry.”_ Summer commented, her voice returning to it’s natural, playful tone. “ _You saw that she was breathing, I’m sure she’s fine._ ”

****

_I know that, Summer._  He agreed, ceasing his drumming. _I just want to make sure._

****

“Hey! Blondie! Over here!”

****

Jaune jumped a bit at the peppy voice that echoed from his left, turning to see a girl standing there. The girl had orange hair, and was dressed in a light blue tank top and a pink skirt, as well as a noticeable cat tail swaying behind her. He couldn’t help but flush a bit as he looked around, then turned back to her while pointing at himself.

  
“Uh, me?”

  
“Yes, you!” She responded enthusiastically, skating-yes, **skating** -over to the blonde knight. “You’re the only one out here, aren’t ya?”

Jaune nodded, still a bit uncertain about the girl’s interest in him. “Yeah, I am. So...what’s up?”

****

The girl giggled, and Jaune’s confusion deepened. Had he said something funny?

****

“I just wanted to meet the guy who chucked himself into a pool to save a girl he barely knew!” She continued, smiling broadly at him. “That’s incredibly brave, you know.”

****

Juane arched an eyebrow, and shrugged. “I...guess it was. I just didn’t want her to get hurt, or...worse.”

****

The girl’s grin softened a bit, and she punched his arm lightly. “Well hey! I think you did a damn good job, man.” She said, her tone softer and more polite this time.

****

“Huh. You’re right. Thanks, um…” Juane trailed off as he realized he didn’t know the girl’s name, only for her peppy tone to return as she scooted a bit closer.

  
“My name’s Neon! Neon Katt!” She said, giving the knight a pair a finger guns and a matching smile. “I’m from Team FNKI. We’re going out tomorrow for the duos rounds. Am I gonna see you there?”

****

Jaune shrugged, returning the smile for the first time. “Maybe. If not, I’ll be sure to root for you.”

****

The grin on Neon’s face grew, as did an accompanying blush. “And you’re a charmer too! Well, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow, Jaune Arc.” With that, she skated away, humming cheerilly to herself. Jaune chuckled at the girl’s attitude, reminding him a bit of Nora if she was more...flirty?

****

Jaune comparisons of his teammate to the new girl were cut short as the door to the locker room swung open, and the doctor assigned to CEMN excited. He noticed Jaune, and smiled, clapping him on the shoulder.

  
“Well done, young man. If you hadn’t have acted when you did, I’m not sure Ms. Sustrai would have survived.”

****

While the news that Emerald was alright made Jaune’s heart soar, the knowledge that if he hadn’t have acted, Emerald’s blood would be on his hands also threatened to shatter it.

****

“Y-yes, um, thank you. Is she available for visitors?” he asked gingerly. The doctor just shrugged, gesturing to the door.

  
“I don’t believe they’re expecting anyone, but yes. I believe that you can pop in.”

****

Jaune nodded in appreciation, before entering the room. He made his way toward the back, spotting the group from a far. Neo was lounging on on bench, angrily eating a gallon of ice-cream, clearly not happy about being knocked out. Marcie sat next to a resting Emerald on the opposite bench, her normal smirk replaced by a thin frown. Cinder was nowhere to be seen.

****

“Well, you guys look like you’ve seen better days.” He quipped, smiling disarmingly.

****

Neo’s face immediately brightened, and she rose to her feet, wobbling slightly. Jaune quickly launched forward, catching Neo mid fall.

****

“Woah, woah! I’m happy to see you too, but take it easy Neo. I don’t want you getting hurt!” He said, his compassionate tone making the short mute blush, and nod as she slowly sat back down. He then looked at Emerald, who was looking much better than before. “Are you doing better, Emerald?”

  
The question seemed to surprise the green-haired girl, who flushed and nodded quickly. “Y-yes. Thank you, Jaune...a-are you doing alright?”

****

Jaune smiled at the girl, intensifying her blush. “I’m doing good, thanks for asking.”

****

“Awful nice of you, Jaune. I’m doing fine myself, thanks.” Marcie growled, annoyance clear in her tone. Jaune was surprised at her hostility, before noticing she was clutching her leg.

****

“Did you hurt your leg again?” He asked quietly, drawing a blush from the silver hair girl. After a moment, she swallowed her pride and nodded. Jaune quickly made his way over to her, sitting in the far side of the bench. “Roll up you pant leg, I’ll see if I can help.”

****

Marcie’s face flushed a deeper shade of red as a smirk crossed her face, and she unbuckled her belt. “I have a better idea, actually.” With that, she promptly pulled off her pants, eliciting a sputter of shock from both Emerald and Jaune. While she was wearing underwear, the sight of Marcie’s bare legs before Jaune, artificial or not, made his heart jolt.

****

“M-MARCIE, WHAT THE HELL?!” Jaune shouted, his face a shade of crimson that he was well acquainted with at this point.

****

Marcie shrugged, propping up her leg in front of Jaune. “Hey, they just would have been in the way. Fix my leg up, I put my pants back on. In other words, take your time.” She added with a wink, her face just as flushed as the knight’s. Despite his embarrassment, Jaune quickly went to work on her leg, toying with the joint that was acting up. He was working quite well, finally loosening the joint, which prompted a moan from Marcie, catching him off guard.

****

“Gods, that feels soooo much better. Thanks, Jaune.” Marcie groaned, grabbing her pants and slipping them back on with a smirk. “Sorry, the show’s over.”

****

Jaune just mumbled an embarrassed, “No problem.” before standing up and dusting himself off. He was about to comment further when the door to the locker room **_slammed_ ** definitively, and Cinder stormed into the room, looking fairly upset.

****

“Unbelievable. The incompetence of my associates is…”

****

Cinder’s angry mutters trailed off as she noticed Jaune, her frown deepening into a defininate scowl. “And what the **hell** are you doing here?” she growled, looking to her teammates in question, none of whom met her eyes.

 

“I was just checking in on my friends, making sure they were alright.” He answered carefully, prompting a scoff from Cinder.

****

“Oh please. Neo is loosely affiliated with you, Marceline was on your team for one mission, and you don’t even know Emerald. You’re not friends.”

****

The way she spat out the words like they were poison made something churn in Juane chest. Something dark.

****

Something **angry.**

****

“I think that they can decide that for themselves, thanks.” He retorted, a slight growl on the edge of his voice. This caught the attention of the rest of CEMN’s members, all with looks of immediate fear. Cinder’s eyes narrowed a bit as she spoke again.

  
“I am the leader of my team, I think I can decide that for them.”

****

Jaune scoffed, crossing his arms while glaring at the women. “Oh, **are** you the leader? I couldn’t tell with all your constant yammering, I thought you were some sociopathic nutcase with a superiority complex.”

****

A part of Jaune immediately yelled at him for being so rude, but was quickly drowned out by the anger as Cinder spoke again, her eyes and words flaring with rage.

****

“You DARE speak to me like that?! I am so much stronger than you, I could-”

  
“Oh, shut the FUCK UP ABOUT THE DAMN STRENGTH!” Jaune finally yelled, making all of CEMN, even their leader, jump. “I don’t give a DAMN how strong you are, that doesn’t excuse you being a shit human being.” he growled, his own eyes flashing with unexpected rage.

****

“Strength doesn’t come from one person, it comes from the ones _around_ you. YOU are only as strong as your friends, no matter WHAT you say.” he continued, unable to stop the rush of angry words spilling from his mouth. “You think you’re a leader? Than **fucking act like it.** No more strength bullshit, no more oppressive glares. Your teammates are your equals. Treat them like it.”

****

With that, Jaune turned on his heel, striding for the exit. “Glad we’ve had this chat, Ellie. See you guys tomorrow.”

****

Jaune left the room, the door slamming behind him and echoing in the corridor as he stalked away. After a few minutes, Jaune’s heart rate had returned to normal, and he registered Summer’s voice.

  
_Sorry, sorry. I haven't been listening, my heart was just...nevermind, what’s up?_

****

Jaune wasn’t prepared for Summer’s angry, borderline hysterical shout when it hit him.

****

_“_ **_WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING, JAUNE?!?!_ ** _”_ She practically screamed at him, making him stumble in surprise.

****

_S-summer! What are you-_

****

_“Did you not she how she was_ **_glaring_ ** _at you?!”_ Summer steamrolled right over him, her voice echoing in his head. “ _I seriously think she was contemplating MURDERING you right there! What were thinking?!”_

****

_I-I don’t know! I just got pissed off that she was acting like she was better than me, then her own teammates! That’s not ok, Summer! Not as a leader, or as person._

****

Summer sighed, the anger draining from her voice as she continued.

****

_“I agree, Jaune. I was a team leader to, you know.”_ She said, before returning to an agitated tone. “ _That doesn’t mean that you can just… just insult her like that! Especially someone like her!”_

****

Jaune barely fought the urge to roll his eyes as he answered,

****

_Summer, I think you’re being a bit extreme. Yeah, she’s clearly full of ego, but she’s not, like,_ **_evil_ ** _or anything._

****

“ _Are you sure?”_ Summer asked, her playful tone finally returning. “ _I mean… really look at her Jaune, look her dead in the eyes and think about it.”_

 

This time, Jaune did roll his eyes, but cracked a smile as he resumed walking. Really, how bad could Ella Stalls be?

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

The Emerald Tower of Beacon was alive with activity.

****

The slowly turning and grinding gears provided a surprisingly soothing ambiance, in comparison to the animated discussion going on in the Headmaster’s office.

****

Ozpin sat in his chair, both hands rubbing his lowered forehead as he listened to his subordinates argue around him.

****

It had been this way for the last. Two. Hours. TWO HOURS. Ever since that incident with Qrow, Specialist Winter Schnee and Mr Jaune Arc at the landing platform, his allies had done nothing but argue about it. Well, everyone except Qrow, who was sitting in a chair off to the side with that same haunted and remorseful look in his eyes that he’d had since the docks.

****

Ozpin quirked a brow at that. _What_ had Mr Arc said to him to get him to react like that? According to Mr Wilson Jaune had, in a direct quote, ‘fucking torn him a new arsehole with that razor sharp tongue’, which just made Ozpin even more curious.

****

However, his curiosity was currently being overwhelmed by the _irritation_ he felt as he listened to the others (bar Qrow) argue. It had been the same thing over and over, what to do about Qrow’s actions?

****

On one side, there were Specialists Schnee and Wilson, both of whom wanted Qrow either disciplined harshly (Winter) or locked in a cell (Daniel). Specialist Wilson had been the most vocal, likely because Qrow had threatened to skewer one of the man’s friends.

****

On the other side, there was Glynda. The Headmistress was unmoving in her belief that Qrow’s current emotional state, plus lighter disciplinary action, would be punishment enough. Ironwood seemed to be on the fence, not taking either side.

****

Though Ozpin could tell that, while he clearly _wanted_ to advocate Qrow’s court martial for insubordination, he had never liked the man and always wanted to impress some ‘proper discipline’ on him, he was too nervous of Glynda’s wrath to do so openly.

****

Ozpin allowed himself a small smile at that, he had chosen his second well. Glynda inspired both fear and respect in equal measure.

****

Sadly, his smile dimmed as a renewed batch of disagreements forced him to re-focus on the matter at hand.

****

“... if he’s an ‘asset’ or whatever, the guy’s out of control! He nearly attacks my friend and he’s getting off with nothing!?” Specialist Wilson was the one talking, well… the man always was outspoken, but it took a LOT of nerve to shout straight at Glynda Goodwitch like that.

****

“MR WILSON.” Glynda practically hissed at him. “This is not to be discussed further. Qrow WILL be punished for his reckless behaviour, make no mistake, but do not for one moment think that YOU can dictate to ME how he will be punished!” A flick of her riding crop for good measure, that always caused people to flinch.

****

Before anyone could begin shouting or yelling again, and Specialist Schnee looked about ready to start, Ozpin moved one of his hands to his cane and tapped it loudly on the floor, bringing everyone in the room to attention.

****

“I believe that Qrow’s punishment has been discussed enough, shall we move on to more… pressing matters?” He inquired, though the look he sent Ironwood made it clear enough what he wanted to happen.

****

_Dismiss your subordinates, this is not for them to hear._

****

Thankfully, the message was received clearly. Ironwood cleared his throat, casing the Specialists to snap to attention.

****

“Specialist Wilson, Specialist Schnee.”

****

“Yes sir?” Specialist Schnee responded.

****

“You are dismissed for now.”

****

“What…? But, you can’t be serious…!” Specialist Wilson began.

****

“You. Are. Dismissed. Is that CLEAR, Specialist Wilson?” Ironwood growled out, his tone making it clear that ANYTHING other than ‘yes sir’, would be punished severely.

****

If there was one good thing Ozpin could say about James Ironwood, it was that he knew how to keep his Specialists  both loyal and in line with the chain of command, when necessary, without stifling their more creative tactical thinking when it was truly needed.

****

“Yes sir….” Daniel mumbled out, with Winter managing a louder and clearer “Yes General!” plus a salute. With that, both of them strode into the lift, but as the doors closed Ozpin could hear the beginnings of Specialist Schnee berating her male colleague for ‘not showing proper respect to the General’.

****

A shuffling and scraping alerted him to the fact that Qrow had finally chosen to enter the conversation, the man stood up and made his way over to them, Ozpin could see that some of the man’s usual spark had returned to his previously dull eyes.

****

“Heh… thanks Glyn-” He started, only to be cut off as the irate Deputy rounded on him instead.

****

“WHAT were you _thinking_?” Glynda barely stopped herself from snarling at the man. “Destroying Atlesian Military property, provoking one of their Specialists…” Gynda leaned in a little, for a harsh whisper in Qrow’s ear that Ozpin just barely picked up.

****

“THREATENING one of my STUDENTS. If it _were truly_ up to me, you would be in prison right now.” The look on the Deputy’s face was positively murderous as she stared Qrow down.Ironwood chose this moment to re-enter the conversation.

****

“If you were one of my men, I would have had you shot!” He snapped out.

****

“If I was one of _your_ men, I’d shoot myself.” Qrow snarked back.

****

At this point, Ozpin knew he HAD to step in, to get the meeting back on track.

****

“If we could move to the matter at hand, please?” He interjected, snapping both his subordinates out of their bickering and to attention swiftly. He was pleased he could still get them to focus so easily.

****

“Of course, Ozpin.” Ironwood acknowledged, the General moving to stand in front of his desk, hands laced at the small of his back.

****

“Sure thing, Oz.” Qrow threw in, his casual greeting irritating Ironwood.

****

Glynda simply came to stand by his side without a word, reliable and trustworthy as always. He’d have to give her a raise sometime. The Wizard of Vale sighed a little, might as well get this over with.

****

“Qrow, have you had any success in finding Miss Autumn’s attackers?” He asked, only to receive a shake of the head from the maverick Hunter.

****

“Not a thing Oz, haven’t heard a peep from any of my contacts yet. Fall’s attackers have been keeping silent, probably so they can wait and try and ambush her again if she comes into the open. Not that that’ll happen anytime soon…” He muttered that last part morosely.

****

“I see… well, I ask that you keep looking. In the meantime, what is the status of Miss Autumn herself?” He hoped at least for some good news here.

****

Unfortunately, Glynda shook her head sadly, sighing a little before plugging her own scroll into the desk’s attachment port. A few taps to the screen later and the holographic screens around the desk lit up with vital statistics and scans.

****

“Not good Ozpin, while we’ve seen no deterioration in her status since her internment here… we’ve seen no improvement either. Her injuries aside, the primary problem is in her Aura itself. While it has been repairing itself properly and the… _other_ energy in her system has recovered most of its strength, the problem is that she is still missing some of the core energy. Her body cannot fully heal without the ‘missing piece’ being returned.” Glynda explained.

****

“Well ‘course she’s missing some of it!” Qrow burst out. “That bitch in the red dress took it from her with some weird glove!”

****

Ironwood frowned at that.

****

“What exactly do you mean by ‘Core Energy’, Glynda? If Miss Autumn’s Aura is recovering and her… magic is as well, then why hasn’t she woken up?” He asked.

****

Glynda simply gestured in his own direction this time, he had been the one to tell her about the… specifics of magic, after all. Ozpin sighed, then began his explanation.

****

“The problem IS that her attacker managed to drain a part of Miss Autumn’s magic that had bonded directly to her Soul, as opposed to simply existing within her body. Miss Autumn’s soul has thus… fractured, in a sense. She cannot awaken without that fracture healing, which cannot happen unless the missing fragment is returned.”

****

Qrow and Ironwood looked a little shocked at the detail in his explanation, Ozpin privately cursed how easy it was for him to slip into ‘magical lecturer’ mode, even after so many millennia had passed.

****

“Yeah, well… that’s not gonna happen unless we find whoever took it, is it?” Qrow interjected. “They’ll probably go to ground for now, try and wait it out.”

****

“I agree.” Ironwood admitted, a little reluctantly. “They may even make a second attempt on the Fall Maiden while she is vulnerable, that makes this Academy a target for the enemy.” His warning was not lost on Ozpin or his second.

****

“Then… I suppose we must start exploring other options. James, how quickly can you have your technicians assemble the Aura Transfer Device?” Ozpin asked with a heavy heart.

****

“Ozpin!” Glynda gasped. “Are you- do you really want to resort to that? We… we have no idea what effect that will have on the transferee, never mind the fact that it may very well _kill-”_

****

“I am AWARE of the potential dangers of the operation Glynda.” Ozpin couldn’t hold back from snapping at this point, startling the Deputy Head. He placed his head in his hands, and to everyone else in the room he suddenly looked so much _older_ than he was, so _weary._

****

“I can have it assembled here within the next 5 days.” Ironwood asserted, though he too looked troubled. “I… I’m sorry we have to resort to this Glynda. But Ozpin is correct, we can’t keep the Fall Maiden here forever, we need another solution. The enemy now have a half-Maiden on their side, the last thing we need is for her to acquire the remainder of Miss Autumn’s powers.”

****

“I understand the necessity James.” Glynda seemed to shrink in on herself, hands wrapping around her upper arms as she seemed to _wilt_ in sadness. “But that doesn’t mean I like it.”

****

Ozpin had to resist the urge to put a hand around her shoulders to soothe her, he couldn’t really do that anymore, not like he could when they were still students themselves, it wouldn’t be professional.

****

“Alright, now that we have a plan in mind, I suggest we find our Guardian.” Ozpin brought the meeting to order once more, his subordinates glancing at the screens on his desk, one of which was now showing the image of a student.

****

Of a girl, with red ponytailed hair and emerald eyes.


	33. Snow Angels

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaune goes on a date with Weiss, while Daniel deals with Winter's attitude towards the Knight.

“ _No, Jaune, just listen to me on this one! I am fairly certain that if you use the phrase, “Crush you under our heel” more than once, you are are a bad guy. And I guarantee she’s said it more than once.”_

****

Jaune barley stifled as laugh as Summer continued her rant for why Cinder fit every category of, “Bad Guy 101”.

****

_I still think you’re overreacting. Maybe she just thinks it sounds cool?_ He defended, drawing a growl from the huntress in his head.

****

“ _Still, that’s weird to me, but fine! I guess we’ll just have to wait till she murders you to decide if she’s bad, Mr. 'Everyone’s a good person till I say so'.”_ She hissed, though there was no real heat in her tone. The two had been debating about Cinder’s attitude for about ten minutes, waiting to meet up with Team RWBY and the rest of JNPR outside of the arena.

  
_Man, the girls sure are taking their time._ Jaune mused, drumming his fingers idly on his arm. _I wonder where they are…_

****

As if the forces of the universe responded to his thoughts, a familiar voice called from his right.

****

“Hey, Arc!” Yang yelled, flanked by both her team and the rest of his. Jaune’s initial smile at seeing his friends faltered slightly as he noticed they all looked slightly angry. Before he could comment on their expressions, Yang strode over and punched his arm, making him wince.

****

“OW!” He shouted, glaring at the blonde brawler with slight venom. “What the hell, Yang?!”

****

“That was for that shit you pulled in the arena!” She growled, her eyes flashing red. “You scared us, Jaune! We thought you were...t-that you were...” She trailed of as her eyes softened and her hands trembled lightly. Jaune immediately felt a pang of regret, and quickly scooped up Yang’s hands.

****

“Hey.” He spoke quietly as Yang’s eyes met his own, a comforting smile on his face. “I’m ok, promise. I didn’t mean to scare you guys. I’m sorry.”

****

Yang just wrapped her arms around the young man, who returned the gesture easily. She pulled back after a few seconds, her eyes back to their normal color and a small smile on her face. “Thanks, Lover Boy. I needed that.”

****

“Anytime, Yang.” He responded earnestly, turning to the rest of his friends, opening up his arms for a hug. “Anyone else want one?”

****

Ruby immediately launched herself into Jaune’s arms, mewing happily at the contact. She was briefly followed by Pyrrha, than Nora, than Ren, then the rest of RWBY until the entirety of both teams had surrounded the boy in a hug, who was now struggling to breath.

  
“N-not really what I meant, but okay.” He groaned quietly, smiling at the content noises the girls made. After a minute or two, they all seperated and let the knight breath again. He muttered a thanks as the girls giggled, before Weiss tapped his arm gently.

****

“Jaune, may I have a moment of your time?” She asked, her usual polite tone in place.

****

“Uh, sure thing, Weiss. Could you guys give us a minute?” He asked the others, who nodded and began to head out, though Ruby and Nora snuck in another quick hug each before they departed.  That left the Knight and heiress alone.

****

“So… what did you want to talk about, Weiss?” Jaune asked, a little curious. His curiosity peaked when he noticed Weiss’ cheeks darken a little and her hands begin to fiddle with the hem of her combat skirt.

****

_“Oooh, I know what this means…”_ Summer singsonged. “ _She wants some time alone with you… how sweet.”_

****

_Seriously, what is it with you and my love life, lately?! You’re obsessed with seeing me and the girls together!_ Jaune cried out. It was true after all, since Summer had been the one to propose the polyamorous relationship/harem in the first place, Jaune would never have thought of something so… scandalous!

****

_“What? When you’re reduced to a disembodied soul inside in the mind of a teenage boy, you need to find ways to have fun! What better way to do that than through his soap opera of a love life?”_ Summer replied matter-of-factly.

****

_Is that all I am to you, just walking, talking relationship drama for your enjoyment?_

****

_“Maybe… besides, I want grandchildren someday! Every mother wants their little girls to find a nice and supportive sweetheart of a man to love them. Since my host happens to be quite the chivalrous gentleman, then why not get him together with my girls in the meantime? It doesn’t hurt that you have a large family already… at this rate, I’ll be getting grandbabies sooner rather than later.”_ A short chorus of giggles reverberated through his head a moment later.

****

Jaune sighed, he had more important things to worry about than a baby obsessed Huntress haunting his mind right now. Turning his attention back to Weiss, he laid a hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump a little.

****

“What d’you need Weiss?” He asked kindly.

****

Weiss fidgeted a little more, before mumbling something under her breath. Eventually, she straightened up and looked Jaune in the eyes, some of her old confidence returning.

****

“I would like you to go on a date with me.”

****

_Oh._

****

_“I knew it!”_

****

_Not the time Summer._

****

“Um… well, sure thing Weiss! What did you… have in mind?” He asked, hoping that the heiress had already prepared something.

****

“Well, after giving it some thought, I decided that I’d like to eat at a restaurant in Vale. It’s called “Atlesian Gourmet”. It sounded promising.”

****

Jaune mentally reminded himself to look for his suit, and ask Daniel what food was good from Atlas before nodding, smiling at the heiress before him. “That sounds wonderful, Weiss. When should I pick you up?”

****

Weiss beamed at Jaune, her confidence completely restored. “5:30, if you please. We should from the southern landing pad.”

****

“Sounds good! All see you in a few hours, beautiful!” Jaune said, making Weiss blush and stutter a goodbye before returning to her team. With that, Jaune made a beeline for his dorm, texting Pyrrha where he was headed before finding Daniel's number in his scroll. His friend answered almost automatically.

****

“Hey man! What’s up?”

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

Winter Schnee was not having a good day. First, she and her partner were bailed out by General Ironwood, and Qrow was basically excused of all charges. Then she was moved to the Atlas security force checkpoint after some moronic sergeant had his men test live rounds on trees, causing mild panic. And now, she was dealling with some pissy lieutenant who was on Vale’s border, demanding to know how far his clearance went while requesting a goddamn Knight for “Baby sitting.”

****

“Lieutenant, I cannot stress this enough.” She growled into her scroll, pacing the checkpoint’s main compound. “Just because you are sick of dealing with your squadmates doesn’t mean you can just have one of our knights look after them...NO, it cannot shoot them either!”

****

As the lieutenant started another spiel about how this was fucking bullshit, Winter noticed Daniel, who had been tinkering with one of his repulsor gloves from the Guardian suit pick up his scroll with a smile, answering a call.

****

“Hey man! What’s up?” He asked, tilting his head in thought as whoever was on the line spoke again. “Hm, my take on good Alteisen food? Well, anything with fish is pretty good, they got some good pastas. Why’d you ask?”

****

Another pause before before Daniel sat up, his grin growing. “Get outta town! Nice work, man! Where you going?” Another pause, followed by more excited chatter. “Sounds nice. Well, have fun on your date, give Ice Queen Jr. my best.”

****

Winter’s eyes snapped open as it suddenly hit her what he was talking about. Daniel was talking to Jaune about a date. With her sister. **Tonight**.

  
Her scroll nearly cracked in her hand as her grip tightened, before she growled into the device once more.

  
“Excuse me, lieutenant. I have something more pressing than your moronic teammates.”

  
With that, she disconnected the call before stalking over to Daniel, who noticed her approach and started looking nervous. “Um, hey Winter. You're looking particularly murderous at the moment. That Church guy piss you off, or..?”

  
“Oh, no. I’m actually more upset with a certain **someone** for allowing my baby sister to be taken on a date with a certain rapscallion.” She hissed with a false sweet tone. Daniel sighed, but was interrupted by Winter immediately snapping on him. “Do NOT sigh at me, Wilson! You may trust Arc, but I do not, so I will be as angry as I please, do you understand?!”

****

Daniel glared at her, and for the first time since she’d met him, there was a heat behind his gaze. An anger that had never been directed at her before. Then, quietly, he ground out a seething, “Yes. Ma’am.”

****

Winter nodded, crossing her arms in defiance of his glare. She was about to comment again before Daniel spoke again, quiet.

  
“Is there something you’d like me to do about it, ma’am?”

****

Winter pondered the question, before nodding, smiling slightly. “As a matter of fact, there is. You trust Mr. Arc so much? Than you won’t mind tailing him on his date and see how he treats my sister. If he’s the gentleman you say he is, I’ll let it go. But if he’s not-”

  
“He will be.” Daniel cut her of, before standing, grabbing his glove, and stalking out of the checkpoint. In the back of her mind, Winter felt a pang of regret with how she treated Daniel, but quickly overroad the by a simple fact she had believed for quite some time.

  
Weiss came first, everyone else came second.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

It was night time when Jaune made it back to Beacon, gently guiding the slightly tipsy heiress along with him. All in all, their date had gone swimmingly! The restaurant they had gone to was actually quite peaceful, and the food was amazing! Between the meals, both he and Weiss had tried a little wine, which was actually fairly good. Weiss must have agreed, because she downed three glasses.

****

As he’d found out, tipsy Weiss was slightly less… guarded than regular Weiss. She was more open to affection and being affectionate herself.  Right before they made it to the transit station, Jaune had slipped while holding her hand and accidently fell into a muddy puddle, bring Weiss down with him. While he expected Weiss to be irate, she just giggled and shrugged it off like it was no big deal, despite being fairly dirty. Afterwords, she had cuddled up to Jaune, snuggling into his arm and muttering something about him being her “big scruffy teddy”.

****

It was so cute he’d wanted to squeal, but he’d restrained himself, he needed to keep his guard up to make sure no one tried taking advantage of her.

****

Some creep had tried that on the way back. As funny and cute as a tipsy and unguarded Weiss was, especially with her habit of wishing random people a good evening, Jaune found out very quickly that it was also terrifyingly easy to take advantage of her.

****

He’d turned his back for one second, and he’d found Weiss in the hands of some… less than savoury company. The guy hadn’t tried anything… yet, but Jaune had seen where his hands were going, what exactly he was trying to do with the tipsy heiress. Normal Weiss would’ve already pinned him to a wall with a glyph or two, maybe even hit him with Myrtenaster and then called the police to deal with him.

****

But this was not regular Weiss, this was a tipsy and unguarded Weiss who didn’t register what her ‘company’ was doing, nor did she act to prevent it. Fortunately, Jaune acted for her.

****

By which he meant he’d grabbed the slimy prick and thrown him into a nearby wall, before bludgeoning him at least five times with his fists.

****

He’d not been that angry in a long time, nor had he ‘seen red’ like that in… well, EVER. The closest he could relate it to was how he felt with Cinder earlier that day, except more...physical. All he’d cared about was that his Snow Angel was being taken advantage of by that filth. He wasn’t going to stand for that.

****

In the end, it had been Weiss herself who had stopped him from potentially killing the man. A soft hand on his shoulder had snapped him to attention, while one look at the soft opal eyes of his date had drained the fury out of him. Weiss had led him away from the scene, before Jaune had taken the lead for the rest of the journey back to the Bullhead platform to Beacon, being careful to keep an eye out for anyone else who wanted to try anything with his date. He’d also made sure to call the police and report the incident.

****

As for the Bullhead journey itself, Weiss had decided she wanted a nap and promptly curled into Jaune’s lap like a drowsy cat, it was an adorable sight. It even made Jaune forget his motion sickness. Sadly, they arrived all too soon, with Weiss being stirred from her slumber with the shaking of the Bullhead as it landed.

****

Which led them to now, with Jaune and Weiss making their way back to the dorms, the rest of RWBY had decided to join NPR for a game night again, because they’d not wanted to be bored while their two missing members went on a date.

****

Secretly, Weiss was thankful for the privacy this afforded her and Jaune; she had been impressed with Jaune’s conduct on their date, with his respect for her space and his borderline chivalrous conduct towards her. He may not truly dress like a knight, or fight like one… yet, but in terms of personality (despite his more dorkish and immature traits), Weiss could genuinely say that Jaune was a ‘Knight in Shining Armor’. It was almost as if he’d been plucked right out of one of the fairytales she’d loved to read as a child.

****

With all this in mind, the heiress hoped that Jaune would be in favour of a little… extra activity after their date. What little alcohol she had consumed had left her system on the Bullhead journey back to Beacon, so she was now clear-headed and ready to implement her plan.

****

“Jeez… I’m gonna have to clean up after this.” Jaune started saying behind her, which caused the heiress to pivot on her heel and look at her date. “I mean, this was a really fun date Weiss, but did you have to pick something that’d get us so dirty? To be honest, I’d have thought getting dirty was the LAST thing you wanted to do on this date.”

****

Weiss could not help but let out a small giggle at that.

****

“I suppose you would be right… but I’ve realised that I can’t be prim and proper all the time, i do need to have some time to simply… enjoy myself.” She explained.

****

“And ‘enjoying yourself’ in this case involves getting dirty?” Jaune deadpanned back at her.

****

“Yes, yes it does. Call it a… rebellion of sorts against father’s wishes and ideals. I… have often thought of defying him more openly, but I’ve never mustered up the courage to do so. This, this little act of getting dirty with a scruffy boy like you… father would never have approved, but that’s why it's so liberating for me to do this. Thank you Jaune, for helping me defy my father… in my own little way.” Weiss finished, offering her Knight a small smile, which he gladly returned.

****

“Any time Snow Angel.” He then surprised her by pulling her into another hug, which the heiress gladly returned, wrapping her arms around his chest and burrowing her head into his shoulder. She took a small sniff of his hoodie, he smelled of dirt and sweat and… filth, but Weiss didn’t mind at all. That was just how he smelled after he exercised, it was quite comforting to her.

****

It didn’t take long, however, for the prim and proper heiress’ thoughts to begin… straying. Especially once she started _feeling_ the hoodie, or more accurately, the muscles and abdominals underneath. Weiss’ cheeks quickly began to redden as she began to think about just how firm and strong those muscles were, about whether she could feel them more… intimately, without his hoodie or anything else in the way…

****

“Well… I’d better get going to clean up, thanks for the date Weiss.” Jaune leaned down to kiss the girl on the forehead, eliciting a gasp from the girl. He began to pull away from her, probably preparing to turn in for the night and clean himself off.

****

No! He couldn’t do that! They weren’t done! She wasn’t done with her scruffy saviour!

****

“Jaune.” Weiss called softly, making sure to snag his retreating arm to stop the Knight from leaving. Jaune turned around, confused by Weiss’ reaction.

****

“Yeah, Weiss?” Jaune replied, gazing into her opal eyes with his own azure orbs, which made Weiss’ heart skip a beat. She could look into those eyes forever... no! NO! Don’t get distracted Weiss! Eyes on the prize, Schnee.

****

“I suppose we’re quite dirty from our date… we should probably clean up.”

****

“Well yeah, I was planning on that.”

****

“I meant… would you like to… to clean up _with me_ , Jaune?” She asked, her voice uncharacteristically quiet.

****

Those words caused Jaune’s mind to shut down briefly. Did Weiss want him to… shower with her? Was this her way of asking him to do with her what he did with Pyrrha? He blushed quite intensely at that. Well, he had promised that he’d make the girls happy whatever it took, if this would make Weiss happy…

****

The fact that it would certainly make him happy too was merely a bonus in his mind.

****

“Okay then.” Jaune stated, still blushing a little. “So… how d’you want to do this?”

****

“Well… my team’s dorm is empty for the night, so we should have the privacy we need.” Weiss reciprocated his blush, her mind now conjuring fantasies of what she wanted him to do with her during their ‘private time’. “I’ll go first and you can, well, join me whenever you like.”

****

With that, Weiss leaned up to plant a soft kiss on Jaune’s lips, stunning the blonde Knight, before turning around and walking slowly over to her dorm door, making sure that she put a little extra sway in her hips as she did so. She’d noticed him staring at her behind a few times on their date, she’d be a fool not to exploit his interest further.

****

As Weiss reached the door she turned her head back to Jaune and gave him a small, sensual lick of her lips before she spoke again.

****

“Are you coming, Jaune?” She asked breathily.

****

“Y-yes.” He rasped out, licking his own lips to wet them.

****

Feeling a little bold and dirty-minded, Weiss decided to reply with; “Oh don’t worry, you will soon enough”, making sure to lid her eyes. She was rewarded with an intense blush from Jaune, as well as his legs crossing a little to cover up a certain… bulge in his trousers. The heiress was pleased she could get that reaction from the blonde.

****

It didn’t take Weiss long to strip down and fold her clothes up neatly one she was in the bathroom. Make sure she had a towel prepared, she stepped into the shower and turned on the water.

****

It was a little cold at first, but soon Weiss grew acclimated to it, taking the nearby bar of soap and running it over her shapely legs and petite yet still curvy frame. One more she cursed her lack of bosom compared to her friends, while she was by no means small in that department and was even considered reasonably busty, she was still surpassed by the likes of Nora, Yang, Pyrrha and even that Neo girl.

****

Weiss was shaken out of her lamentations by the sound of the door to the shower quickly opening and shutting, her whole body grew hot and tingly as she realised that she was no longer alone. She looked over to see Jaune standing there in his full glory, though she made sure to keep her eyes above the waist for now.

****

_Wow… has he always looked so… good? Muscular? Handsome?_ Weiss thought to herself. His muscles were very well-defined now after all his training, as was the rest of him, his figure now lean and hardened from his gruelling labours to improve himself.

****

“Well… I’m glad you decided to join me.” Weiss decided to say at least, if only to break the silence.

****

“Heh… yeah, here I am.” He was still embarrassed about being alone with her, wasn’t he? Well, that wouldn’t do, now would it? What sort of girlfriend would Weiss be if she let her boyfriend be uncomfortable around her?

****

“Jaune, turn around, I’m going to wash your back for you.” She ordered. Jaune complied easily enough, so the heiress approached him with soap in hand.

****

She barely managed to hold in a hasp at the feeling of his skin against hers, and how hot and firm it was to the touch. Weiss diligently ran the bar of soap across every part of him she could reach, before deciding to risk more contact by stepping closer.

****

This time, she really did gasp, as did he, as her front met his back. Weiss almost shivered at the tingling pleasure that filled her body at the close contact, winder her arms around Jaune’s midsection to hug him tight, pressing as much of her frame against his as she could.

****

“How does that feel Jaune? Are you still nervous about being alone with me?” She asked, unable to keep her voice from wavering with her growing arousal.

****

“.... No. This feels good, _really_ good. _You_ feel really good Weiss _.”_ The boy admitted, a soft moan escaping his lips.

****

“I’m glad. Now… perhaps you’d care to wash my back?”

****

“Of course.” This time, there was something different about his tone, something that excited the heiress and made her shiver. There was confidence in that tone, and want.

****

Want for her.

****

Jaune’s own hands found hers, prying them free as he turned to face her. Another soft sigh of contentment escaped Weiss as he placed his hands on her hips to turn her away from him, before sliding them around her waist, making no move to pick up the soap she had dropped.

****

“A-aren’t you going to c-clean my back, Jaune?” Weiss couldn’t help but stutter a little as the heat in her body grew.

****

“We can do that later, can’t we? Right now… I think you want this a little more, right?” Yes she did. She was surprised at the Knight’s boldness, the way he took charge just like that, but Weiss wasn’t about to complain or ask him to stop.

****

Their lips met as Weiss twisted her head to look up at Jaune, pressing together with increasing frequency. At first the kisses were gentle and searching, though they quickly grew heavier and needier as both teens succumbed to their desires. Jaune eventually pushed his tongue into the heiress’ mouth, leading to a fervent battle between the two for dominance, though this only served to push them closer to the edge.

****

Even more so than the feeling of their wet, soaped-up and naked bodies sliding together had already done.

****

A rather sharp poke to her backside made Weiss break the kiss with a gasp. Looking down, she could see that Jaune was indeed as excited as she was. The heiress couldn’t resist reached down and wrapping a hand around his member, rubbing it softly as Jaune let out a loud groan.

****

“Gah… Weiss…!”

****

“Come on Jaune… don’t keep me waiting.” Weiss insisted breathily, leaning herself against the shower wall while facing him, she extended a dainty finger and beckoned him forward.

****

Jaune wrapped his arms around her form, while the heiress could feel his shaft poking insistently between her legs. Glancing up at her partner, Weiss gave him a smile and a nod.

****

“It’s okay Jaune… take me, make me yours.”

****

“But… I don’t have any-” Jaune began, before Weiss cut him off with a finger to the lips.

****

“Then you’ll just have to pull out before then, won’t you?”

****

Jaune nodded and smiled down at her, Weiss returned it easily, before he pushed forward and into her sex.

****

A loud gasp left moth of their mouths as the sensation of sexual contact washed over both of them. Weiss gritted her teeth at first, and Jaune was content to restrict his pace to let her get used to it. Even so, the slow and rhythmic rocking of their hips did a very good job and driving them closer to release.

****

“Hah… f-faster Jaune, please…” Weiss begged, desperate to feel more, for him to stop holding back. “Don’t h-hold ba-augh!”

****

Her stuttered words trailed off into a surprised cry and Jaune placed both hands on her firm and peach-shaped buttocks, before lifting her up so that she was at his eye level.

****

“You got it, Snow Angel.” The growled out words sent another shiver of pleasure through Weiss’ body, and she instinctively wrapped her smooth legs and thighs around his waist to hold herself there.

****

The shower stall was filled with loud moans from the pair of teens as Jaune began to thrust in earnest, hilting himself almost completely inside the heiress with each push, while Weiss matched him as best she could, all while their lips pressed together repeatedly in loud smacking noises. The water acted as a natural lubricant for their lovemaking, with Jaune’s hands never leaving the girl’s backside as he pinned her against the wall with his own body.

****

All too soon, they both began to feel that pressure building inside them, which only pushed the volume of their cries and moans to new heights as both teens desperately wanted to get as much pleasure as they could out of the intercourse before they had to stop.

****

“”Weiss! Gaaahh… I’m close!” Jaune gasped in her ear, while wrapping his arms fully around her waist this time, wanting to be as close to her as possible when they both released.

****

“Me too!” The heiress cried. “Please Jaune, p-pull out! I’m n-not ready…”

****

The Knight heeded her plea almost at once, carefully extricating his stiff shaft from her sex, before he simply began rubbing it against her chest to pleasure them both again. As the pleasure completely overwhelmed them, both teens screamed out each other’s names, heedless of who might hear.

****

“JAUNE!”

****

“WEISS!”

****

Weiss felt Jaune’s thick and gooey essence splatter all over her chest as they both came. Their strength spent, both collapsed to the floor of the shower, panting heavily, faces flushed but hearts ablaze with affection and desire. They spent the next few minutes lazily kissing each other, Weiss maneuvering herself so that she could straddle her Knight’s lap, rubbing her thighs gently against his slowly softening erection to provide some steady stimulation. After a while, Weiss pulled back and smiled down at her companion, pressing her forehead gently against his.

****

“That was amazing Jaune… thank you. For making my first time an enjoyable experience.”

****

“Any time Weiss… I promised I’d make you girls happy. If this is what it takes, then I’m all for it.” This prompted a sly smile from the heiress.

****

“‘What it takes’ hmm? Did you not enjoy yourself too Jaune?” This caused the Knight to flush and sputter out a response.

****

“W-w-what!? N-no! That’s not-! I mean… I DID enjoy myself, hone-” His frantic pleas were cut off by the Snow Angel’s musical laughter ringing in his ears, as she covered her mouth with a hand to try and stop her laughter, to no avail.

****

“Oh I get it.” He groused. “You’re teasing me. As if i didn’t have enough to deal with from Yang and Coco already.”

****

Weiss tousled his hair, smiling apologetically.

****

“I’m sorry Jaune, it’s just that I was in such a good mood after… well.” Her cheeks flushed a little at this. “After we just…”

****

“Had sex?”

****

“Y-yes. Had sex. For the first time.”

****

“You… want to do it again?”

****

Weiss snorted at this.

****

“Of course. Don’t you?”

****

“....yeah, I do.”

****

Weiss smiled down at her boyfriend again, a pure smile, a genuine smile of affection and love.

****

“I love you Juane. My scruffy Knight.”

****

“I love you too Snow Angel.”

****

No words were exchanged after that, the pair simply sat on the floor of the shower cubicle, basking in the warmth and affection they received from their partner.

\---------

Line Break

\---------

Winter was reading in her bunk when Daniel returned to their room. She arched an eyebrow at his appearance, smriking a bit as he shucked off the beaten brown coat he a was wearing and shed the tribby hat.

  
“Can I help you with something, Detective?” She asked playfully, earning a soft chuckle from the man, who shook his head.

  
“I’m afraid not, ma’am.” He said, in a mock boston accent. “I’m just here to report in to my boss about a case.”

****

Winter’s smile fell slightly, and she closed her bock. “And what were your findings?”

****

Daniel’s grin grew a bit more smug as he shrugged, leaning against the bed frame. “Like I expected, “Mr. Arc” was a complete gentleman throughout the entirety of his and Ms. Schnee’s date.”

  
Winter nodded slowly, before her gaze fell to her hands, folded in her lap. So, Mr. Arc was trustworthy. At least, she was told as much. Not that Daniel would ever lie to her, of course! She was still just a bit-

****

“You still don’t trust him, do you.”

****

Winter was snapped from her thoughts as her gaze returned to Daniel’s his eyes now dark and his smile gone. His words had been a statement rather than a question. He sighed, leaning of the bed and turning to her face on.

****

“Look, Winter. I get it. You want the best for your sister, you want her to be safe. I was the same with Jaune in middle school. I didn’t want him being tricked or taken advantage of, so I watched over him, with the help of his sisters, of course.”

****

“But you know what changed, Winter? I started to trust Jaune, trust that he could make good choices, smart choices. In the end, I can’t make you trust Jaune, I can’t even make you trust me, but at the very least you should trust your own sister’s judgment. She’s got a nose for bullshit that rivals yours, so if Jaune was some scumbag, she’d have him dead to rights.”

****

Daniel turned on his heel, heading for the door. “I’m gonna head to the eastern checkpoint, see if they need anymore support. Call me if we’re needed for something. Have a good night, boss.”

****

With that, the door closed, and Winter was left alone once more. A sour feeling churned in her gut, which she tried to stifle by returning to her book. Unfortunately, it didn’t work, and that feeling stayed with her until she fell asleep later in the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go, more smut for you readers out there, White Knight flavour this time.
> 
> As always, reviews and comments are welcome.


	34. "J v C"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaune meets some new friends and his feud with Cinder reaches its peak. Meanwhile, Neo discovers she has more competition that she originally planned for and Pyrrha receives an offer.

“Well, how do I look?” Weiss asked, having just finished getting dressed after she and Jaune had woken up after their night together, thankfully they had actually managed to clean up this time. Jaune, who had to make do with the clothes from the night before, gave her a thumbs up and a bright smile.

****

“Absolutely stunning.”

  
Weiss promptly flushed and stuttered out a high-pitched “Oh, you dolt!” before walking over and wrapping him in a hug. “How are you always so adorable?”

  
“I have no idea. I guess it just comes naturally.” he answered with a shrug. Weiss shook her head in amused disbelief, before heading to the door.

****

“Well, I texted the others. We’re going to meet up by Amity.”

  
Jaune nodded, standing with a, “Sounds good.” and with that, the two were off to meet their friends.

\----------

Line Break

\----------

“Pyrrha, please. Air.” Jaune wheezed while in his partner’s bone-crushing hug. Turns out, he’d forgotten to tell her that he and Weiss reached Beacon safe after their date, which was why she was currently squeezing the life out of him. She let go of him, her expression torn between feeling relieved and angry.

****

“Well next time, tell me when you get back!” She hissed, before relief washed over her face. “I’m just glad you’re alright.”

****

“Yeah, something tells me you're not the only one.” Yang commented, referring to the other three girls latched onto his body. Said girls were Nora, Ruby, and Neo. Jaune glanced down at the girls with a smile, and ruffled Ruby’s hair a little.

****

“Sorry I scared you guys.”

  
Ruby and Neo just hummed happily in response, while Nora just said, “Oh, I wasn’t worried! I just love hugs!” This coaxed a laugh out of everyone, before Ruby and Neo released Jaune. He looked at Neo and asked, “By the way, how’s your team doing, Neo?”

****

Neo’s face lit up, like she remembered something, and she rapidly typed out her response. When she finished, she held it up to him.

****

“Marcie and Emerald are doing well, they were really happy that you came to check on us yesterday.” He read, smiling a bit at the thought of a happy Marcie. She smiled fairly often, but sometimes it didn’t make it to her eyes. It didn’t seem real. He kept reading.

****

“As for Cinder, I’d steer clear. She’s still pissed about what you said to her, and said if she saw you again, she’d…” Jaune trailed off as he read the line of explicit threats violence against him. “Oh. Wow.”

****

Neo nodded sympathetically, before smiling again and typing once more, showing Jaune her work afterwards.

****

“However, I think she’s actually secretly impressed with you?” Jaune quoted, the words making his eyebrows shoot up. The very notion of Cinder being anything but infuriated with him seemed impossible, but it was a nice thought.

****

“Secretly, huh?” Yang asked while leaning on Jaune’s back, a wide grin on her face. “Why doesn’t she just get with the program and be open about how awesome Vomit Boy is, like the rest of us?”

  
“Yeah!” Ruby cheered, smiling at the blonde knight. “Jaune’s the best, it’d be impossible not to like him!”

  
Jaune flushed a bit at the open praise, which was unexpected, even from Ruby. However, before he could comment, an angry yell from nearby caught his attention.

****

“SAY THAT TO MY FACE! SAY IT TO MY FUCKING FACE, JACKASS!”

****

Jaune and the girls turned to the source of the yelling, seeing Beacon newbie team NDGO and team CRDL about to come to blows. Nebula, Gwen, and Octavia were holding back a fuming Dew, who was screaming at a smirking Cardin, flanked by the rest of his team.

****

“Whatcha gonna do, bitch?” Cardin snarked cockily, leering at the girl. “Blow me to death?”

****

Jaune felt a flare of anger at the comment, and before his friends could stop him, he was already marching over to the group, fists clenched.

****

“HEY! CARDIN!” He shouted, catching both groups attention. Cardin immediately sneered upon seeing Jaune, while Nebula beamed at his appearance. “You want to pick on someone? How about me then?”

****

“Mind your damn business, Arc.” The bully growled, turning fully to face Jaune, who crossed his arms in response.

****

“Actually, when a prick like you is antagonizing my friends, it becomes my business.” He responded, returning Cardin’s glare.

****

Cardin scoffed, shaking his head and smirking at knight before speaking again.

****

“Oh yeah, I’m sure they’re your friends and not just some more **whores** for you to add on to your little posse.”

****

With that one statement, Jaune lost his composure. Within a second, Cardin was keeled over, clutching a more than likely broken nose, while Jaune stood over him, looking furious.

****

“Listen to me, you fucking bastard.” Jaune growled, his eyes sharp and angry. “You even think about saying that again, about **ANY** of my friends, I’m going to ram that fancy mace of yours so far up your ass, you’ll be shitting metal for weeks, do you hear me?”

****

Cardin leaned back, supported by his goons, and sneered at the blonde boy before muttering a broken, “This isn’t over”, and stalking away. Jaune’s rage dissipated, and he turned to team NDGO, all of whom were gawking at him with looks of wonder and disbelief on their faces.

****

“Are you guys alright?” He asked, prompting Nebula to snap to attention and nod, stepping forward.  
  
“Yes, um, we’re fine. Cardin was just telling us that we didn’t deserve to be here.” She admitted, her expression falling. “We’re scheduled to fight them today, and they wanted to kick us out.”

  
Jaune scowled, and internally reminded himself to find Cardin later and make do on his promise, before smiling at the girls.

  
“Well, do you know what I take out of all this?” He asked, the question triggering confused expressions on their faces. “Cardin’s scared of you guys. I mean, who wouldn’t be scared of four badass, sexy women who could easily kick the shit out of you?”

****

All four of the women blushed at the comment, Octavia even letting out a quiet sputter of, “ _S-sexy?!”_

****

“So, here’s what I think you guys should do.” Jaune continued, his smile growing. “I think that you guys should go into this fight, kick CRDL’s ass, and feel good about doing it. You guys ready?”

  
“Hell yeah!” The girls yelled, their enthusiasm now restored.

****

“Damn right, you are! Go get ‘em, girls!” Jaune crowed, smiling broadly as the girls started jogging towards the arena, each one tossing a thank you to the knight on their way out. Before they got to far, Nebula doubled back and suddenly hugged Jaune, kissing him on the cheek.

  
“Thanks for the confidence boost, Jaune. We should...hang out. Sometime. I-if you like.” She stuttered, before sprinting off to join her team. Juane just chuckled, his face flushed as he turned back to his friends.

  
“Well, looks like Cardin’s gonna have quite the mess on his…” he started, before pausing when he saw their faces. They all looked stunned. “Uh, guys?”

****

“That was...interesting.” Ren stated, her face still flushed and expresion impressed.

****

“I think the word you’re looking for is ‘HOT’, Ren.” Yang replied, her own face a bit red.  
  
“What are you guys talking about?” Jaune asked incredulously, earning a playful jab from Ruby.

****

“Jaune! You just stood up to Cardin! You punched his stupid face!” She explained, beaming at him. “That was awesome!”

****

“W-what? No, no. I was just helping Team NDGO, it’s no big deal.” He tried to explain, before being overruled by Pyrrha.

****

“I’m with Ruby on this one, Jaune. That was impressive.” She said, giving him her own small smile. “That being said, we should probably get to our seats.”

****

This was met with a chorus of agreement from the rest of the girls, all of whom had recovered at this point. “Alright, lets go!”

****

\-----------

Line Break

\-----------

****

Truth be told, it was quite a show, watching NDGO **annihilate** Team CRDL. Cardin was out of the fight in the first minute, and the rest of his cronies fell soon after. NDGO didn’t lose a single team member. The entire stadium cheered for them as they were announced the winners, and few among them were louder than Jaune Arc, who whooped and hollered for his Vacuo transferee friends.

  
After that, the tournament pumped out a steady paced stream of dou fights. Emerald and Marcie went against Nolan and May from Team BRNZ, and came out on top. NDGO sent out Dew and Gwen against Fox and Yatsuhashi, which they lost. Sun and Neptune from SSSN were decimated by Team ABRN’s Reese and Arslan. Finally, JNPR’s own Ren and Nora went head to head with Penny and her partner, Ciel Soleil, ending with Penny’s team as the victor.

****

After that, the only teams left for duos were RWBY and FNKI. As the the two groups took the field, Jaune couldn’t help but smile as he noticed a familiar orange haired faunus on FNKI’s team. She noticed him as well, and a wide smile graced her face as she waved to him.

  
“Hey there, Arc!” Katt shouted, putting her hands on her hips. “So, you gonna be rooting for me today?”

****

Jaune shrugged apologetically, shaking his head. “Sorry, Katt. I gotta side with my friend's on this one.” He said, gesturing to Weiss and Yang, who were across from her. Katt mock pouted, a playful frown on her face.

  
“Aw c’mon, man! I thought we had a connection!”

****

Jaune rolled his eyes, but nodded to the girl in agreement. “Alright, how about a wager? You beat my friends, I owe you a favor for doubting you. Deal?”

****

Katt’s smile returned, and she nodded immediately. “You got yourself a deal, Arc! See you when this is over~.” She hummed, skipping over to her teammate Flynt, who rolled his eyes at her antics.

  
“ _And that’s another girl on the list.”_ Summer said, startling Jaune.

****

_Jesus, Summer, you nearly gave me a heart attack!_ He groaned, coxing a giggle out of his huntress occupant. _You’ve been quiet all morning. Everything ok?_

****

“ _Aw, I appreciate the concern, Jaune.”_ Summer cooed, her tone teasing. “ _I’m fine, I’ve just been doing a lot of thinking.”_

****

_Careful, I hear that’s dangerous._ Jaune quipped, earning another laugh from her.

  
“ _Oh, I’m sure it’s VERY dangerous for you, Jaune.”_ She shot back, before continuing. “ _I was actually referring to thinking about...us.”_

****

Jaune’s eyebrows shot up at the way the statement was phrased. _How...so?_

****

_“Oh, c’mon Jaune! Not like that!”_ Summer practically squealed, her blush audible in her voice.

****

_Hey, you phrased it how you phrased it, I’m just listening!_

****

Summer sighed, and after a pause, continued. “ _I was just thinking about how this works...in the long run, you know? I mean, you have your whole life ahead of you, and I’m just along for the ride…what happens if you get sick of me? If-if I become too invasive?”_

 _  
_ There was an unexpected discomfort her words stirred in Jaune, but he quickly squashed the feeling as he responded.

****

_Hey! I will never get sick of you, and I trust that you’ll always respect my boundaries. We’re friends, Summer. We stick together. Besides, in this case, I don’t think we have a choice._

****

_“No, I suppose we don’t.”_ Summer admitted, before responding softly, her voice regaining it’s usual confidence. _“Thank you, Jaune. I...I needed to hear that.”_

****

_No problem, Summer._ He responded, smiling at the feeling of contentment that settled in his chest. He was brought back to the present as a buzzer sounded, and Port’s voice boomed through the arena.

****

“And just like that, Team RWBY comes out on top!”

****

Jaune blinked, and looked into the arena before him. Sure enough, a winded Yang and Weiss stood next to each other, as Neon and Flynt both lay on the ground, one groaning in pain while the other just cracked her neck before standing up and smiling at the victors of the fight. 

****

“You guys were super crazy awesome! We should seriously party sometime!” Neon said cheerfully as she hefted her partner to his feet, before turning to Jaune with a smug smile. “Looks like you're in the clear for now, Arc. Still, we gotta hang out more!”

****

Jaune just laughed, but nodded in agreement, clearly pleasing the hyper faunus as she skated out of the arena, closely followed by her grumbling teammate. As he leaned back in his seat, Jaune noticed Pyrrha running up to him, clearly out of breath.

  
“Hey, Pyr. What’s up?” he asked when she arrived, giving her a moment to breath before she spoke.  

****

“Hi Jaune, I have a big favor to ask! Headmaster Ozpin called me up to his office, so I need you take over my spot for solos.”

****

Jaune’s heart skipped a beat at her admission. Solos? He would be doing solos in Pyrrha’s place?

****

“O-oh. Uh, sure. Where should I go?” He asked slowly, trying to steel his nerves. Pyrrha beamed at him, pecking him on the cheek and gesturing to the floor level.

****

“Just head down there, they’ll tell you when they’re ready to send you out. Thank you so much, Jaune! I promise I’ll try to be quick!”

  
And with that, Pyrrha was off, leaving Jaune to trudge down to the floor level and wait by the arena entrance for the start of solos. After a few minutes, Port’s voice once again boomed through the space.

****

“And now, for our first set of solos, we have Jaune Arc, of Beacon Academy, verses…”

****

_Ok, maybe this won’t be so bad._ He thought to himself, loosening up. _It’s just the first fight, nothing major. I’m sure I’ll just be going against Cardin, or Coco, or-_

****

“Ella Stalls of Haven Academy!”

****

_“_ **_Oh shit.”_ **Both Jaune and Summer uttered as the door opened, and he was forced to take the field.

\---------------

Line Break

\---------------

Jaune’s hands were shaking a little as he made his way out onto the field. Despite his pep talk and Summer’s attempts to soothe his mind, he still felt nervous. His palms were sweaty, his armor felt too tight, and he was still shivering a little.

****

It didn’t help his nerves when he saw that not only was his opponent waiting for him already, but she was staring right at him. No. Not AT him. THROUGH him. Jesus! That stare… that wasn’t the look of one tournament fighter eying their opponent.

****

That was the look of predator fighting more prey. The small head tilt and smile did absolutely nothing to dispel that image.

****

“Hmmm, curious… I expected Miss Nikos. Why have they sent you in her place?” Cinder asked, curiosity in her voice.

****

“Oh… s-she had something e-else to do, so she asked me to take her place.” Juane cursed himself inwardly at the stutters in his voice, betraying his obvious trepidation to his opponent. Sure enough, she smiled just a little wider.

****

“Nervous already? We’ve not even begun yet. Don’t worry… I assure you that fear is quite an appropriate response when facing someone stronger than you. I promise not to crush you too hard…”

****

_“What did I tell you!?”_ Summer howled in his mind. “ _She keeps using those words! If she’s not evil, then she’s certainly got a MASSIVE EGO!”_ Jaune tried his best to ignore the raging Huntress in his head, focusing instead on analysing his opponent as much as he could before the fight began. Port and Oobleck were currently running through the usual congratulations and introductions to the audience, he didn’t have much time.

****

There was one thing he noticed right off the bat.

****

“Uh… where’s your weapon?” He asked. She didn’t seem to carry anything. It wasn’t like that brown leather jacket, or those green trousers could carry a weapon, was it? It’s not like she’d hidden it in those… _tight_ bandages around her-

****

“ _JAUNE! Focus! S-stop staring at her breasts! I know you’re a growing boy but you can’t just ogle her like that!”_ The slight stutter confused Jaune, but he chose not to comment on his mental partner’s eccentricities, he’d just learned to accept them at this point.

****

His opponent merely responded with a light laugh, that it was dripping with condescension may have been lost on the Knight, but not on his Huntress ‘companion’, who couldn’t hold back a growl. Who did this smug, condescending… _shrew_ think she was, belittling her friend like that!? Where did she get off on making people feel small!?

****

“Oh… well I _did_ say I wouldn’t hurt you too badly. I doubt someone as… untrained as you could handle an attack from my proper weapons.” Every word just irritated Juane more and more, this was retaliation for his comments about her obsession with strength wasn’t it? She was just trying to demean him on purpose. He smirked a little and spread his arms.

****

“What’s the matter? Scared to use those fancy swords of yours on me?” He gloated a little, relishing in seeing her face twist a little in anger. Yeah… _that_ got to her.

****

“Alright then!” Cinder snapped. “You believe yourself strong enough to withstand an attack from my blades? **Fine.** We’ll see how long your bravado lasts then, won’t we **Jaune**?” The knight in question couldn’t help but shiver at the malice in her voice. Jeez, this was just a tournament fight, wasn’t it!?

****

With that, she pressed her hand to the ground, which thanks to the environment being set to desert was made of sand. The sand under her fingers began to glow… until it practically _melted into glass_ , glass that formed itself into two wicked-looking blades that Cinder hefted into her hands. Twirling them a little, she sent a wicked smile Jaune’s way.

****

“You did ask to fight me with my weapons, didn’t you? I think it’s time you learned that your actions have _consequences_.”

****

Despite his nerves. Jaune drew Crocea Mors II and unfurled his kite shield. Settling into a ready position, he faced his opponent and narrowed his eyes. Even if he couldn’t win, he could give her a black eye at least.

****

“BEGIN!” Port’s voice yelled out. Having finished his introductory speech.

****

The fight was on.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

There were varying reactions in the crowd before the fight in question actually started.

****

“He’s toast.” Marcie stated. “He’s dead, he’ll be so dead they won’t even be able to give him a proper funeral when the boss is done with him.” She looked a little disturbed by the fact, fiddling with the mechanical joints of her prosthetics as she spoke, something that Neo knew by now was a coping mechanism she used when she felt stressed.

****

“Hey! Don’t just discount Juaney like that!” The redhead called Nora called out indignantly. “Fearless leader’s got some tricks up his sleeve!”

****

“Yeah but… isn’t he like way behind the rest of your team? Like, in terms of combat ability?” Marcie asked, not maliciously but curiously.

****

“Yes, indeed he is. But he is getting better.” That black and magenta-striped haired girl, the one who had beaten Neo in the team battles (for which the ice-cream lover had actually given her a fair amount of respect), spoke up.

****

“That doesn’t change the fact that he’s still behind you gals.” Marcie pointed out. “Look… I was able to beat little miss warhammer over there, and the boss was able to keep up with your strongest member… while holding back quite a bit. She’s… a LOT stronger than me, that all three of us really.”

****

The grey haired girl turned her gaze to the arena for a moment, as did Neo, where their ‘employer’ was facing off against the Knight that had plagued both girls’ thoughts for the past few weeks.

****

Cinder was speaking. She was probably saying something degrading or insulting to rub it in Jaune’s face that she was better than him or that he wouldn’t have a chance. The bitch liked to do that to everyone she met. Neo, Roman, Junior’s thugs… even her own ‘associates’ weren’t safe. She just LOVED reminding everyone that she was toughest bitch in the room, it got unbearable to listen to after the third time.

****

Neo heard the red-caped girl, who was _definitely_ too young to even be here, speak up in Jaune’s defense.

****

_“_ He’ll kick her butt anyway! If I know Jaune, he’ll have something up his sleeve to take her out, he’s always good at thinking on his feet in combat!” The amount of faith she had in Jaune was honestly adorable.

****

“I’m with Rubes on this one.” The other blonde, who Neo was actually quite jealous of… for two large, LARGE reasons in particular, spoke up. She ruffled ‘Ruby’s hair, causing the girl to squeal a little in protest and bat her hands away. “Lover Boy’s always had some trick up his sleeve when sparring with us, makes sense he’ll have something in store for your ‘boss’ too.”

****

‘Lover Boy’? Neo couldn’t help but feel a little spike of jealousy at the affectionate nickname. Despite their agreement to share his affections, that nickname was a reminder that the girl-Yang, if she remembered right-had known Jaune longer than her. That she was undoubtedly closer to him that Neo was…

****

The girl was pulled out of her musings-slash-lamentations by her teammate (whom Neo was ALSO jealous of for, well… you get the point) speaking again.

****

“It doesn’t matter how many tricks he’s got… the boss isn’t gonna hold back as much as she usually does against him. She’ll want to crush him in this fight, humiliate him… whatever it takes.” Marcie explained rather grimly, a frown etched on her face and a tremor of nervousness in her voice that frankly unnerved Neo.

****

Marcie had been with Cinder for longer and so knew her better than the mute enforcer, and thanks to a liberal application of Valean liquor one night the girl had shared the story of her rather forceful ‘recruitment’, as well as her leader’s more… _sadistic_ tendencies.

****

For the assassin to be this nervous about her employer fighting someone… that meant she had to have something _extra-horrible_ in mind for Jaune in that arena.

****

“But… why would she do that?” The other black haired girl-Blake-spoke up. “It’s a tournament match, so I can understand beating an opponent… but humiliating them? That seems very unnecessary.”

****

“For most people yes… but not for her.” Emerald spoke up quietly, drawing Neo’s attention. “You might have noticed that she’s not exactly the… biggest fan of your friend right now.” Off the girls’ nods, she continued speaking.

****

“Jaune essentially challenged her… beliefs, I suppose you could say. As far as she’s concerned, strength and power is all there is. Jaune challenged that view when they argued, so she wants to prove it to him, preferably in a painful way. If she can beat him and humiliate him in the tournament today… then she can prove that strength really IS all that matters.” Emerald sighed a little.

****

“That’s why she won’t hold back… that’s why she’ll want to cause as much damage as possible… that’s why he doesn’t have a chance at stopping her.” Emerald sounded a little regretful, causing Neo to narrow her eyes.

****

She took a good look at the dark-skinned girl, at the way she looked at Jaune at the arena, about the way her posture seemed to shift and her face seemed to brighten a little when she saw him. Looking over, Neo saw the exact thing happened with Marcie too, that her smile, normally forced when having to listen to Cinder’s drivel, turned just a little lighter and brighter when she say Jaune. Then there was the fact that she _stripped in front of him_ that one time!

****

_Yeah, ‘my legs need maintenance’, my cute and shapely arse!_ Neo groused mentally. _God, it’s almost like she’s into him..._

****

_Oh no way… she IS interested! AND Emerald too! BOTH my teammates fancy him!? NO!_

****

Neo’s thoughts on her teammates’ new object of interest were cut off by the announcer exclaimed “BEGIN!” at the top of his lungs, drawing her attention to the arena.

****

The fight was on.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

Jaune had barely begun moving his kite shield when what felt like a Bullhead crashed into it. The impact jolted his arm to the shide, allowing a dual blade slash to rake across his armor before he could block. Stumbling backward from the impact, the Knight managed to block the next two strikes before a glass heel found his chestplate, knocking him almost flat on his arse.

****

Scrambling up, he found his opponent staring at him, head tilted and an almost smug grin on her face.

****

“Well? You DID say you wanted me to fight at my best… is that perhaps too much for you? Am **I** perhaps… too much for you? There’s no shame in admitting when you’re out of your depth, you know.” The woman purred, practically DRIPPING with smugness. Which Jaune steeled himself and gave no outward reaction, his mental passenger couldn’t help but snarl again at the woman’s arrogance.

****

_“I’d like to see how that smug_ **_harpy_ ** _fights against a_ proper _huntress…”_ Summer groused in the back of Jaune’s mind, the stress on the insult surprising even herself. Sure, she’d never taken kindly to people who hurt others, and Jaune WAS her host now… but why did she feel so protective now?

****

Luckily, Jaune was too engrossed in scanning his opponent to notice her emotional turmoil. Cinder was vulnerable for a split second as she wound up for an attack, if he could get her while she drew her blades back…

****

The fighter in question shot off her feet again, charging him so fast Jaune could barely keep up with her, he’d blocked her first strike and was preparing to exploit her weak point… when she flipped herself right over his head. A glass heel planted itself on his back and vaulted off him, sending him crashing to the floor while his opponent landed gracefully.

****

“Do you still believe that strength is worthless without your ‘team’ to support you? Or are you ready to admit that strength and power IS all that matters?” Her constant taunts were beginning to annoy him. The tactical and logical part of his mind told him that Cinder was doing it on purpose, irritating him to throw off his concentration. The emotional part told him to bash her smug face in.

****

Right now, he was listening to the emotional part.

****

As Jaune charged toward his opponent, his friends up in the stands were honestly rather shocked at the way the fight had been going.

****

Jaune was the just the guy who always had a plan, or who always managed to come out on top no matter the odds! They’d just accepted that, that he was the under-trained but gifted underdog who could always find a way out of the situation, no matter how dire. But now, as they watched Cinder basically pirouette out of the way of Jaune’s sword and slash at his back, they honestly realised that he basically didn’t have a chance. She was stronger than him, faster than him, more skilled than him…

****

What could he do?

****

Jaune managed to re-align himself, facing his opponent again. That damned GRIN was still on her face, he just wanted to punch it off…

****

No. No. He couldn't. He had to step back, he needed to calm himself. That was his mistake.

****

He’d let her taunts get to him, he fought sloppily and payed for it. His Aura stood at about 75% while his opponent was still at full. He needed to be smarter than he’d been, he needed to fight with a clear mind.

****

So, he took a deep and calming breath, then exhaled.

****

It was a moment of tranquility for the Knight, the red mist that clouded his mind clearing as he opened his eyes, he focused on his opponent again. His finger slipped to the rune that activated the Ice Dust strip in his blade, as Jaune himself assumed a ready stance.

****

“Not giving up yet? Either you’re suicidally brave or an incredible fool… I honestly don’t know which is worse.” Another taunt. It didn’t affect him now, his mind was clear. He knew what he had to do. Jaune simply smiled back at her.

****

“Just waiting for you to realise that boring me to death won’t work. Do you always talk this much? I mean… you might like the sound of your own voice, but personally, i think it just sounds like the dying screams of a tortured animal.”

****

Cinder’s smug smile twisted into a scowl. Her whole body tensed and shook with rage.

****

“You dare!? What POSSIBLY makes you think that a worm like you has any right to mock me! Your superior! What possibly makes you think you even have a chance, that you EVER had a chance at defeating me!?”

****

Jaune smiled happily back, while inwardly he drew on his Aura and called forth his Semblance. After a few moments of searching, he found the one he needed, and replied to his opponent.

****

“Well… guess we’ll find out, eh Ellie?”

****

Up in the stands, while RWBY plus Coco, Velvet, Nora and Ren were all cheering for Jaune’s renewed determination, Marcie and Neo were in shock. They’d never heard anyone be quite so brazen with taunting Cinder like that, mostly because the people who did never really lived long after that. Neo in particular was freaking out a little.

****

_Oh God he’s dead… he’s dead and I won’t get the chance to go on our date…_

****

Cinder charged forward, intent on _skewering_ this impudent little _upstart_ between her blades, tournament rules be damned! No one. NO ONE. Talked to her in that manner and got away with it. Did he not realise who she was? What she could do? How much STRONGER she was than him!? Well, no matter… he’d find out soon enou-

****

Her dark thoughts were cut off when Jaune seemingly exploded in front of her in a shower of ice, some of which stuck to her right arm, which had been extended forward with a blade in its grip.

****

Cinder cried out in shock, frantically glancing around to re-acquire her opponent, she found him a few feet away, standing in the same ready stance and _smirking_ at her _._ SMIRKING at her.

****

It was Cinder who saw red now as she charged forward again, a downright feral snarl ripping forth from her mouth. As her blade impacted the boy, his form AGAIN exploded, this time into a wave of purple energy that flung her backward. The force meant she couldn’t right herself in time and tumbled to the ground.

****

By now, ALL the girls’ jaws were now on the floor, along with most of the audience’s. What the HELL was going on?! When did Jaune suddenly just… turn into a BADASS!?

****

Reactions were varied. Nora and Ruby were now not only STANDING on their seats, cheering and shrieking praise for Jaune all the way, but both of them had started jumping up and down in excitement while holding a banner that read ‘You’re Number One, Jaune!’

****

Velvet was also cheering openly, her rabbit ears twitching in excitement, though she had to take the time to admonish her team leader when Coco held up a sign that read ‘Make Her Your Bitch, Arc!’ Coco, of course, took it all in stride.

****

Both Lian and Weiss was more subdued than everyone else with her praise. Though in Weiss’ case that was because she, like Velvet, had to keep her teammate from doing something more outrageous. In her case, this meant stopping Yang from holding up a sign that read ‘See Me After The Match Lover Boy ;)’ and delivering a Schnee-style chewing out for her ‘scandalous’ behaviour.

****

Lian on the other hand was naturally that calm and zen, though inwardly she was cheering just as frantically and passionately as the others, years of being the Yin to Nora’s Yang meant that she rarely let that side of her show anymore.

****

Blake, meanwhile, was more shocked than happy. While everyone else had been cheering for Jaune managing to turn the fight around, Blake was the only one who had been paying attention to HOW he had done so. Clones, he had done it with clones. Clones that looked suspiciously like her own shadow clones.

****

This couldn’t be a coincidence.

****

While Blake was deep in thought, a few stands away team NDGO were cheering just as loudly and excitedly for their new friend, though Nebula received a little bit of teasing from her teammates when they got a look at the sign she’d decided to bring. It wasn’t the ‘I Believe In You Jaune!’ that set them off, it was the fact that Nebula had absentmindedly placed small love hearts over both I’s. This prompted her to hurriedly pull the sign down before Jaune could see it, when she resumed cheering alongside her team, it was with a thoroughly red face.

****

The audience’s cheers barely seemed to matter to Cinder now, nothing that happened outside the arena boundaries held meaning for her. Her plans. Her goals. It was all drowned under the crushing wave of anger she felt at being outsmarted not once but TWICE. BY THE SAME FOOLISH LITTLE WEAKLING! When she got her hands on him, she’d make him suffer, she’d…

****

Unfortunately for the half-Maiden, her internal fury left her oblivious to the actions of her opponent until it was far too late. Jaune had been calling on his Aura and Semblance again, his resolve bolstered by the renewed anger he called upon. He thought of the argument that he and Cinder had the other day, where she’d admonished him for thinking that he was friends with her ‘associates’, that woman was so full of herself it was unbelievable. Someone needed to take her ego WAY down, someone needed to teach her a lesson.

****

Normally, Jaune would have considered feeling anger to be counterproductive, especially after it had gotten him thrashed in the early stage of the match. But not now, because this was not the same anger. His previous anger had been roiling and untamed, raw and powerful but uncontrolled and wild. This anger was sharp and narrow, it had been forced through the needle of his tactical mind, emerging from the ‘eye’ as a state of laser-sharp focus.

****

Jaune took a deep breath, and activated his Semblance again.

****

His eyes surged blood red and his body began to emit a bright flaming Aura,which coiled around his blade and enveloped his shield, enhancing their combat power. At the same time, he began to shed golden sparks as he readied a charge. When he broke into his sprinting charge, he practically _blazed_ forward with such force it generated a rather large backdraft, all that could be seen of him was the trail of golden sparks he left in his wake.

****

This time, it was the siblings’ turn to be shocked. Jaune had just mimicked not one, but BOTH of their Semblances in one go! Was that… was that HIS Semblance? To use those of others he’d come into contact with? That was…

****

THAT WAS AWESOME!

****

Both Ruby and Yang had promptly began cheering even louder than they already had been. Yang especially was practically giddy with excitement, she couldn’t wait to see Lover Boy give that smug bitch what was coming to her.

****

Cinder had finally finished her internal rage, only to look up and see a blazing form speeding towards her in a blur of sparks. It was fast, too fast. Despite raising her swords in a criss-cross pattern in front of herself, Cinder could tell that this was going to hurt.

****

After all, not only was Jaune’s strength being boosted to far beyond the usual limits via Yang’s Semblance, but his speed was also boosted by Ruby’s simultaneously. Essentially, a super-strong fist was being propelled at hyperspeed into his kneeling opponent.

****

The shockwave that rippled outwards as Jaune’s fist shattered through Cinder’s glass blades to impact against her stomach almost blew out the protective barriers at the periphery of the arena. Cinder herself was sent flying into the wall, the opposite wall, of the arena, her body slumping down into a heap.

****

As Jaune’s latest Semblances wore off, he saw that Cinder was, almost against belief, still dragging herself resolutely up. Her eyes practically blazed with anger at this point, in fact if Juane squinted, he almost swore they were leaking some sort of orange flame…

****

_Doesn’t matter, it’s time to end this._

****

This time, it was Weiss’ turn for utter shock, along with most of the spectators, as a large spinning golden Glyph appeared on the floor of the arena in front of the Knight. It bore the twin crescents of the Arc family line, indicating that it was JAUNE who had created it. When did… HOW did Jaune learn to SUMMON? Was his Semblance like hers?

****

Of course, Weiss’ shock was only increased once she saw what it was he was summoning.

****

A Goliath, a Titan Class Grimm, manifested into being from the Glyph. Looking down at the only other person in the arena, the Goliath proceeded to raise one massive paw and smash it down right on top of its target before she could move away. With Cinder’s Aura drastically weakened from Jaune’s previous assaults, it was over in an instant.

****

A large ringing sound echoed through the arena as the Goliath faded away, along with the downright _giddy_ tones of Professor Peter Port.

****

“My-my WORD! What an ASTOUNDING display of skill and talent from Mr Arc there! My word! I’m almost speechless! I don’t think I’ve EVER seen such a SPECTACULAR finishing touch to a duel in all my years!”

****

As he degenerated into practically _fanboying_ over Jaune’s ‘stupendous display’, Doctor Oobleck took over. His next words caused the whole arena, that had been silent since the admittedly stunning end of the first solo fight of the tournament, to erupt into deafening cheers and thunderous applause.

****

“Haven’s Miss Stalls has been defeated. JAUNE ARC WINS!”

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

Pyrrha tapped her foot anxiously as the elevator to Ozpin’s office slowly rose through the levels of other floors. She was anxious enough from the sudden call to his office, but the presence of Specialist Schnee was particularly concerning. Said Specialist was staring at the lift doors, her usual stoic expression nowhere to be found, now replaced with an uncertain frown as she too tapped her foot, almost in sync with Pyrrha’s.

  
“Excuse me, but do you know why I’ve been summoned?” Pyrrha finally asked, her nerves getting the best of her. Winter jumped slightly at her voice, and turned to the girl as if she had just noticed her presence.

****

“I’m afraid I was not told specifics by General ironwood, he simply requested that I escort you to the Headmaster’s office.” she responded politely, her usual nature resurfacing. However, as soon as Pyrrha turned away, the uncertain look crept back onto the specialist’s face.

  
“Is...everything alright, Ms. Schnee?” Pyrrha asked cautiously, not wanting to be rude. Winter shook her head slowly, attempting to smile at the other girl.

****

“Yes, yes. Just a...personal problem has been on my mind all day.” Winter explained.

****

“Oh… well, perhaps I could help you with your troubles? Or at least provide a sympathetic ear.” Pyrrha offered, to which Winter offered a small smile in response.

****

“Well, I suppose it couldn’t hurt. Alright, my sister Weiss has recently… met someone. I cannot say I approve of her new friend, however.” Pyrrha tilted her head, prompting the Specialist to continue.

****

“She says that he is making her happy, that is a gentleman to her and treats her with respect, and that he cares nothing for her money.” At this, Pyrrha was starting to get a clearer picture as to the ‘friend’ Winter referred to, she cleared her throat, prompting Winter to glance at her.

****

“Miss Schnee, this friend of Weiss’, is his name ‘Jaune Arc’ by any chance?”

****

Winter’s eyes widened a little.

****

“You… know this young man Miss Nikos?” She asked, surprise tinting her voice. Pyrrha nodded in affirmation.

****

“Yes, he’s my team leader, my best friend… and recently, he has become my boyfriend as well.” At this, Pyrrha couldn’t stop a small red blush from tinting her cheeks, a blush that only deepened as she remembered what they’d done recently that had… ahem, ‘strengthened their bond’.

****

Winter gaped at her openly now.

****

“You… y-you mean to tell me that you… and Weiss… a-and several other young women are all… in a committed relationship with this young man?” Winter cursed inwardly at her stutters, reflecting her true feelings on this new development. She was supposed to be more professional than that, she was an Atlesian Specialist for Oum’s sake!

****

“Yes, yes we are… and we couldn’t ask for a kinder, more supportive or more loyal boyfriend than Jaune. In fact, the reason for our… unconventional relationship was because Jaune hated the idea of making any of us upset. He wanted to try his best to make us all happy.” Pyrrha explained, a warm and contented feeling washing over her as she remembered how Jaune had helped and supported all of them in the past, and continued to do so even now. She really couldn’t ask her a better leader, or partner.

****

“A friend of mine said the same thing of this ‘Jaune’. He assured me of the strength of Mr Arc’s character… tell me, does he truly make you all happy? Does he… does he make Weiss happy?” Winter asked, her voice small and unsure. She had just wanted to protect Weiss from a potentially unworthy suitor, had she been too harsh?

****

“Yes he does. In fact, as I understand Weiss recently asked him to accompany her for a meal. I’ve not seen her quite so… openly cheerful since she joined Beacon. It seems she really had a lovely time with Jaune on their date, she even refers to him as her ‘Big Scruffy Knight’.” At this, Pyrrha giggled a little bit, fond memories of a sleepy Weiss muttering about her ‘Scruffy Hero’ when she once fell asleep in the library.

****

Surprisingly, Winter actually allowed herself a small smile at this, a new warmth in her heart.

****

“I see… perhaps I should apologise to both Weiss and my friend for my… unflattering opinions of Mr Arc.” The lift dinged, indicating it had reached its destination. Pyrrha made to leave as the doors opened, only for Winter to tap her on the shoulder. “Oh… Miss Nikos? A favour, if you please?”

****

“What is it?”

****

“Tell Mr A… tell Jaune to keep making my sister happy, as a favour to her older sibling?” Winter asked, a note of pleading in her tone that really struck a chord with the Spartan.

****

“Of course.”

****

“Thank you… Weiss’ safety and happiness has always been, and will _always_ be, my first concern.” Winter insisted, a new strength returning to her. “If Jaune can help ensure that happens, then… I will approve of their-of _your_ relationship.”

****

Nodding to the Specialist, who gave her a nod in return, Pyrrha stepped out of the lift and into the Headmaster’s office. Surprisingly, it wasn’t just Headmaster Ozpin there, Headmistress Goodwitch, General Ironwood and some rather scruffy man in a button-up suit with a ratty red cape were also standing around his desk. They all turned to face her as she entered.

****

“Um, good afternoon Headmaster, you wished to speak with me?” Pyrrha asked, still a little confused as to why she was here.

****

“Ah, Miss Nikos. Come in and sit down. I assume you’re wondering why exactly it is you were pulled from the tournament? Well, rest assured all will be explained.” The Headmaster offered her a small smile as he gestured to the chair in front of his desk, which Pyrrha took.

****

“Miss Nikos, before we begin, I would like to thank you for being willing to take this opportunity.” General Ironwood interrupted, a genuinely appreciative yet slightly melancholy smile on the man’s face. Headmistress Goodwitch and the scruffy man glared at him in response for reasons Pyrrha could not yet fathom.

****

“Yeah, maybe before you start buttering her up you should lay out the risks too, eh Jimmy?” The third man drawled. “Sorry for dragging you into this kiddo.” He addressed Pyrrha this time, which only confused her even more. She would have asked for clarification, but Headmaster Ozpin had begun to talk.

****

“Miss Nikos, while I am thankful that you are willing to hear us out, first there is something I must ask you before we continue.”

****

“Oh, of course! What would you like to know Headmaster?” Pyrrha bowed her head respectfully.

****

In response, Ozpin leaned forward, lacing both hands together as he stared at her over the tips of his glasses.

****

“Tell me, Miss Nikos… what is your favourite fairy tale?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there, Jack here.
> 
> No smut for this chapter, apologies readers.
> 
> So for compensation I gave you a 5 page fight scene instead. I'm... not the best at fight scenes, but hopefully you still like it.
> 
> As always, reviews and comments are welcome.


	35. Meltdowns and Meet-Ups

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaune and Blake re-enact some scenes from their books, Daniel snaps, and Pyrrha deals with the information she has learned and the choices she can make.

_“YOU DID IT! YOU CRAZY BASTARD, YOU ACTUALLY DID IT!”_ Summer cheered in Jaune’s head as he exited the arena, stumbling slightly after all the energy he used in the fight. “ _That was INCREDIBLE!”_

****

_I think I’m about to pass out._

****

_“YEAAAA-Wait, what?”_ Summer stuttered, his words sinking in as he fell to his knees and let out a shuddering breath. He wasn’t hurt, at least not in a way his aura couldn’t eventually fix. After using his semblance to mimic FOUR OTHER ONES, TWO AT THE SAME TIME, he was wrecked. Jaune felt like he could probably sleep for a week, he couldn't be pulling stunts like that too often in the future.

 

To his surprise, a hand appeared next to him, and as he grabbed it and was hefted to his feet, he was surprised who was on the other end.

 

“That was a...riveting performance.” Cinder, or “Ella” commented neutrally, before her grip tightened slightly on his hand. “But it is not one that will repeat itself. You may have caught me off-guard once, but you will not do so again. So, **do you** ****_understand_ ** ?”  
**

****

The practical growl of her voice and the glow of unsettling orange her eyes took were enough to make Jaune to nod rapidly. “Y-yes, ma’am.” He said, flushing a bit at his own response. To his surprise, Cinder’s lips curled upward in a smirk and she leaned a bit closer, her other hand suddenly on his cheek.

 

“Ma’am, hmm?” She said with a chuckle, before whispering into his ear. “ _Now_ **_that_ ** _I could get used to.”_

****

_“...what the hech?”_ Summer murmured in the back of Jaune’s mind as Cinder pulled back, her smirk still present.

  
  
“Until next time, Jaune Arc.” She said confidently, before turning and sliding of towards the exit of the arena. As Jaune watched her leave, he noted that she didn't even seem to be hurt, there were no visible bruises or cuts or injuries  _anywhere_ , despite the beating she'd endured just minutes earlier. Was it possible for her Aura to recover that fast?

 

Before he could dwell on the bizarre conversation any longer, a familiar cry of, “JAUNE!” from behind him made him turn around, just in time for a surprise hug attack of a thrilled Ruby Rose, who nearly tackled him with her speed boost.

****

“That was so awesome! At first, she was all, _watcha, watcha!,_ but then you were all, _pchew, pshew, NYOOM!_ and then you did the thing with the big Goliath and...and...WOW!” She gushed loudly, her megawatt smile warming Jaune’s heart. Once again, he was caught off guard as another shout of his name caught his attention, as he was soon wrapped in Yang’s arms, as well as slightly caught in her breasts.

****

“That was the coolest shit I’ve ever seen, Jaune!” She cheered, ignoring his muffled protest of his current position. “You absolutely _dropped_ her ass!” At this point, Yang noticed Jaune’s current position, and let out a surprised “Whoops” before releasing him, his face crimson and a noticeable stream of blood coming from his nose.

****

“Wha-um, t-thanks, Yang.” He managed weakly, smiling slightly at the proud grin she wore on her face. She planned that, no question. Suddenly, another pair of arms wrapped around him, lifting him into the air as their owner cheered happily.

  
“Fearless leader is the best ever! EVER, REN!” Nora shouted, her hug intensifying as Jaune felt the air leave his lungs. Luckily, a second later he was back on his feet, Ren standing in front of him with a warm smile.

****

“Normally, I’d tell Nora to calm down.” She said, crossing her arms and smirking. “This time, though, you earned it.” Nora giggled from behind Jaune, but released him, still beaming. Jaune couldn’t help but return the smile. A hand tapped his shoulder, and he turned to see Velvet and Coco, both smiling at him.

****

“Jaune, you did amazing!” Velvet cheered, followed by Coco agreeing with a thumbs up and a playful smack of Jaune’s ass.

  
“Helluva show, blondie. Thanks for putting it on.” She hummed playfully, followed by Velvet admonishing her and tugging on her ears in embarrassment. Weiss finally stepped forward and wrapped the surprised knight in her own hug, catching him off guard.

  
“You did wonderful, Jaune. I knew you had it in you!” She said, her tone laced with pride that Jaune couldn’t help but appreciate.

****

“Well, I’m glad you’re proud of your scruffy knight.” He responded with a smile. Another call of his name drew his attention to Nebula and the rest of team NDGO, who were standing nearby.

****

“Jaune, you were incredible! I’ve never seen anything like that!” Nebula gushed, followed closely by Dew with a teasing smile.

  
“Yeah, ol’ Neb here was losing it when you won.” She quipped, shooting her teammate a pointed look. “I don’t think I’ve seen her that happy since we first transferred here. What do you think, Octavia?”

  
“I’d say that’s about right.” Octavia agreed, her smile just as smug as Dew’s, while Nebula just blushed and covered her face. “What about you, Gwen?”

****

Unlike her teammates, Gwen just shrugged, her smile more innocent. “I’m with Nebula on this. I think Jaune’s performance was spectacular, and if I recall correctly, both of you were cheering just as hard.”

****

Now it was their turn to look embarrassed as both girls also flushed alongside their leader. Jaune just chuckled at their reactions, before turning and noticing Neo and Marcie waiting expectantly near the exit. He approached the two, the shorter of which smiled as she noticed him and leaped into his arms.

****

“Heh, I missed you too, Neo.” He chuckled as Neo rubbed her face into his chest, mewing happily. After she pulled away, Jaune noticed Marcie frowning a bit and looking away, clearly cross about something. “Hey, Marcie!” He called, opening his arms as she looked at him. “You want one, too?”

****

Marcie’s cheeks flushed at the offer, but nodded eagerly and quickly made her way over to him, entering the embrace with a happy sigh. “You did good out there, Jaune.” She said, her tone pleasant, if not subtly happy.

****

“Well, I aim to please.” He said, smiling as he pulled back from the hug, glancing around. “It’s great to see you guys, but have you seen Blake or Emerald?”

  
Marcie’s smile faltered slightly at the mention of her ‘partner’, nodding slowly. “Oh, Emmy just left with our bo-ahem, team leader. We had a feeling she might be pissed about losing, so she volunteered to chaperone. Y'know, just to make sure she doesn’t make a mess.”

****

Jaune nodded understandingly, easily brushing aside the way Cinder acted after his victory as fatigue or just annoyance. Marcie then continued, her smile returning slightly.

****

“As for Blake, she actually gave me a message to pass on.” She said, before chuckling and adding, “Ok, maybe she told blondie over there to pass it on, but she seems busy.” Jaune glanced in Yang’s direction, who was talking with the rest of the girls about the fight. He smiled again before turning back to Marcie, and nodding acceptingly.

  
“Ok, what’s the message?”

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

“Miss Nikos, are you alright? Would you like some time to yourself?”

****

Ozpin’s voice brought Pyrrha out of the deep thought she’d been in for the past 5 minutes, she blinked once and shook herself before returning her gaze to the Headmaster. He was staring at her with concern in his eyes.

****

“Oh… did you say something, sir?” She asked, still a little unfocused thanks to her mind being elsewhere.

****

“I asked if you needed some time to yourself, to… process what you’ve been told… and to make a decision about what it is you want to do next. I hope we have explained the risks well enough, if not I can always go over them again, I would rather you make a fully informed decision on this important matter.” Ozpin explained.

****

“Oh! Yes, I… would like some time to myself please sir. I need some time to… to come to terms with everything you’ve told me.” Pyrrha still felt a little guilty for asking for time, as if she wasn’t strong enough to handle the revelations here and now. She knew it was irrational, but still…

****

“Please, take all the time you need. I’m… I’m very sorry to ask this of you in the first place miss Nikos, but we have few other options at this point. Regardless, if you ultimately choose not to participate… then that will be that, we will not force you to undergo this… ‘procedure’ against your wishes.” Ozpin’s words were sincere, the Headmaster was genuinely concerned for her.

****

“Yes sir. Thank you sir.” With that, Pyrrha made her way over to the lift, stepping inside. As the doors closed on her, the girl couldn’t help but wrap her arms around herself, feeling more isolated than ever before.

****

After Pyrrha’s departure, Ozpin and his circle all collectively relaxed themselves. After a few moments of silence, Goodwitch was the first to speak.

****

“I hope that Miss Nikos will be able to cope adequately with the things she’s learned.” The woman admitted, for once not looking stern or composed, but actually rather vulnerable and concerned.

****

Ozpin wanted to comfort her, and so couldn’t help the slightest flash of envy when it was Ironwood who did so first, placing his gloved hand on the Deputy Head’s shoulder.

****

“Have a little faith in your student Glynda, Miss Nikos is of strong character, I have faith that she will make the right decision in the end. Though there might be risks involved for her, you can support her through this difficult time as best you can.” Ironwood insisted, managing to coax a small smile out of the Headmistress.

****

“I… thank you James, that might well be the first sensible thing you’ve said since you got here.” This caused Ozpin and Ironwood to double-take, while Qrow spat out the water he was drinking.

****

“W-whoa, hold on! Did you seriously just… m-make a joke or something!? What the hell! I’ve been trying to get a laugh or joke out of you for YEARS, how come Jimmy Iron-dome can do it in one sentence!?” The man practically burst out, an incredulous look on his face.

****

The Deputy simply glared at Qrow, her smile gone and replaced with her usual stern and chiding expression.

****

“Because most of your attempts to, as you put it, ‘get a laugh or joke out of me’ were childish pranks that simply created more clean-up work for me!” The Headmistress snapped, Ozpin swearing he could see a vein pulsing in her forehead as she spoke. He decided to bring the meeting back to order, or at least finish it on-topic.

****

“Well… I suppose all we can do is await Miss Nikos’ decision. If she accepts, then we will help her as best we can, if she declines… then we will have to find another to take on the mantle.” Ozpin admitted, his subordinates all paying attention now, though Qrow looked a little nervous.

****

“Oz… I’ve been with you a long time, I’ve never really asked for much… but I wanna ask for something now.” The man looked resolute, his usual drunken or somewhat childish demeanour nowhere to be seen.

****

“Of course old friend… what is it?”

****

“Leave my nieces out of it. If this girl doesn’t wanna become the replacement Maiden, then… just promise me you’ll leave them out of it, _please._ They’re… they’re all Tai and I have left now. Please just leave ‘em out of it.” Qrow practically begged.

****

“Of course, you have my word Qrow, they will not be considered as replacement candidates should Miss Nikos decline.” Ozpin promised. Qrow looked visibly relieved, a shaky smile spreading across his face.

****

“Thanks Oz.”

****

“It’s quite alright Qrow, after everything you’ve done, I’m sure you’ve earned that much at the very least.” Ozpin stated, his own small smile appearing on his face. “Well now, if that is all that needs to be discussed, perhaps we should adjourn this meeting?”

****

Ironwood made to reply, only to close his mouth as a muted roar sounded through the office. The group looked around in confusion, until Qrow pointed at something outside the window.

****

“Hey Jimmy…why is one of your gizmos headed this way?” The man asked, causing the General to snap around to face the window in question.

****

“What!?” I have no authorized deployments anywhere near here! Who would possibly be so foolish as to…”

****

He never got a chance to finish, since the object chose that point to smash right through Ozpin’s office window, making a sloppy three-point landing just inside the office itself. The ‘object’ resolved itself into the sleek and glossy, silver and black armored form of the Sentinel suit.

****

Before anyone could react, the suit walked up and slammed a fist on Ozpin’s desk, while the faceplate slid open to reveal a VERY pissed off looking Daniel Wilson.

****

“Why. The HELL. Did you let CINDER-FUCKING-FALL INTO YOUR TOURNAMENT!?” He bellowed directly at the Headmaster, who barely flinched. “HAVE YOU GONE INSANE, YOU OLD COOT!?”

****

“Specialist Wilson! What is the meaning of this!?” Ironwood barked, the man’s tone suggesting his temper was VERY short. “You have pulled some utterly reckless stunts in your time with the Atlesian military, but THIS is crossing a line. What do you have to say for yourself?!”

****

Daniel was undeterred, swinging around to snarl at Ironwood.

****

“Oh nothing ‘sir’, just wondering what sort of herbs you’ve all been SMOKING to invite that murderous BITCH in to participate in this tournament!”

****

As if on cue, the lift dinged and the doors opened, Specialist Winter Schnee flying out of the lift and stopping in front of her partner, her expression furious.

****

“Daniel! What do you think you’re doing!? This is in no way how a Specialist should act, let alone one in charge of field-testing the Sentinel!” What do you-” Winter cut herself off as she noticed that her superior was present. “G-general Ironwood, sir! My sincerest apologies for the actions of my peer! I-”

****

“That’s enough, Specialist Schnee.” Ironwood ordered sternly, shutting the woman up instantly. He began again, “Perhaps you could explain to me WHY Mr Wilson chose to BREAK INTO THE HEADMASTER’S OFFICE like this… utterly violating military procedure and indeed, basic decency!”

****

“Ah! O-of course sir! Specialist Wilson was watching the latest fight, between Mr Arc and a Haven academy student, Ms Ella Stalls. When Daniel heard her voice he… he just snapped sir. I’ve… I’ve never seen him this angry before.” Winter explained, the Specialist looking more than a little unnerved at her partner’s actions.

****

“Wanna know why I’m angry, Winter? Because the MURDERING BITCH THAT KILLED MY TEAM IS HERE! AND THIS OLD PRICK ISN’T DOING ANYTHING ABOUT IT!!” Daniel snarled, gesturing wildly at Ozpin. While Glynda was visibly angry with the young man for taking such a tone with her boss, it wasn’t her angry tirade that made Winter shiver.

****

It was the next words out of her own superior’s mouth.

****

“Specialist Wilson… I will give you one more chance to show Headmaster Ozpin the proper respect he deserves, and conduct yourself in a manner appropriate to your rank.”

****

Ironwood’s words were calm, proper, controlled and level. His body language, on the other hand, told a VERY different tale. Winter could spy the slight tremors that came from the man visibly restraining himself, but what REALLY worried her was the slight bluish-white glow thrumming around his gloved hand.

****

Daniel remained undeterred however, either not noticing or simply not CARING how badly his blatant disrespect was affecting the General.

****

“What!? No screw that! This decrepit loony needs to wake up and see what’s RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIS FUCKING EYES!” The man yelled, again slamming his armored hand on the table, an act that had Qrow shift into a defensive posture, unlatching Harbinger from his back and shifting it into blade form.

****

“Kid… you really gotta back the hell up and calm the hell down, _right now_.” The older man growled, his red eyes sparking as he could feel his Semblance acting up again. Right now, he hoped it’d shut that little punk’s fancy armor right down, so Qrow could show him how a REAL Hunter fought.

****

“That won’t be necessary Qrow, you will stand down, won’t you Specialist Wilson?” Ironwood’s voice carried the same calm and quiet volume it had been previously, but there was a barely-hidden steel in the General’s tone.

****

“What if I don’t WANT to? What if this is the only way to show you idiots what’s really going on!?” Daniel snarled belligerently, despite Winter’s pleading for him to stand down.

****

“Then you will be disciplined.”

****

“Heh, no offense sir, but you’re way out of- GAAAHHKKK!!”

****

Daniel’s exclamation was cut off by a cry of surprise as Ironwood’s gloved hand latched onto the back of his suit and lifted the _entire thing into the air,_ before the General flipped it in mid-air and brought the armor crashing painfully down in the middle of Ozpin’s office.

****

As Daniel tried to push himself up, he found himself face-to-face with the gloved hand of his superior as a heavy foot landed on his chest plate, pinning him to the floor. The glove began to tear as the blue-white light began to flare brighter and a high-pitched whine, eerily similar to that of his own repulsors, sounded through the room.

****

“As I said, Specialist, disobedience. Will. Be. _Punished._ ” With that, Ironwood discharged the blast directly into the man’s exposed face.

****

Daniel’s limp form flopped to the floor, Winter rushing forward to check for a pulse, thankfully finding one.

****

“It was simply a high-intensity stunning blast, Specialist Schnee, prepare a team to bring Specialist Wilson to quarters.” Ironwood chose that moment to turn to Ozpin, bowing his head a little in apology. “Forgive the actions of my Specialist, Ozpin. I’m not quite sure what possessed him to act this way.”

****

“It’s… quite alright James.” Ozpin soothed, as Goodwitch used her Semblance to repair the windows broken by the Sentinel’s spectacular entrance. “All is forgiven, Mr Wilson was clearly acting out of character and was under a high-degree of stress. Perhaps it would be best to allow him some time to calm down first?” At this, Ironwood nodded again.

****

Qrow, on the other hand, simply whistled.

****

“Jesus Jimmy, where the hell’d THAT come from!? You sure as hell didn’t have those bells and whistles when I last saw your chrome dome.” Despite earning a small glare from the Atlas General at that comment, the man still replied.

****

“Project Sentinel developed numerous technological advances to be included with the primary suit of powered armor… enhancements that happen to be compatible with my own augments.” Ironwood stated, looking somewhat proud of that fact.

****

“Huh… we’ll have to spar sometime, see just what that new tech can do against THIS.” Qrow promptly shifted Harbinger into scythe-form with a wicked grin on his face, one that the General answered with a small smile of his own. At least, until Glynda stepped between them.

****

“ENOUGH! Honestly! You boys are your little contests! Every time you two are in the room together you keep trying to one-up the other! It’s like you just enjoy this perpetual measuring of di-”

****

“Now now, Glynda.” Ozpin interrupted his second before she could REALLY go off on a rant. “If our business here is concluded, perhaps we should adjourn properly this time? James, I trust that yourself and Miss Schnee here can escort Mr Wilson back to the appropriate custody?”

****

Ironwood nodded and replied in affirmative as the lift dinged again, the doors opening to reveal two Atlas soldiers in full uniform, who promptly hauled the prone Daniel up and began maneuvering him into the lift. After following them in, Winter and Ironwood simply took positions on either side, pressed the button to take them to Beacon’s lobby and waited for the lift to reach the floor.

****

It was silent until Winter coughed and turned to look at her superior.

****

“General Ironwood, sir? I have a request, if I may?” Her tone was oddly meek, though Ironwood knew she was likely still embarrassed about her partner’s… _antics_. Ironwood had to hold back a growl at the young man’s reprehensible behavior. It was NOT conduct befitting of a Specialist of Atlas! Regardless, he returned his attention to the man’s far more competent and reliable partner.

****

“Go ahead Specialist Schnee.” He acknowledged.

****

“I’ve been doing some thinking about my stance on a…particular issue regarding my sister, and I would like to request some time to resolve it with her.” Winter confessed, still a little apprehensive at just asking her superior for a leave of absence.

****

“Granted. In fact… take as much time as you feel you need. The Vytal Festival security is well in hand, if any complications arise then you will be notified.” Ironwood managed a small smile. “If you and your sister have hit some sort of rough patch, then you should be allowed time to work through it, after all.”

****

“Oh, thank you sir!” Winter practically _gushed_ , which made Ironwood smile just a little wider, her affection for her sister was always a good thing, it pleased Ironwood that Specialist Schnee did in fact have a heart and didn’t just mindlessly go about her job with no other concerns.

****

Taking pride in being an effective soldier was one thing, it was a trait that Ironwood valued greatly, especially among his Specialist corps, but letting it consume you to the point that you shut out your human side was never a good thing. Like he himself had really, with his old friendships and his… other possible opportunities.

****

Speaking of family, and indeed of missed opportunities, Ironwood turned his gaze to Winter again, this time a note of definitive concern in the man’s voice.

****

“Speaking of your family Specialist… you may not have been in direct contact with them for some time but… do you know how Willow-I mean, how your mother is doing?”

****

Winter sighed a little at his question, but answered nonetheless.

****

“Mother is… as she always is these days. Most of her time is spent drinking, or indeed arguing with our father. Some days are worse than others, the ones where she secludes herself in her room crying are… some of the better ones.” Winter couldn’t help the frown that crossed her face at the memories.

****

Looking over, she could see that Ironwood had an even more negative reaction to that knowledge, his face darkened, his eyes narrowed and his hands shaking a little as the man took a few deep breaths to calm himself.

****

“I… I _see_ . Thank you for informing me, Specialist Schnee.” Winter noted the sheer suppressed _rage_ in her General’s voice, the same kind that it sometimes held when discussing the topic of her mother’s… current _situation._ On the occasions that it wasn't rage, then it was a melancholic sadness.

****

The rest of their lift journey down was spent in silence.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

Jaune cocked his head to the side as he entered the mature section of the library, listening for any sound that would give away Blake’s presence. While he was thrilled that she’d asked him to read with her again, having been so long since the pair did so, he was a bit surprised by her request to meet her in this part of library. In a sense, he understood. She liked to read alone, and no one **ever** bothered to come to the restricted section, so it was perfect place to do so.

****

“Um, Blake?” he called out, surprised by the echo his voice produced among the shelves. “You in here?”

  
After a few seconds of silence, a faint tapping eliminated from the final row of books in the section, and a dim light shined from behind it. Jaune chuckled nervously as he strode forward, a bit unsettled by the theatrics Blake was going through. She could have just answered him normally, if AT ALL, but instead, he got a tap and a light.

****

When he reached the shelves he though the noise came from, he cocked an eyebrow at a slightly open door from which the light filtered through. Once again, he could hear nothing from the room. He gulped, reached forward, and turned the handle, opening the door slowly.

****

“Hello?” He asked, almost immediately being answered by a hand gripping his wrist. He let out a cry of surprise as he was yanked into the room, falling into a wooden chair that was in the center. He whipped around, half expecting to see Neo, or gods forbid **Ella** glaring at him, but was relieved to see it was just Blake. “Gods, Blake! You gave me a heart attack!”

****

Blake’s stoic expression faltered slightly, and a look of embarrassment crossed her face. “Sorry, Jaune. I just wasn’t sure it was you…” she finished lamely, her face now flushed. Jaune felt a bit sorry for the girl, and quickly gave her a smile.

****

“Hey, it’s not a big deal. Quick question, though. Where are we?”

****

As he asked, Jaune looked around to room with slight confusion. It wasn’t anything mind-blowing, just a small room about the size of RWBY’s dorm, a table to his left, stacked high with books of various genres. To his right, there was a bed with red sheets, once again, much like the ones from the dorms. And of course, there was the chair he was in. Blake seemed to register his question after a second, responding with her normal confidence.

  
“Oh, this is just a storage room the librarian has for late nights. I asked her if I could use it for our sessions, and she agreed. Apparently, she rarely uses it.”

  
Jaune nodded, recalling the many times he had found Beacon’s librarian sleeping at her main desk, if not just sitting there idly. “So, did you bring one of your books, or are we using one from here?”

  
Blake face once again changed, this time drawing up into a playful smirk. “Actually, I was thinking we could try something else, today.” She said as she shut the door, noticeably _locking_ it. Just like that, Jaune’s nervousness returned as she continued. “I was thinking along the lines of a...reenactment, of sorts.”

****

As she spoke, Blake began to saunter over to Jaune, a noticeable sway in her hips that caught his eye. “Do you recall the twelfth chapter of Ninjas of Love: Hardcore Edition?”

****

Jaune’s face flushed once more as recalled the chapter, and it’s...particularly intimate scenes. By this point, Blake was right in front of him, leaning down so that his face was inches from hers. She tilted her head, clearly awaiting an answer, which Jaune cautiously provided. “Y-yeah, I remember it.”

  
“Even how it started?” She asked coyly, leaning closer as she captured Jaune’s lips with her own, the kissing deepening in seconds as Blake practically crawled onto Jaune’s lap, moaning as her tongue tangled with Jaune’s. After a few seconds, they separated, panting from the intensity of the kiss before Jaune responded.

****

“It’s coming back to me now, yeah.”

****

Blake smirked, and moved in for another kiss, which Jaune gratefully accepted. As the two continued their lustful embrace, Blake’s hands slip down to Jaune’s pants, particularly over a noticeable bulge. She smiled as she gave it a gentle squeeze, prompting a gasp from Jaune, who pulled back from their kiss.

****

“Blake?” He asked, his face warm as he felt her hands drift up to his belt, and begin undoing it. “Are you s-sure about this?”

  
Blake had slid off of Jaune’s lap at this point, and was now kneeling before him. She looked into his eyes and nodded, her smirk still present.

****

“Without a doubt.”

****

With that, she undid his buckle and pulled down his parts and boxers, his shaft now at full mast in front of her. Blake’s eyes twinkled with excitement as she leaned forward and rubbed her face on it, purring in satisfaction. Meanwhile, Jaune’s face was now a similar shade to Ruby’s cape, letting gasps and moans of pleasure slip by his lips every few seconds.

****

“B-blake..” He moaned, turning his gaze down to the girl. His heart practically leapt out of his chest as he felt Blake’s tongue brush the tip of his shaft, the wet warmth feeling better than anything he could recall at that moment. “Oh, gods, BLAKE!”

****

Jaune’s moans only seemed to excite the girl further, as she maneuvered her mouth over his member, her heart beating with subdued excitement. “Hey, Jaune?”

****

Jaune cracked open an eye to look at her, just in time to watch her inhale the length of his package. With that, his mind exploded with pleasure as another series of gasps and groans filtered from his mouth. This was...this was amazing!

****

Blake’s head bobbed rhythmically as she proceeded to suck Jaune’s shaft, purring happily all the while. She didn’t have much sexual experience, excusing her novels, but Blake knew exactly how to make Jaune feel as good as possible. And as an added bonus, she was enjoying herself greatly as well, it had been quite some time since she’d found herself purring this freely or loudly.

****

Time was immeasurable to the two in that moment, but soon Jaune felt the pressure build up within him.

****

“Blake, I-I’m close, Blake!” He managed to gasp, catching the girls attention, her ears twitching excitedly. Instead of pulling back as he expected, Blake instead increased her movement, bobbing her head even faster than before while gripping the edges of the chair for support. Seconds later, pleasure surged through Jaune as he screamed her name.

  
“BLAKE!”

****

With that, he released, warm and thick liquid filling Blake’s mouth. She didn’t sputter or choke, however. She swallowed it all, finally pulling away after she was sure it was all gone. Both students gasped for air as their caught their breaths after their “reenactment”.

  
“Blake...Jesus, Blake. That was...incredible.” Jaune gasped again, greeted with a content purr followed by Blake’s face meeting his, as she rubbed against him gently.

****

“I couldn’t agree more.” She responded happily, before sighing, her smile thinning slightly. “I just wish it didn’t have to end so soon.”

****

Upon hearing a nervous chuckle from the blonde knight, Blake straightened up and looked at his face, which was again red. “Well, it doesn’t... _have_ to.”

****

Blake cocked an eyebrow in confusion, before noticing the fact that Jaune was once again rock hard. She looked at him in disbelief, while he just smiled bashfully, before a knowing smile crossed his face and he adopted a more cocky tone.

****

“Since we’re...reenacting, how about we do chapter eight, your **_favorite_ **?” He said huskily, making her face heat up immediately. She nodded quickly, grabbing Jaune’s hand and leading him over to the bed. As she sat down, she shrugged off both her vest and her undershirt, letting her breasts bounce free. Jaune’s face flushed once more as she guided his hands to them, moaning softly at the contact.

****

“Come now, “Master Ninja”. I thought you weren’t afraid of taking what you want.” She recited, smirking at Jaune in challenge. Jaune smiled right back, leaning forward and whispering in her ear.

  
“Oh, I’m well prepared to take it. First, I’m going to take **_you_ **.”

****

With that, he guided his hips forward, and the tip of his member met Blake’s entrance, pausing briefly. “Are you ready, Blake?” he asked, his tone laced with both compassion and lust. Blake nodded, and with that he entered her. Both of them gasped at the pleasure that surged through them, immense and amazing and perfect.

****

Jaune gazed at Blake, a silent question in his stare. Blake once again nodded, releasing a breathy “I’m ready” as Jaune thrust into her again. She cried out, the pain and pleasure morphing into one spectacular feeling. She gripped Jaune’s hand, and whimpered a strained “I’m okay, I’m okay. Keep. Going.”

****

Jaune obeyed, and continued to thrust carefully, before speeding up as Blake’s breathing adjusted. The two were soon lost in lovemaking, a chorus of moans, gasps, and names echoing as they enjoyed each other’s warmth. All to soon, however, the pleasure began to rise again, the need for release growing.

  
“Blake, s-should I-” He started, before being cut off by the pleasure ridden voice of his lover.

  
“I’monthedamnpilldon’tFUCKINGpullout!” She practically spat at him, and while the message was quick, it was also clear. Jaune continued to trust as the pressure built, Blake screaming as her own pleasure reached a crescendo.

****

“JAUNE!”

  
“BLAKE!”

****

They both screamed as the pressure burst, their mutual juices mixing as they both released. With that, Jaune fell back, while Blake just stayed on the bed, both completely overwhelmed with the aftermath of their activity. After about a minute of catching their breath, Blake spoke first.

****

“Jaune?”

****

“Yeah?”

  
“That was...astonishing. I’ve never felt anything like that before. I...thank you.”

  
Jaune chuckled a bit, sitting up and rubbing his neck bashfully. “No problem, Blake. It was fun “reenacting” with you.” They both chucked at that, and after a few more seconds, Blake spoke again.

****

“Hey, Jaune?”

****

“Mmm?”

****

“I… I can’t… feel my legs.” A red-faced Blake admitted.

  
“...Seriously?”

****

“Unfortunately.”

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

Jaune took the initiative of escorting a very tired Blake back to her room, and was immediately hit with a barrage of questions from her team.

****

“While your chivalry is appreciated, I’m still not sure I understand what wore Blake out to such an extent.” Weiss commented, eyes flicking between Jaune and the faunus in question, who was now on her own bed, propped up against a pillow wall Ruby had developed for her.

****

“Well, we read some of our book, as normal, and eventually she just got tired, so I decided I should help her get back to her room.” Jaune explained. Technically, it wasn’t a lie. They had done a bit of reading AFTER their other activities, but it sure as hell wasn’t what tired her out.  
  
“Hmm. Well, thank you Jaune.” Weiss responded, momentarily satisfied by his explanation.

****

“No problem, Snow Angel.” He said with a grin, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek, making the heiress turn red and stutter slightly. Behind her, Ruby quickly called out.

  
“HEY! If she gets one, we all do!”

****

Jaune rolled his eyes in mock annoyance, before nodding and planting a kiss on Ruby’s cheek, making her giggle giddily. Yang stood up to recieve her own kiss, but turned to Blake before she left. “How was he?” She asked softly, smirking as her partner smiled sleepily.

****

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

****

Yang chucked at Blake’s answer, before striding over to Jaune and pecking him on the lips, beaming as his face went red. “Heh, if you’re that red after a kiss, I can’t wait to see how you get when we go further~.”

****

Both Weiss and Ruby began admonishing their blonde teammate for her flirting, their own faces flushed red in embarrassment. Jaune just chuckled, planted a kiss on Blake’s forehead, and said his goodbyes to the girls before leaving.

****

Jaune made his way to his own dorm room, entering to find Pyrrha staring out of the window next to her bed.

****

“Hey, Pyr. How was the meeting with the headmaster? Did he say what he wanted? Oh! You wouldn’t believe who I had to fight in the singles rou… uh, hey Pyr… you okay?” Jaune’s greeting trailed off as he saw that Pyrrha hadn’t moved from her spot, or even turned to look at him.

****

“Pyr…?” Jaune tried again, this time walking up and placing a hand on his partner’s shoulder, causing the girl to jolt a little and whip around to face him.

****

“O-oh! J-jaune! You startled me. I apologize... I was simply lost in thought, that’s all.” Pyrrha admitted, while smiling at Jaune. Jaune however, could tell something was distinctly wrong with that smile, it didn’t reach her eyes, nor was it as bright as her usual ones when around him.

****

This was the smile she gave when speaking to cameras or while in interviews, her ‘fake smile’. Why would she be using that with him?

****

“Pyr… are you sure you’re okay? I mean _really_ okay? You just… don’t seem like yourself right now, like something’s… off.” He insisted, trying his best to get Pyrrha to talk to him without seeming pushy.

****

Pyrrha seemed to squirm a little before talking again.

****

“Well… the Headmaster wanted to… offer me something. A-an opportunity, I suppose you could say.” Her nervousness and reticence were obvious even to Jaune, who placed his other hand on Pyrrha’s other shoulder, earning a small squeak from her.

****

“And… this is why you’re nervous? Must be a big opportunity to make you nervous like this, eh?” Jaune probed a little, hoping that Pyrrha would open up if he just showed her some honest support.

****

“Yes… yes it is. This, well… it truly is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me.” Pyrrha hedged, careful not to reveal anything to Jaune that might cause him to start freaking out or worrying about her safety. He had enough to worry about… she should be able to deal with her own problems.

****

“Well hey! That’s great, right? But I guess it’s a big decision for you regardless. If… if you decide to go through with this… will be mean you have to leave Beacon or something?” Jaune asked, feeling a curious mix of happiness and upset simultaneously. His happiness stemmed from the fact that his teammate had gotten a ‘once in a lifetime opportunity’, why wouldn’t he be happy? On the other hand, if it meant she had to leave Beacon to do so… that was less than ideal for their newfound relationship.

****

“Oh! No no no! N-nothing like that, honest! I promise I won’t have to leave Beacon or the team or anything! I’d never want to give that up, even for something like this!” Pyrrha cried. Of course she wouldn’t leave her team! Leave Jaune! Why would he think that?!

****

“Oh… well, that’s great! Well, at least this way if you DO accept the offer then we can all help you through it! Ren, Nora, team RWBY and I will all be here for you Pyr, I give my word as an Arc.” That made Pyrrha’s heart soar with relief. She knew that from anyone such words would be empty platitudes, but with Jaune he turned it into a vow as steady and reliable as the floor under their feet.

****

“Thank you Jaune… that means a lot to me. I… I think I’ll be okay now.” It was a lie, but a necessary one. She didn’t want to tell Jaune the real specifics behind the ‘offer’, she didn’t want him to worry like that. He’d been going through so much recently. His injury on the joint missions, then his experience during the team fights where he almost drowned to save another student. What kind of teammate, what kind of _girlfriend,_ would she be if she just callously and selfishly piled her issues onto him?

****

“Are you sure… I mean _really_ sure that there’s nothing I can do for you?” Jaune probed one more time. Just to make sure.

****

“Yes Jaune. Please… don’t worry so much about me, I’ll be fine.” Pyrrha insisted.

****

“Okay… well, if you’re sure.” The Knight replied, before heading off to get ready for bed.

****

“I am fine, I promise.” The Spartan replied.

****

After so many repetitions, she almost believed it herself.


	36. Plans and Purpose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daniel faces the repercussions of his actions, Jaune hangs out with Penny, and the clouds of war brew over Beacon.

When Daniel came to, there were two things he registered immediately.

****

One; he was in his dorm room, in his civilian clothes, with the Sentinel nowhere to be seen.

****

Two; there was a ringing sound that was KILLING him right now… even a dozen aspirin wouldn’t get rid of this headache.

****

“Ah, you’re awake… how are you feeling?” A voice came from his left, prompting the young man to turn round to try and find the source. He found his partner and fellow Specialist standing there, hands on hips and a gentle look on her face.

****

“Well…my head’s killing me and I can’t find my armor, but otherwise I’m just peachy!” He replied, a little testily.

****

Winter’s expression abruptly darkened, and the Specialist reached out and smacked Daniel upside the head quite hard.

****

“OW! What was that for!?” Daniel cried out, rubbing at his head. When he opened his eyes again, however, he was face to face with a furious Winter.

****

“Well, how about explaining to me just WHAT THE HELL YOU THOUGHT YOU WERE DOING?!” Winter practically snarled in her partner’s face. “You take one of the most advanced pieces of technology Atlas has ever produced and use it to BREAK INTO THE BEACON HEADMASTER’S OFFICE TO MAKE DEMANDS AND THREATS! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!?”

****

“I was THINKING that the flame-wielding BITCH needed to be brought in! She needed to be exposed and locked up, but nobody believed me!” Daniel shouted back, his memories of his actions in Ozpin’s office having returned to him, along with his temper.

****

“Well, perhaps if you hadn’t decided to break in through the window, begin making demands and act as you did, you may have been taken a little more _seriously!”_ Winter snapped, still glaring down at her… well, her male friend and partner.

****

“You didn’t take me when I lost my team, and you’re still not taking me seriously now!”

****

“Because instead of presenting some actual _evidence_ to support your claims, you simply decided to make threats! If course you won’t be taken seriously if you do things like that, Wilson!” This did cause Daniel to look a little sheepish, flopping back down onto his bunk with a tired sigh.

****

“Well what the hell can I do, huh Snow Angel!? You want proof is that it?”

****

“Yes. Perhaps then we might be able to persuade General Ironwood to NOT discharge you at the first opportunity.” Winter stated, a little testily, though that was understandable considering the situation.

****

Daniel sighed, lacing his hands behind his head and staring up at the ceiling as his headache began to fade. His mind wandered to thoughts of Jaune, Daniel wondered what his friend was doing right now, probably on a date with one of his girlfriends…

****

Wait.

****

Daniel sat up quickly as a flash of inspiration struck him. The flash drive! He remembered giving it to Jaune when he left Beacon, the same flash drive that contained the recording of that… that flame-wielding BITCH gloating over the corpses of his team. THAT was the proof he needed!

****

Daniel made to sit up and prepare to leave, hoping to find Jaune before the day was over, until a firm hand landed on his shoulder to push him back down. The hand belonged to a stern-looking Winter.

****

“You’ve been ordered confined to quarters for the day, Daniel. You must stay here. The General himself ordered me to keep you here, by force if need be.” She insisted, looking somewhat regretful but still implacable.

****

“Fine. But we’re getting that proof tomorrow! There’s this flash drive recording that I made that’ll confirm her identity. Turns out I left it with Jaune, so we can get it from him if he remembers where he put the thing.” Daniel explained, managing a small smile. Winter arched an eyebrow, but nodded, retracting her hand.

****

“Very well… but you will not have access to the Sentinel armor for five days after that reckless behavior of yours yesterday.” Winter revealed. At this, Daniel groaned.

****

“Aw shit…”

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

Jaune was enjoying himself.

****

He’d decided to spend the day just browsing the fair’s stalls and attractions after his rather unexpected win against Ella yesterday. Since there were no scheduled fights involving anyone he knew, his team and RWBY had insisted he at least take one day off to go have some fun. Frankly, he’d agreed.

****

He was currently holding a large stick of candy floss in one hand, and a toffee apple in the other, somehow managing to keep his clothes from getting too dirty. He was just about to make his way over to one of the shooting stalls, hoping to win a prize, when he heard a familiar voice calling his name.

****

“Salutations, Friend Jaune!” The cheery exclamation carried over the noises of the crowd, causing Jaune to whirl around to face the source.

****

“Hey Penny! What’s u-oooooff!” His attempted greeting was cut off by Penny performing a quite admirable imitation of Ruby’s high-speed tackle-hugs. Unfortunately, since Penny was quite a bit _heavier_ than Ruby, both of them ploughed into the floor, Jaune miraculously managing to keep his food items from getting dirty.

****

“Well…hey there Penny…” Jaune wheezed from his position on the floor.

****

“Hello again Friend Jaune! Are you enjoying the fair?” Penny asked, still with that adorable smile of hers.

****

“Yeah… but uh… could you maybe get off me please?” He asked, a little sheepishly. Penny also looked a little embarrassed and moved to lift herself off the prone boy.

****

However, before she could fully do so, a pair of uniformed arms reached down and yanked her up, Penny giving out a yelp in the process. Jaune tried to sit up fully to see who was trying to take her, only to find himself starting down the barrel of an Atlesian combat rifle.

****

“I got the asset sir!” A rather high-pitched voice called out.

****

“Excellent work Simmons!” A gruffer and more gravelly voice replied, which Jaune could tell was coming from the soldier currently standing over him… and pointing a rifle at his head.

****

“Hey! What are you doing to Pe-” Jaune began, only to be interrupted with a rather nasty whack to the head by the soldier in front of him.

****

“Shut up dirtbag! Don’t act like you weren’t trying to sabotage Atlesian military property!” The soldier growled out, with Jaune now noticing that his armor, in contrast to the standard uniform, was bright red and much bulkier.

****

“Uuuhh Sarge? I’m no expert here, but I’m pretty sure Penny was the one who ran into this guy in the first place.” A third voice interrupted, coming from a soldier wearing an orange suit of armor. He was walking rather casually, and seemed unconcerned with what was happening in front of him.

****

“Nonsense Grif, you idiot! This is clearly a dangerous individual trying to get close to the asset for his own reasons! Probably trying to sabotage her or something!” The red soldier, or ‘Sarge’ as he was now identified, barked out. “This is why I’m the leader of this squad and you’re just a lowly maggot private.”

****

“And what an excellent leader you are, sir!” The third soldier, whom Jaune presumed to be ‘Simmons’, said. His voice had adopted a simpering quality to it that Jaune found a little weird.

****

“Why thank you Simmons! Make a note in the logs, for our courageous apprehending of a dangerous criminal, I am to receive a commendation!” Sarge boasted.

****

“Don’t you mean ‘we’ will receive medals sir?” Grif asked.

****

“Of course not Grif, you’ve not done anything and Simmons only gets the brown-nose award, like always! Now, search the suspect for weapons!” Sarge ordered.

****

“Why do I have to search him?”

****

“Because that way, if he’s carrying a concealed explosive, you’re the one he’ll kill if he sets them off!” Sarge stated casually.

****

“Fine…” Grif grumbled as he advanced slowly toward Jaune. “I’m sorry about my nutcase of a commanding officer-”

****

“Simmons, make a note in the log, Grif is to be punished for insubordination and insulting a superior officer.” Sarge interrupted.

****

“Wait!” Penny called out. “Please do not hurt Friend Jaune! I was simply greeting him!”

****

“You… actually _know_ this dirtbag!?” Sarge asked, sounding incredulous.

****

“Friend Jaune is _not_ a ‘dirtbag’.” Penny huffed, sounding annoyed. “Besides, I am capable of looking after myself, I am fully combat ready.”

****

“Heh… I’m sure you are.” Grif admitted. “But we do have our orders from command to keep you safe. I guess, if you're vouching for this… ‘Friend Jaune’ then I suppose we can let him go, right Simmons?”

****

“BELAY THAT ORDER SIMMONS!” Sarge practically _bellowed,_ forcing Jaune to clap his hands over his ears at the sheer _volume_ of the man’s voice. After a while, Sarge spoke up again.

****

“On further consideration Simmons… I suppose we can let this scrawny little punk stick around, as long as the asset vouches for him.” Off Penny’s enthusiastic nod, Sarge pulled his rifle away from Jaune and let him stand up.

****

“Why didn’t you just let him go when I suggested it…?” Grif grumbled.

****

“Because you’re you Grif. You have never had a good idea in your entire service, and you never will. That’s why it needed to be MY idea for it to be a good one!” Sarge insisted.

****

“This is bullshit.” The orange armored soldier sighed.

****

“Note in the log Simmons, Grif is to be punished for using profanity in front of a superior officer.”

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

The day after that had been fairly uneventful, aside from the occasional bickering from Penny’s assigned guards. From what Jaune could pick up from listening to them, Sarge was incredibly aggressive and hated Grif to the point of actively wanting the man dead, Simmons kissed Sarge’s arse at every opportunity and Grif was just… wow. Jaune never thought he’d find anyone with similarly bad streaks of luck as him… turned out, he’d found someone with _worse_ luck than him.

****

He and Penny had managed to have a good time regardless, exploring the fair and the different stalls. Her… entourage/guards had maintained a respectful distance, though Sarge kept shooting Jaune rather aggressive looks from time to time, obviously still not fully trusting him around Penny. He’d learned to ignore the man, it wasn’t like there was anything he could do without upsetting Penny, anyway.

****

Luckily, Penny hadn’t asked to go on any of the more… intense rides, he didn’t think his motion sickness could handle that. Instead, she’d been content to view the various raffles and prize-giving stalls.

****

Jaune’s favorite moment had been when she’d seen a shooting stall offering various stuffed animals. Seeing her obvious interest in wanting to win a prize, Jaune had offered to go for her, successfully managing to knock over all the cans with the three shots he was offered. He had to hold back a borderline squeal of “kawaii!!” when he saw her light up at being given the stuffed cat she wanted.

****

Summer on the other hand, despite staying quiet for most of the day to ‘give them some space’, openly started squealing in his mind about how Penny was “just as much of a cutie as my little Ruby!” Jaune just rolled his eyes and tuned the Huntress out, focusing on the girl actually physically beside him right now.

****

Despite how much fun they were having, the day couldn’t last forever. All too soon the evening began to set in and the light began to dim.

****

“Friend Jaune? Thank you for keeping me company today. This was… a very enjoyable experience for me.” Penny admitted, her trademark smile still on her face, though it was noticeably more… real than usual. Jaune didn’t quite know how to explain it, but Penny’s smile and her mannerisms, while still robotic and somewhat unnatural, seemed to have a slightly… organic quality to them.

****

“Not a problem Penny. I had fun too! You’re honestly pretty easy to have fun with.” Jaune smiled back at her, it was almost impossible to not have fun with Penny, her quirks and innocence in the ways of the world made her a fun companion for simply hanging out.

****

“Oh! How sensational! I am successfully able to have ‘fun’!” Penny’s smile seemed to stretch even wider than before, her eyes lighting up a little.

****

Jaune couldn’t help it, he ruffled Penny’s hair a little in response. He laughed a little to himself at how adorable his friend was until he heard Penny speak again.

****

“Friend Jaune?”

****

“Yeah, what’s up Penny?”

****

“I… simply wanted to thank you for accompanying me to the fair today. This was actually my… first experience with what is referred to as ‘dating’.” She admitted, big eyes still staring up at him, arms still clutching the stuffed cat Jaune had won for her.

****

“That’s alright Penny! I had fun with on you on… this… date…” Jaune’s voice trailed off as he registered the word ‘dating’.

****

Wait? _Dating?_ Does… was this a _date_?

****

Looking back… well, he could easily see how Penny had come to that conclusion. They’d spent the whole day together, alone… with the exception of Penny’s slightly eccentric guards. He’d certainly enjoyed himself, to the point that Jaune had actually held Penny’s hand for the majority of the time they’d been together. It had seemed so natural that he’d just done it. Now that he really thought about it though...

****

Yes. He _had_ been on a date with Penny, hadn’t he? Wow, how about that?

****

“That is… very pleasing to hear, Friend Jaune.” Penny’s voice brought him back to the here and now.

****

Before he even knew what he was doing, or _why,_ Jaune opened his mouth and spoke again.

****

“You know, if this really is a date, there’s one more thing that people typically do at the end of it.”

****

“Oh? What would tha-mmmppphhh!!” Penny’s question was cut off into a surprised squeak as Jaune leaned forward, placing one hand around her back and cupping her cheek with the other one, to press his lips firmly against hers.

****

The kiss didn’t last long, but when they broke apart, Jaune’s cheeks flushed with color as he realized what he’d just done, panic quickly setting in as he realized he basically took advantage of Penny.

****

“O-oh my god! Penny, I’m sorry! I just wasn’t thinking when I…” Jaune began, only to be cut off.

****

“That is… quite alright Friend Jaune.” Penny sounded… off, a little like she wasn’t actually focused completely on him, or even the here and now. She was still standing stock still, not even blinking or even focusing on Jaune, she was just staring straight through him.

****

“Oh… okay.” Checking his watch, he jumped a little. “Oh, damn! I gotta go! Bye Penny!” Jaune called as he began to make his way to the Bullhead docks.

****

“ _Wow Jaune… I didn’t realize you were quite so bold with girls.”_ Summer’s voice chimed in his head, the teasing tone that he had come to expect from her was present.

****

_Shut up… it was an impulse decision! God, I hope Penny doesn’t hate me._

****

_“Come on Jaune, did you see the look on her face? That’s not the look of a girl who hates someone. THAT was the look of a girl who’s just processing her first kiss. Nice job, ‘Lover-Boy’.”_

****

_Oh ha-ha-ha, laugh it up why don’t you?_

****

_“Why thank you! I think I will!”_

****

_… there’s just no winning with you isn’t there?_

****

_“Nope!”_

****

While Jaune and his mental passenger engaged in their usual banter, Penny was still frozen in place. When Jaune had kissed her, she had felt a rather intense heat from her internal reactor. This had prompted her to run a full diagnostic check, but strangely her internal regulators were operating at full capacity. So… where was that warmth coming from?

****

And why did it only appear when she thought of Jaune?

****

“Friend Jaune…” She whispered quietly, feeling that _heat_ again in her systems, prompting a small panic from the synthetic girl as she hurriedly shifted her thoughts away from her friend, to stop the overheat before it compromised her systems. What was wrong with her? Were her systems malfunctioning? Was she being sabotaged? Had she contracted some form of computer virus or malware from something?

****

Perhaps her father or Mister Ironwood would know. Yes! Should could ask father what was wrong, he was a very clever man, he would know what to do!

****

Penny’s internal debate had drawn the attention of the three guards, who all came hustling over to her to check on their charge. Even after poking her a little, the synthetic girl wouldn’t budge.

****

“Aw hell! I knew we shouldn’t have let that dirtbag close to the asset! Grif, this is your fault! You’re on report when we return to base!” Sarge hollered

****

“Why is this _my fault?”_ An exasperated Grif asked.

****

“Because letting that scum close to the asset was your idea!”

****

“Uh… I’m pretty sure _you_ were the one who gave the okay in the end, Sarge…”

****

“Shut up maggot! Simmons! Put Grif on report again!”

****

“Yes sir!”

****

“I hate my job…”

\---------------

Line Break

\---------------

The dorm room of team RWBY was mostly peaceful, Yang was brushing her hair, Ruby was doing maintenance on Crescent Rose, while Blake was reading the latest ‘Ninjas of Love’ erotic novel (or ‘porn book’ as Yang called it, much to the cat girl’s displeasure).

****

Weiss, meanwhile, was struggling to work out what to do.

****

She’d received a message from Winter at least half an hour earlier, requesting some private time to chat and catch up. Thanks to how their last meeting had ended, with Weiss rather vehemently opposing Winter’s hostility toward her new boyfriend, the heiress was reluctant to see her older sister again if it was simply going to be more of the same.

****

She knew that Jaune was a good man, he had a strong heart and a firm moral code. He was kind, sweet, dorky, protective of his friends and… girlfriends. It was little wonder that Weiss had taken to calling him ‘Scruffy Knight’ or ‘Peasant Knight’ in her mind, he was just so kind and honorable and… and lean and _muscular…_

****

Weiss blushed a little, realizing the rather risqué turn her thoughts were taking. Shaking herself a little, she sighed and resumed her previous debate over whether or not to talk to Winter again.

****

In the end, the decision was made for her.

****

Three knocks sounded at team RWBY’s door, causing all the girls to jump.

****

“I’ll get it!” Yang called before Weiss could move, the heiress was still frozen in indecision. Perhaps it wouldn’t be Winter after all… maybe it’d be someone else, like Jaune…

****

“Uuuuhh Weiss, there’s a bigger you at the door.” Came Yang’s voice once more.

****

Well, it really was Winter after all.

****

“Oh. Hello Winter.” Weiss greeted, a little less formally than usual, but that hardly mattered now.

****

“Good day Weiss, do you mind if we talk for a moment… in private?” Winter asked, obviously looking a little uncomfortable, especially since their last meeting was not the most pleasant one.

****

“Alright.”

****

The pair made their way to a more open area, a nearby courtyard. Fortunately, it was one of the smaller ones and no one was present. The two sisters took seats on a nearby bench, spending a while simply enjoying the cool breeze.

****

Eventually, Winter decided to break the silence.

****

“Weiss, I feel as if I must apologize for my… previous behavior.” Winter’s apology certainly took the heiress by surprise, she’d prepared for Winter to try and segue into some examination of Jaune’s character or some explanation about how he wasn’t good enough for her. She wasn’t quite prepared for an apology.

****

“Oh… I see. Not that I don’t appreciate it, but why are you apologizing now?” Weiss asked, curious as to what could’ve caused Winter’s sudden change of mind.

****

“Well… the primary reason is that, in a conversation with Miss Nikos, one of your… fellows in this unorthodox relationship you have with Mr Arc, she assured me that you were in fact happy with him.” Winter explained, looking somewhat pleased at that fact.

****

“I was only ever concerned with your happiness, Weiss. When you told me that you and other girls were in a relationship with this ‘Jaune Arc’, I was worried that you wouldn’t be given the love and affection that you deserve from a romantic partner. That you would simply be treated as just another one of his ‘conquests’ rather than the fine and strong-willed young woman you are.”

****

Weiss you feel some tears picking at her eyes.

****

“Winter…”

****

“But, now that I know that you ARE being properly loved and cared for, I am… much more accepting for you romantic choice. Though, this brings me to my second reason for my objections. I suppose it amounts to… lingering frustration, of a sort.” The elder Schnee admitted, earning another look of surprise from Weiss.

****

“What sort of frustration? Does this have to do with your duties with the Vytal Festival?”

****

“No, these are… _romantic_ frustrations, sister. You see… I have also found a romantic partner.” Winter admitted, her cheeks going a little pink as Weiss promptly did a double take.

****

What? Winter had found someone?

****

“His name is Daniel Wilson, also my combat partner, he’s kind, funny, respectful to me, rather handsome… and he is the most arrogant and infuriating man I have ever met sometimes.” Winter huffed, though with a visible smile. “We do have our… rough patches sometimes. Daniel has an unfortunate tendency towards _theatrics_ and rather… _unprofessional activities._ I’m afraid that I have allowed my frustrations with his recent actions to taint my opinion of Mr. Arc.”

****

“I… I see.” Was Weiss’ only real response to the information Winter had just divulged to her.

****

“Regardless, it was wrong of me to allow this to happen. I can see that Mr. Arc is making you happy and taking care of you, as I instructed Miss Nikos to relay to him after our conversation. So… I approve of your relationship.” Winter finished, only to be surprised by Weiss wrapping her arms around her elder sister in a hug.

****

“Thank you Winter. I suppose that I can approve of Daniel if you’ve chosen him as a boyfriend.” Weiss stated, only for Winter to pat her on the head.

****

“Yes, well… our boyfriends may not be perfect, with their own unique quirks and flaws… but they are our boyfriends nonetheless, so we can still care for them regardless of how much they may disappoint us from time to time.” Winter admitted, leaning a little more into the hug. “Well… now that we’ve resolved our differences, perhaps you would like to get some tea with me?”

****

“I would love to.”

\---------------

Line Break

\---------------

**Emerald Tower, Ozpin’s Office.**

****

The end of another day for Professor Ozpin.

****

The Beacon Headmaster sighed as he sipped on his beloved coffee, it was one of the few things that kept him alert enough to let him wade through the mountains of paperwork he was forced to do (by Glynda) every day.

****

Ozpin reflected on the events of yesterday one more time, they’d been on his mind for quite some time. Specifically, the offer they made to Pyrrha Nikos, to become their new Guardian of the Fall Maiden’s remaining power, as well as the altercation with Atlas Specialist Daniel Wilson.

****

Regarding the first event, it pained Ozpin to have to approach Miss Nikos like this. He knew that there was certain… risks with the procedure they were asking her to go through, the process of artificially merging the Maiden power with a new host, fusing the Maiden and host’s Aura and Souls in the process… well, there was bound to be ‘overlap’.

****

‘Overlap’. Ozpin was fully aware what that term really was, a nice and cozy way of explaining the risk of the Maiden’s Soul and Aura outright _overwriting_ the Host’s own, instead of merging more peacefully and existing as a guiding presence in the background of the Host’s mind. There, they could offer advice and training to help the new Maiden come into her new power, even taking control fully if the need was dire enough and with the Host’s explicit consent.

****

Much the same way it was with himself, really.

****

Except, unlike his own situation, the Maidens had not just one guiding voice, but dozens to call upon for advice or encouragement.

****

It was a phenomenon that he had only noticed once previous wielders had admitted it to him, that they heard not just the voice of their immediate predecessor, but their ‘ancestors’ as well. Amber had admitted something similar, though she had stressed that the direct predecessor was by far the strongest and most frequent presence in her mind, other wielders of the Fall Maiden power would occasionally surface to communicate. Whether it was to offer advice or simply just because they wanted someone to chat to, they were grateful for Amber’s ‘company’.

****

It was easier to do so when the host was asleep, since the dreamscape provided an ideal plane for the various souls to gather and commune with their legacy’s latest wielder. The last time that had happened to her, he recalled Amber mentioning that there had been at least 20 other ‘Maidens’ present.

****

Lost in his memories, Ozpin’s thoughts now turned to his own history. Or rather, that of his current host.

****

Oswald. That had been his name. Before he had taken on the mantle and legacy of ‘Ozpin’, back when he had been a simple schoolboy, eager to learn about the history of Remnant and idolizing the brave Huntsmen and Huntresses that protected civilization from the Grimm. Before he had woken up with a voice in his head telling him that he had a grand purpose to fulfill and a “grave responsibility to uphold”.

****

At first, he-Oswald-had been VERY hesitant, in fact he distinctly remembered telling the voice, who identified itself as ‘Ozymandias’, in no uncertain terms to ‘get fucked’. Yes, Oswald had quite the foul mouth in his youth, he’d been quite the tearaway for a while since the voice appeared in his head, probably his ‘teenage rebellion’ phase really.

****

But Oswald was gone. Only Ozpin remained now. How much of him was Oswald and how much of him was Ozymandias, though… that he couldn’t quite say, he could really remember anymore. Having 4000+ years of memories in his head made individual years get quite… blurry after a while. He did remember that Ozymandias had told him of his own experience as a child and of his own ‘voice’. Much to his shock at the time, said voice had identified itself as ‘Oz’.

****

As in… the Last King of Vale Oz. Wow.

****

The familiar ‘ding’ of the lift doors pulled Ozpin from his introspective musings. Blinking to re-focus, his gaze settled on the Deputy Head and Witch of Beacon, Glynda Goodwitch, as she came striding into his office.

****

“Professor Ozpin sir? Do you have a moment?” She asked.

****

“Ah Glynda, come and sit down, I’ve just been finishing up the day’s paperwork but I can make time.” He replied, as his second complied, he spoke up again. “So, what exactly brings you to my office today?”

****

“It’s… about the incident from yesterday sir. The one with Daniel Wilson.”

****

“Ah… I see, what of it?”

****

“Despite Mr Wilson’s… compromised emotional state, irrationality and aggression at the time… perhaps we should take his claims about this ‘Cinder Fall’ seriously.” Glynda admitted. “She may be just a delusion of his to rationalize the loss of his team, but if there is any chance that this person actually exists…”

****

Ozpin could read between the lines of that sentence well enough.

****

“You think she could be the enemy's newest field agent? Perhaps even the one who attacked Amber as well?” He asked, gauging Glynda’s reaction carefully.

****

The Headmistress nodded slightly as she spoke.

“I believe it’s worth investigating further.”

****

Ozpin considered this… on the one hand, the peace he and his predecessors had managed to forge was a delicate thing, and the Vytal Festival’s success could fuel that peace for another generation and jeopardizing that was the last thing Ozpin wanted.

****

On the other hand… they had the opportunity to identify and neutralize one of  _her_ primary agents, an agent who would undoubtedly attempt to sabotage the Vytal Festival in an effort to sow chaos and dissent among the Kingdoms, it would be a major setback to his efforts to unite Humanity and aid the enemy's own goals greatly.

****

Ozpin made a decision, it would be risky, but they needed to take the chance.

****

“Glynda, contact Qrow and James for me… tell them it would be in our interest to look into this ‘Cinder Fall’.

\---------------

Line Break

\---------------

**Team CEMN Dorm Room, At The Same Time**

****

She couldn’t stop thinking about it.

****

No matter what she tried, she couldn’t take her mind off her loss, off her **humiliation** , yesterday at the hands of that… that BOY. That weakling, cocky little CHILD. Jaune Arc.

****

Except, he wasn’t quite as weak as she had assumed, she had learnt that to her cost in the Tournament.

****

She had been distracted, she had let the boy inside her head, let him toy with her emotions. Let him use their previous arguments on the merits of strength vs teamwork to rile her up, to unfocus her, to distract her at the key moment in the Vytal Tournament.

****

That was how he had defeated her. That, and being forced to maintain her cover, to hold back her true power. That knowledge had helped greatly in calming her fury, the knowledge that, had she been able to truly ‘cut loose’ and use her full power against him, Jaune Arc would’ve been naught but a mere ant before her might.

****

She also would not have fallen prey to that charging attack of his that had depleted most of her Aura, that would have been easy enough for her to dodge or redirect to hurt him instead, had she not been lost in thoughts of making him suffer.

****

That had simply posed another problem, her newly calm state had allowed Cinder to realize some new things, and what she realized had her… disturbed.

****

Jaune Arc was strong. There was no denying that. Perhaps not to HER certainly, but with that elemental sword of his and his… unique Semblance of Mimicry, Cinder was forced to admit that Jaune could pose quite the threat to Emerald and Mercury if they ever fought. He had after all nearly caused Emerald to drown in the team rounds of the Vytal Tournament, albeit inadvertently.

****

Then there was what he did to those Grimm on that joint team mission a while back, he had managed to kill a Titan Grimm all by his lonesome to protect his fellow team members. THAT was worrisome.

****

After all, if Cinder could see past her rampant narcissism and egomania (not that she would ever admit to or be aware of being plagued by such things) to acknowledge the boy’s newfound strength, then others had to have noticed.

****

Specifically, Ozpin had to have noticed.

****

He would try to recruit the boy, Cinder was sure of it, if not now then at some point. She was positive that he had already scouted out Arc’s teammate, the prodigal champion Pyrrha Nikos, as a potential replacement for the Fall Maiden.

****

This was why the plan needed to be accelerated. Every second she wasted risked the Fall Maiden’s power slipping through her fingers. The Vytal Festival no longer mattered, as the mistress had stated, only the Relic beneath Beacon was important in the long term and the Maiden’s power was the key they needed.

****

But the Maiden was well protected, where that was, Cinder could not say. So… she would need to draw her out, reveal her location.

****

Thankfully, Arthur Watts had proven his until-now limited worth in that regard. An arrogant blowhard the man may be, but he was knowledgeable where it counted. The mistress had graciously allowed Watts to share his knowledge of a particular piece of Atlas technology he had heard about prior to his… departure from the Kingdom’s employ.

****

A device developed by General Ironwood and the Atlas military’s research division, a device that could artificially transfer Aura.

****

And if Watts’ contacts were to be believed, the device was being prepared for transfer to an ‘undisclosed location’. Which meant it would undoubtedly be moved here, to be used on the incapacitated Fall Maiden to transfer her remaining power to a new host, one that Ozpin could control like a puppet this time.

****

But the man was cautious, the mistress had told Cinder as much. Ozpin and his agents would try to neutralize all threats to the Fall Maiden and her power before attempting to reclaim the missing piece of the Maiden’s power, or failing that, transfer what was left to a new host.

****

Cinder needed to force their hand, to force them to bring the Maiden into the open so that she could finish what she started years ago. But that would take engineering a crisis, the Vytal tournament might have been a worthy target, but the security around it was locked down tight courtesy of Atlas. It hadn’t helped that Cinder’s infiltration of the CCT had failed, thanks to the presence of the Deputy Head forcing her to withdraw rather than risk being spotted, leaving the security droids safely under Atlas control.

****

No. The festival was a no-go. So another crisis was needed.

****

Well… assassinating the Headmaster of one of the four great Hunter Academies during the festival would be crisis enough.

****

The panic it generated, however low-key it might be, would draw more Grimm to the Kingdom’s walls, forcing the Academy’s staff and students to divert their attentions elsewhere. That Deputy of Ozpin’s would undoubtedly be appointed in his stead to stabilize things in the interim, but the damage would be done.

****

Ozpin’s remaining allies would undoubtedly move to secure the Fall Maiden, to transfer her power to another host, most likely Nikos, to create a new Guardian to help push back the Grimm and provide the populace with renewed hope. A symbol of strength, protection and comfort they could rally around and shelter behind.

****

Then Cinder would strike, killing the weakened Maiden and the unworthy Nikos girl in one stroke, she would secure the remaining power for herself and with that, Beacon’s Relic. All for the mistress and her plans.

****

She would be pleased with Cinder, no doubt. That she managed to kill Ozpin in the process would merely curry further favor.

****

Yes, Cinder could not help but smile cruelly as she prepared to contact Roman and her new associate in the White Fang, everything was coming together at last...

\---------------

Line Break

\---------------

**The Grimmlands**

****

The latest report from Cinder had been… interesting, to say the least.

****

It was rare for the Dark Queen to be truly pleased. How could she be, when her hated enemy still lived and breathed? When his pathetic Academy still stood tall on the outskirts of Vale, mocking her with its continued existence?

****

However, when she had heard Cinder’s latest report, of a change in her plan, perhaps a moment of happiness was not uncalled for now.

****

After all, her new agent was serving her well, the new plan was well thought out. It would allow their Cabal  to secure Beacon’s Relic and the Fall Maiden’s power for themselves, but that was not what made the Dark Queen happy.

****

That this would all be done over Ozpin’s smouldering, broken corpse was what caused her to smile.

****

Her happiness was short-lived however, the mere thought of that hated man, the bane of her eternal existence, caused hands to clench into fists and a snarl of anger to force itself free.

****

_I must be calm. Ozpin will fall soon enough, his precious Maiden and Relic will both be lost to him, his Academy will be naught but rubble by the time my new agent is finished._

****

This caused her to relax once more, it was all coming together. The Fall Maiden’s power would hers to control through Cinder, the Relic of Choice would be hers to wield and Beacon would be ground into dust under the feet of her Grimm.

****

The words came unbidden, but they felt suitably appropriate for what was to come.

****

“This is the beginning of the end, Ozpin”

****

Salem, Queen of the Grimm, allowed a cruel smile to blossom on her face as she spoke, blood-red eyes burning bright.

****

“And I can’t wait to watch you **_burn_ **”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go everyone, it's time to kick things up a notch.


	37. Truths and Threesomes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaune goes out with Lian and Nora, Pyrrha asks for a favor, and Marcie and Emerald contemplate their fates.

“Psst, Jaune! Hey, Jauney!” Nora whispered, waking the sleeping boy, who looked at her with mild confusion. 

  
“Wha-Nora?” He muttered, before yawning and rubbing his eyes. “Mmph, what’s up?”

****

Nora quickly glanced around, as if making sure no one was listening, and quickly whispered to him with a huge grin. “Would you mind if Renny and I hung out with you today?”

****

It was a simple question, one that didn’t particularly concern the blond as he smiled and nodded, ruffling Nora’s hair lightly. “I’d love to, Nora.”

****

She let out a giggle, and kissed his cheek before returning to her bed. “Awesome~! See you soon, fearless leader!” she whispered, barely registered by the knight, who was already slipping back into a deep sleep.

****

\--------

Line Break

\--------

_ “Jaune, it’s time for you to get up.”  _ Summer chastised the young man as his eyes fluttered open. He groaned and turned over in his bed, pulling his blanket back up over his form. 

****

“Uuugh, five more minutes.” He groaned, only to wake up further as he opened his eyes and realized that Nora was laying across from him, beaming. He promptly shrieked in surprise and lurched back, almost falling off the bed before two hands caught him and propped him up. He turned, met with the sympathetic smile of Lian Ren, which turned into a glare as she looked at her partner.

  
“Nora, you scared the hell of him. I told you to just give him a second.” She chastised, only making the bombastic Valkyrie giggle as she shifted out of Jaune’s bed, thankfully clothed.

  
“Sorry, Jaune! I just thought you needed a wake up call.” She quipped cheerfully, making Jaune chuckle as well. 

****

“Well, it certainly worked.” He said, shifting to his feet and looking around the room, cocking an eyebrow as he released that something was missing. “Hey, where’s Pyrrha?”   


Nora’s eyes lit up as though she remembered something, and quickly bolted across the room. “Oh, Pyr-Pyr said she had to clear her head, and she left this note for you.” Nora handed the note to Jaune, which he read quickly. 

  
_ Jaune, I heard you were going out with Nora and Ren today! Have fun with them, they’ve been wanting to hang out for a while. I’ll be around later, I’d like to talk to you about something.  _

****

_ Love, Pyrrha. _

****

Jaune couldn’t help but smile at the note, while he also felt a brief pang of concern for his first girlfriend. She seemed to be going through a lot over the last few days, he really needed to figure out what was bothering her. Still, that could come later. Right now, he had two girls to have a fun day with.

****

“Well, looks like we’ll have to talk later. Anyways, did you have a plan for what you wanted to do today?” he asked the two girls, Ren immediately turning to Nora expectantly. Sure enough, the girl’s face lit up in excitement. As she grabbed both Jaune’s and Ren’s hand and quickly sprinted out the door, explaining her plan to the two one their way to the fairgrounds.

****

\---------

Line Break

\---------

  
“Hey, Em? I...I got a question for you.”

****

Emerald barley subdued the eye roll that was practically a natural response to whenever Marcie talked. It wasn’t that Marcie was foolish, or incompetent. She just talked so damn much, it became almost unbearable at times. “What is it, Marc?”

  
“Well, before I ask, I, uh, I need you to promise me something.” the silver hair girl murmured, attracting Emerald’s full attention. “Can you...not tell Cinder about what I’m about to ask?”

****

Emerald’s eyebrows shot up, and she shifted in her seat to face the other girl completely. What the hell was she talking about that had her so serious? “Um, ok. I swear I won’t say a word about this to Cinder.” Marcie sighed and mumbled a thank you before continuing.

****

“Do you...do think we should actually do this? Cinder’s plan, I mean.” 

****

The question seemed to hang above the pairs heads, and Emerald felt a wave of nervousness wash over her. They were...actually talking about this. Gods, they were  **actually** talking about this.

****

“I...I don’t know. We don’t really have a choice, do we?” She whispered, lacing her hands together in her lap and staring at them in contemplation. They both knew the answer to that question. There was no backing out, not it a way that would prevent a casket from being part of their exit.

****

“Well, there are...SOME options.” Marcie said, pointedly nodding to a white and blue Atlas soldier standing at a nearby stall, taking to the owner jovially. Emerald’s eyebrows once again shot up as she shook her head, close to shaking at her partner’s suggestion.

****

“Are you INSANE?!” She hissed, her tone gripped by fear and anger simultaneously. “If we confess to everything we know, everything we did and PLAN to do? We won’t get mercy, we’ll get a firing squad!”

****

“You don’t know that.” Marcie said quietly, her usual confidence completely gone from her tone. “Which would you rather be, Emerald? A mass murderer, or a petty criminal who PREVENTED a mass murder?”

****

Once again, the air seemed to get heavier between the two. However, a familiar voice drew the pair out of their dark thoughts. “Are you two ok? You look like you just watched a puppy get kicked on repeat for ten hours.” Jaune Arc asked, his tone laced with concern as the two turned around. Marcie spoke first, her tone back to normal.

****

“Heya, Arc. What’s got you out here this early?” She asked playfully, her posture relaxed and friendly, surprising Emerald a bit. She...wasn’t acting. She was actually THAT much calmer with Arc around. Huh.

****

“Oh, I’m just hanging out with Nora and Ren for the day, they’re getting us seats at a breakfast stall nearby.” He said with a chuckle, before his expression became slightly concerned. “Seriously, though,  _ are  _ you two alright?”

****

Marcie laughed, though this time it was noticeably strained. “Let’s just say we have some things to think about.” she said, before smiling more politely and asking, “I don’t suppose I could trouble you for a hug?”

  
This time, Emerald’s jaw dropped. She-she couldn’t be serious. Marcie-fucking-Black just asked for a hug. From Jaune Arc, no less! Clearly, she must have mishea-

****

“For you, Marcie? Of course.” Jaune said, beaming as he wrapped his arms around the silver-haired girl, who hummed pleasantly before smirking at Emerald, who was blushing slightly. When did they become so close? Would...would Jaune hug  **her** like that too?

****

As if he heard her thoughts, Jaune pulled back from the hug, turning to her with an equally bright smile. “You up for one too, Em?”

****

Marcie’s grin faltered slightly, but before she could protest, Emerald nodded, a small smile on her face. “I don’t see why not.” she said, before Jaune opened his arms and wrapped them around her. She was surprised at how safe she felt as soon as he embraced her, the feeling of complete...bliss, perhaps? She could certainly see why Marcie enjoyed the hug so much. Just like that, it was over, Jaune pulling back with that same smile on his face. Before Emerald could speak, one of Jaune’s friends, Nora, if she recalled correctly, called out to him. 

****

“Hey, Jaune! We got a table, c’mon!” She called all gleefully, before skipping of to her assumed table. Jaune turned and shrugged at the girls, still smiling.

  
“Well, I gotta go. It was nice seeing you guys!” He said, before running off to join his friends. Both Marcie and Emerald waved as he left, before turning back to their tables, now sinking in their thoughts.

****

“Hey Em?” Marcie finally asked, grabbing her attention again. “Would you do it if it was him? If he was there?” 

  
Emerald opened her mouth to question what she meant, but closed it as it sank in. Silence stretched between the two as the rest of the world kept going, before a quiet response ended the conversation.

****

“I don’t think I could.”

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Line Break

\---------

****

“Nora, I honestly have no idea how you can jump around like that after eating fifteen pancakes.” Jaune groaned, supported by Ren while Nora bounced around excitedly after their hearty breakfast. “How can you possibly be so hyper?”

****

“It’s a mix of syrup, aura, and concentrated adrenaline.” Ren deadpanned, earning a confused look from Jaune. “At least, that’s one of my hypotheses. The other is that she’s just solar powered.” Jaune chuckled a bit at that, coaxing a smile out of the green-clad girl. Suddenly, Nora gasped loudly and pointed to a brightly lit stall excitedly. 

****

“Ren, Ren! It’s karaoke!” she cheered, gesturing wildly at the stall, which had a stage, two mics, and a song selection system hooked up to some speakers. Jaune smirked a bit at the enthusiasm the redheaded bomber showed, but noticed that Ren looked a little less excited. 

****

“Ren, are you alright?” He asked, snapping the stoic girl back to reality, her face now slightly flushed.

****

“Y-yes. I’m just...I haven't sang in front of anyone but Nora before.” She muttered quietly, not meeting Jaune’s gaze. Nora deflated a little at her friend’s admission, not wanting to make her uncomfortable. Jaune gently laid a hand on Ren’s shoulder, smiling when she met his eyes.

****

“Hey, it’s ok. You have no obligations. We’re here to have fun!” He said, drawing another smile from the girl. “And while I admit that I’d like to hear you sing, I won’t force you to.”

****

With this admission, Ren’s face both flushed a deeper shade of red, and grew look of determination. Before he could question the sudden change, Ren walked over to the owner of the stall, ringing the bell on his table politely. “Excuse me, how much lien for a song?”

****

The man beamed, clearly happy to finally have a customer, and said, “Five lien per person, miss.” Ren nodded, taking out five lien and placing it on the table before walking over to the song selection system, followed by a once again pumped Nora.

****

“Oh, Renny! I’m so excited!” She squealed, tapping the screen of the machine excitedly. “What song are you gonna sing?” 

****

Ren scrolled through the songs, humming in contemplation. “Mirror, Mirror? No, too slow.” She muttered, flipping to the next song. “Red like Roses? Hmm, not my style...ah!” 

****

Ren smiled as she finally found a song that agreed with her. She showed it to Nora, who nodded vigorously with that same excited grin. Ren stepped onto the stage, grabbing one of the mics as she did so. She took a breath, before turning to Nora and nodding. Nora hit the button on the side of the machine, and the music started. The few remnants of nervousness left in Ren’s chest left as she met Jaune’s gaze, his smile warm and patient. She started to sing.

****

“ A shooting star fell down to earth, lightning cracked the sky. Something weird is happening, something I can't deny .”

****

Jaune had to restrain himself from letting his jaw drop. Her voice...it was beautiful! Granted, he was no expert on performing, but she sounded amazing! He quickly resumed his focus as she continued to sing.

****

“ A strange kind of magic, running through my brain. Feel I'm in heaven, or going insane.”

****

Nora couldn’t help but squeal quietly at her friend’s performance. She was doing amazing, just like she knew she would! Not just that, but Jauney looked awfully impressed, too. 

****

“'Cause everytime we touch, I get this feeling. And everytime we kiss, I swear I could fly! Can't you feel my heart beat fast, I want this to last! Need you by my side. 'Cause everytime we touch, I feel this static. And everytime we kiss, I reach for the sky! Can't you hear my heart beat so, I can't let you go. Want you in my life.”

****

Ren continued to sing, a confidence that had rarely been seen before on full display as she did. Several other passersby stopped and watched her sing, the attention probably would have been horrifying for her normally. But at that moment, she wasn’t singing for them. She was singing for  **him** . 

****

When she finished, and registered the applause from the rest of her audience, she flushed and muttered a shy thanks for the praise. She stepped off stage, handing the mic to another couple who had now payed for their turn, and walked over to Jaune and Nora, both of whom wore wide smiles.

  
“Ren, honest to God's, you have the most beautiful voice I’ve ever heard.” Jaune said as she got close, earning a bashful chuckle from the girl.

****

“T-thank you, Jaune, but I’m sure I’m not-”

****

“You were stupendous!” Nora crowed, finally releasing her subdued enthusiasm and hugging her friend tightly. “I knew you had it in you~!” 

****

Jaune chuckled at the annoyed groan that slipped through Ren’s lips as Nora’s hug tightened. Finally, she was released and found herself walking beside the two as Nora rambled about what they should do next. She felt an arm bump her own, and turned to see Jaune smiling at her with that same, warm smile. 

****

“You really did do great, Lian.” he said, his face dusted red. Ren couldn’t help but smirk a bit at his shy demeanor, after everything he’s been through, THIS embarrassed him.  _ Well, I might as well make it worth it _ , she thought to herself as she leaned over and kissed him cheek. He turned to her, his blush now fully on his face, and she felt her smile grow as she winked at him with her own soft smile.

****

“It was only possible because of you.”

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As she stood inside the lift that was currently ascending the Emerald Tower, Pyrrha couldn’t help but feel nervous. She technically had much more time to make her decision regarding Ozpin’s… opportunity for her, but that wasn't why she was here.

****

She was here to make a request instead.

****

Eventually, the familiar ding of the lift arrived sounded through the compartment, and the doors opened to reveal the office of Professor/Headmaster Ozpin. The Headmaster himself was currently seated at his desk, pouring over some paperwork with pen in hand. As Pyrrha took a few tentative steps into his office, the man looked up and spotted her.

****

“Ah, Miss Nikos. What can I do for you? Have you perhaps given more thought to the offer?” Ozpin asked, a kind smile on his face.

****

“I have, Headmaster.” Pyrrha admitted, while taking a deep breath to steady herself.

****

“Oh? A decision so quickly? I expected that you would take more time to think things over.” Ozpin admitted, tilting his head a little in curiosity.

****

“Well, I have my decision Professor, I… accept your offer.” At this, Ozpin seemed to brighten a little, looking a little relieved as well. “Though, I do have a condition before going further.”

****

“Oh... ? What ‘condition’ would that be?”

****

“Before I go any further… I want to tell Jaune about what’s happening here, about the exact nature of the offer you made to me… and everything else that you told me regarding the Maidens.” Pyrrha stated, keeping her eyes open to gauge the Headmaster’s reaction to her request.

****

His brows furrowed, a small frown stretching across his face as the man spoke up.

****

“I’m afraid that cannot be allowed. This must be kept within the strictest confidence, Miss Nikos. Revealing this information to anyone except firmly trusted associates will only endanger both yourself and Amber.” Ozpin explained, his voice stern but not unkind.

****

“But Jaune IS a trusted associate! He’s my team leader! He’s my first and best friend! He’s my… my boyfriend!” Pyrrha burst out, unable to contain herself. “If I can’t trust Jaune with this information who can I trust!?”

****

Ozpin’s brows rose slightly, eyes widening a little as he processed what Pyrrha had just blurted out.

****

“I was… unaware that you and Mr. Arc had entered into a romantic relationship.” The Headmaster admitted. “You are certain that he can keep this discreet? I cannot stress how important enough it is to maintain secrecy.” 

****

“I’m sure Headmaster Ozpin. Jaune will be able to keep this between us, there’s no one I’d trust more.” Pyrrha affirmed. “Besides, Jaune already knows that something’s… off with me. It’s only a matter time before he starts investigating, knowing him he’d want to help me, so surely it would be easier for me to tell him on my terms?”

****

The Headmaster steepled his hands in front of him, brows furrowed in thought as he mulled everything over. After a few moments, he raised his head to meet the Spartan’s gaze.

****

“I will discuss this with my colleagues Miss Nikos, I cannot promise that they will agree, but I will do my best to make your case. If you trust Mr Arc so completely that you would be willing to bring him into confidence with this secret, then I see no reason not to trust your judgement.” Ozpin promised, that small and reassuring smile back on his face.

****

“Thank you Headmaster.” The Champion bowed her head respectfully, she really hoped that they would let her at least tell Jaune why she had been acting so oddly and evasive recently. Even if they didn’t… well, as far as she was concerned Jaune still deserved to know, she would just have to be more discreet about it.

****

“Will that be all, Miss Nikos?” Ozpin asked.

****

“Oh, yes Headmaster, thank you for your time.”

****

With that, Pyrrha returned to the lift and hit the button to descend to ground level. As the lift doors closed, the Champion pulled out her scroll and called the first number that came up in her contacts.

****

“Jaune? It’s me… are you currently busy? I was… thinking that we could spend some time together.”

\---------------

Line Break

\---------------

“Well, I had fun today. How about you two?” Jaune asked, met with grins from both of his female comrades. To his surprise, Nora was now supporting a very tired Ren, but nodded with a big smile all the same.

****

“It was great, fearless leader!” She said, her voice noticeably more worn now. Jaune understood the sudden lack of energy, with the three of them running around the grounds all day.

****

“Well, we’re back now, so we can rest.” He said as he opened the door to their room, holding it for the two before entering. He walked over to his bed, and flopped down, his own exhaustion finally setting in. He closed his eyes, almost ready to fall asleep when two other bodies flopped alongside him. He opened his eyes to see a grinning Nora hugging his right arm, and a sleepy Ren holding his left. He sighed, but allowed the two to keep their grip as he drifted back into sleep.

****

…

****

For about thirty minutes.

  
Jaune’s eyes opened, and he groaned as he shifted in his bed slightly, noticing two distinct forms on both sides. He reminded himself that it was Nora and Ren, and chuckled a bit as he remembered Nora’s cheeky grin. His chuckles ceased, however, as he noticed both the girls muttering in their sleep.

****

“J-jauney, please...” Nora whined quietly, clutching his sheets tightly. Ren just let out a few brief shallow breaths before groaning slightly. Jaune quickly became concerned that both his friends were having nightmares and was about to wake them when to simultaneous moans shattered his train of thought.

****

“ _ Harder! P-please…” _

****

_ “Gods, yes... ” _

****

... _ oh. Oh, i-it was one of THOSE dreams...OH. _

****

Jaune’s face went red as Crescent Rose, but before he could act Nora jolted awake with an unsurprisingly loud shout, waking Ren as well and startling Jaune to the point that he jumped off the bed. Both Nora and Ren looked at each other in silent confirmation, before turning to Jaune, whose face was still a bright crimson.

****

“Gods, I’m sorry. I-I didn’t mean to..to hear…” He stuttered, covering his face in embarrassment. He couldn’t help but jump as two hands landed on both of his shoulders, forcing him to look at a painfully calm Nora, whose face was also red, though a smile was also present.

****

“It’s ok, Jauney.” She practically whispered, tilting her head playfully. “In fact, I think this is just what needed to happen.” 

****

Jaune opened his mouth to question her, but found his question interrupted by Nora’s mouth suddenly joining his, her tongue wrapping around his own. Jaune’s noise of confusion morphed into one of pleasure as the kiss deepened, and his hand slid behind Nora’s neck and pulled her a bit closer. After a few more seconds, Nora pulled back, letting out breathy giggle before saying, “Ok Renny, your turn.”

****

Once again, any question in Jaune’s mind immediately vanished as Ren lunged forward and captured his lips with her own, letting out what sounded like a moan and a growl all at once as she kissed him passionately, pushing him to the ground after a few seconds. She turned her head to Nora, and muttered a surprisingly shy question.

****

“Do you mind if I go first?”

****

Nora giggled again, but nodded, shifting over to her bed beside them. “Go ahead. I’ll enjoy the show.”

****

Ren’s confidence returned with Nora’s permission, and she looked at Jaune questioningly. Even he wasn’t thick-skulled to the point where he didn’t know what she was asking. “I...I’m ok with this.” And like that, a switch in Ren’s mind was flipped. Gone was the stoic, composed gun-woman, now replaced by a very,  **very** horny huntress in training. She practically tore her robe off, and felt a spark of excitement as Jaune’s eye wandered over her assets.

****

“Do you like what you see, Jaune?”

****

Gods, that voice was so unlike her. So strong, so...sexual. Jaune’s heart beat faster as he took in her luscious curves and shockingly large bust. How he’d never noticed it before, he couldn’t tell you. He was brought out of his thoughts as Ren giggled, wiping some blood that had been flowing from his nose.

****

“I’ll take that as a yes.” She said, before reaching down and practically ripping Jaune’s belt off, sliding his pants off after. Her eyes widened in delight as she gazed at his fully erect member, licking her lips absentmindedly.  _ Now THAT was a nice view _ .

****

Jaune chuckled nervously as Ren slid forward, grinning at him all the while as she positioned herself over his package. “Y-you sure about this, Ren?” He asked, squeaking as her arms wrapped around him, her womanhood inches away from his member. She leaned in close, and whisper softly into his ear.

****

“Absolutely.”

****

With that, Ren allowed herself to drop on Jaune’s shaft, hissing in pain as he entered her. He grabbed her hips to steady her, the look of concern on his face pleasing. He cared about her, about  **all of them** , so damn much. It was time to reward him properly. With that thought in mind, she locked her lips with his and started to bounce on his shaft. While friction was initially painful, pleasure quickly overload the pain and both of the lovers moaned at the overwhelming warmth that filled both of them. Tongues constantly twirling around each other, the kiss ended briefly as Jaune let out a breathless, “Gods, you’re amazing, Lian.” before resuming their previous liplock. All too soon, the pleasure built inside of them, and they once again separated from their kiss.

****

“J-jaune. I’m close!” She moaned, gripping his back tighter. 

****

“Me too!” He groaned. “Tell me when you do it, and I’ll pull out.” Ren nodded quickly, arching back a moment later as her climax hit.

****

“GODS, JAUNE!” She howled as she came, followed by a similar scream as Jaune pulled out and released all over her stomach. Both fell on their backs, and desprately sucked in air after their intense experience.

****

“That...was...incredible.” Jaune managed, earning a chuckle from the girl on her back. It was when another voice to his left rang out that he remembered he wasn’t alone.

****

“Well don’t get too comfortable, Jauney.” Nora hummed, stripping off her skirt and throwing it aside to where the rest of her clothes lay. “The Queen of the Castle still wants her turn.” 

****

Jaune couldn’t help but grin at Nora’s self-proclaimed nickname, even as he stood up and walked over to Nora, pressing his lips to hers, delighting in her happy moan that occurred after it. He gently pushed her back onto the bed, noticing her grin grow as she looked at his package, which was already rock hard once again.

****

“Hehehehe. Looks like someone’s excited~.” She hummed as she guided his shaft closer to her entrance. She paused for a moment, looking up at Jaune with a slight blush. “B-be gentle, please.” 

****

Jaune nodded, before slowly entering Nora, prompting a sharp gasp from the valkyrie beneath him, followed by a sigh of relief. “Nora, are you ok?” He asked gingerly, only to be met with a lazy thumbs up and a dazed grin. “Ok. I’m gonna start moving now. Tell me if you want me to stop, ok?”

****

Nora nodded, and Jaune began to move his his hips rhythmically back and forth, drawing admittedly adorable squeaks and squeals as she gripped the sheets on her bed just like she had during her earlier dream. “Oh, Jauney!”

****

Jaune slowed his pace in concern, only to be met with the lust filled glare of an annoyed valkyrie. “Harder. Now.” She calmly growled at him, which he quickly obeyed. He usual squeaks were replaced by huskier moans, and after a minute, she whimpered a bit. “J-jaune, I’m a-about to-!”   


She wasn’t even to finish her statement before she cried out, releasing her womanly juices all over her bed. Both she and Jaune caught their breaths, before Jaune pulled out of her, prompting another adorable squeal. “C-careful, that tickled!” She protested with a giggle before noticing Jaune’s erection and frowning. “Did you not finish?”

****

Jaune shrugged, still smiling at the short redhead. “It’s no big deal. All that matters is that you’re happy.” He said with a smile, before shouting in surprise as Nora pushed him, making him fall into a sitting position on his bed. Nora was on her knees in front of him, hand now wrapped around his shaft, a wicked grin on her face.

****

“Ohohoho, nope! That’s not how this works!” She said, smiling evilly as Ren suddenly appeared next to her, angling her head over his mast. “We finish, you finish.” With their explanation out of the way, Ren happily took Jaune into her mouth while Nora leaned forward and started to kiss him. Despite the fact that he had had sex multiple times now, Jaune still felt his face heat up as he realized that he was currently part of a threesome. This was...a new high point. Probably.

  
Jaune tensed up, and realized that he was about to finish. Nora seemed to realize it as well, and quickly pulled back to where Ren was sucking, pulling her friend’s head back as Jaune’s essence flew out onto both their faces. Jaune huffed in exhaustion as he lay back on his bed, soon joined by Nora and Ren once again, just like how that afternoon had started. 

****

“Jauney?” Nora asked quietly, smiling when Jaune turned to her. “Thank you for making us feel good.” Nora hugged Jaune’s arm, while Ren took his other, back to her normal stoic self.

****

“Thank you, Jaune.” She muttered quietly, blushing a bit at their proximity. Jaune just chuckled, thanking them both for being so generous with him before falling asleep for the third time that day.

****

Another few hours passed, and Jaune awoke yet again. This time, when he sat up, Nora and Ren were in their respective beds, and any mess that had been in the room before was now gone. Jaune checked his scroll, which was lying nearby, and noticed that he had slept for three hours after his team’s...activities. A few seconds later, his scroll began to ring. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes before answering as cheerily as he could manage. “Hello?”

****

“Jaune? It’s me… are you currently busy? I was… thinking that we could spend some time together.”

\---------------

Line Break

\---------------

After he took quick shower and got dressed, Jaune left for the rooftop he met Pyrrha at. When he arrived, he found her waiting for him, a small smile on her face. “Hey, Pyrrha. Everything ok?” He asked, slightly concerned for his partner considering her recent behavior relating to her mysterious offer from the headmaster.

****

“I’m doing well, Jaune.” She answered, a small chuckle slipping past her lips. “I just wanted to talk to you about my opportunity.”

****

“Oh. Well, ok!” He said with a grin that warmed her heart. “So, what is it, exactly?”

  
Pyrrha sighed, and sat down, patting for Jaune to sit next to her. Once he was seated, she turned to him and asked him a question.

****

“Jaune, have you ever heard of the four Maidens?”


	38. The Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daniel finds the evidence required to confirm Cinder Fall's identity, but is unprepared for the emotional costs.

Jaune, despite his confusion at the strange topic of discussion, simply nodded in reply.

****

“Well, sure I have Pyr… my mum told me that fairy tale all the time when I was a kid, it was actually one of my favorites!”

****

Pyrrha sighed, dipping her head a little. Jaune picked up on her hesitance immediately and put an arm around her shoulder, hoping to reassure his partner and girlfriend.

****

“Hey Pyr… what’s wrong?” He twigged. “This has something to do with your opportunity doesn’t it? Something to do with what the Headmaster told you about? Look, if it stresses you out like this, if that’s why you’ve been distant lately, we don’t have to-”

****

“No, Jaune. It’s alright.” Pyrrha interrupted him, leaning a little into his shoulder for comfort. “I… I’ve been keeping this from you for too long. Professor Ozpin said that… that this had to be kept secret, but I need to tell you at least, you deserve to know.”

****

Jaune smiled, Pyrrha trusted him that much? That made him feel very pleased with himself, he’d managed to prove himself to Pyrrha enough that she’d be willing to share this secret with him.

****

“Okay Pyr, let me just get Nora and Ren-” He began, but Pyrrha cut him off again.

****

“No Jaune, th-this has to stay between us, please. I’m already taking a big risk telling only you about this. We… we need to keep this between us, Professor Ozpin will be talking with his own… colleagues about letting you know about this. Regardless of the decision they reach, as far as I’m concerned this is too important for me to keep from you.” Pyrrha leaned further into Jaune’s arm, resting her head on his shoulder.

****

“Alright then Pyr, take your time. I’ll be right here for you. Whenever you’re willing to tell me, however long you need, I’ll be right here all the way. You’re not alone anymore, Pyr.” Jaune insisted, sincerity in every word.

****

Pyrrha glanced up at her beloved leader, best friend and boyfriend with tears in her eyes and a small smile on her face.

****

“T-thank you Jaune, thank you so much.” Jaune responded by leaning in and pecking her on the lips, eliciting a surprised squeak from the Spartan that made the Knight smile at just how _adorable_ she was.

****

“Anytime Pyr, what kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn’t help my lovely and awesome girlfriend out when she needs a shoulder to lean on or someone to talk to?” The Knight insisted.

****

“J-Jaune… y-you don’t have t-to say all that for me…” Pyrrha whispered, cheeks turning the same scarlet as her armor as she buried her head into his shoulder.

****

“Even if it’s true?” Jaune asked cheekily.

****

“JAUNE…” Pyrrha practically whined, embarrassed at the praise he was lavishing on her, mostly because she knew he meant every word. This wasn’t just some attempt to get into her good books or the rabid praise of a fan, this was his genuine perception of her as a girl, not just some champion tournament fighter or a cereal mascot.

****

“Okay okay, I’ll stop. I’m ready to listen when you’re ready to talk.” Jaune promised, before falling silent to allow the Mistral Champion to gather herself.

****

Pyrrha did just that, taking a few breaths to steady herself before turning to her leader.

****

“Before I say anything else, I need to tell you something first… but I need you to promise that you’ll keep calm.”

****

“Course I can Pyr… is it really that bad?”

****

“Yes.”

****

“...then I promise I’ll keep calm. So what do you need to tell me?”

****

Pyrrha’s emerald eyes found his azures, her hands found his and Jaune squeezed them in a gesture of support.

****

“The Maidens aren’t a legend or a myth, Jaune. They’re real.”

****

There was really only one logical response to that.

****

“...come again?”

\---------------

Line Break

\---------------

Jaune and Pyrrha were currently making their way back to their dorm room. Pyrrha was slowly wringing her hands a little in her lap, nervous about her partner’s silence after everything she’d told him. The Champion hoped that her leader was coping well with all his new knowledge.

****

Jaune, meanwhile, was simply trying to comprehend everything that his partner had told him not minutes ago. It was really a lot for his youthful mind to try and take in all at once. He might as well go over it again, that might help.

****

So, first things first, the Seasonal Maidens were real. They weren’t just some fairy tale.

****

And magic. Magic was real too. Actual real magic, not just things that LOOKED like magic, like Dust did sometimes when used by the right person (like Professor Goodwitch).

****

Not only was one of the Maidens real, apparently one of them was currently at Beacon right now. The Maiden of the Fall season. Wow.

****

Amber. That was her name. She’d been attacked and badly injured by some people after her power, and was now currently lying comatose in a medical facility off site or something, according to Pyrrha. The attackers had only managed to steal a third of her power, but it was enough to keep her in this state.

****

Apparently she wouldn’t wake up, no matter what Ozpin and his… associates (including General Ironwood himself!) had tried to use to revive her. She was vulnerable right now, so they’d decided to try and find a new ‘Guardian’ for her power.

****

And they’d approached Pyrrha, his teammate, his _girlfriend._

****

Jaune could honestly see why. Pyrrha was just… amazing in every way. She was gifted in combat. She was a social icon and an inspiration to many. She was also one of the nicest and most selfless people Jaune had ever met. If she were to take the remainder of Amber’s power, she’d do great things with it! Jaune knew she would. She’d protect people from the Grimm, inspire a new generation of children to be heroes and ensure the peace they had now would last a long time.

****

But she’d be hunted and targeted too. No doubt whoever attacked Amber would come for Pyrrha as well, looking for the remainder of the Maiden power to take for themselves. Pyrrha would be in constant danger for the rest of her life, as would the people closest to her, her friends and family.

****

No matter. Jaune would be right there with her, keeping her safe and watching her back. That was what partners did. He would be by her side as long as she needed him to be, as would Ren and Nora, they would probably follow him to the ends of Remnant if he asked them at this point. Despite that though, his fears still persisted.

****

As if sensing his distress, which she likely did, Summer spoke up.

****

_“I know that you’re scared for her safety right now, but you can help make sure this situation works out, Jaune. Just be there for Pyrrha, she needs her partner right now. All you can do is offer her your help and support and try your best to keep her safe.”_ The Huntress insisted, hoping to soothe her friend’s worries.

****

_I’ll need a lot more than that Summer._ Jaune admitted. _The people who did this already took down one of the Maidens by themselves, and they can do ACTUAL MAGIC_ . _How am I supposed to fight people who can do that? By comparison… I’m just nothing to them._

****

The Knight suddenly winced a little as he registered the mental smack to the head from his ‘other partner’.

****

_“Now you know better than to think of yourself like that Mister!”_ Summer’s tone had switched to the same berating and admonishing ‘mother hen’ type tone she often took when Jaune started putting himself down. Come to think of it, she’d been doing it a lot lately whenever he started self-deprecating, the Huntress had been very supportive as of late… he’d have to do something to thank her properly.

****

Jaune was pulled out of his thoughts by Summer continuing on.

****

_“You’ve improved a lot since coming here, you have a wonderful and supportive team to help you, not to mention my little girls and their team too. You’ve got your new sword and your Semblance on your side as well. So no more crazy talk about how you’re ‘nothing’, we clear on that Mister!?”_ The woman lectured him, Jaune feeling very much like a small child being scolded by their mother, a combination of upset for the scolding itself and disappointment for letting her down.

****

He understood how Ruby and Yang must’ve felt when they’d done something to invoke Summer’s motherly disappointment.

****

_Alright then Sunny, no more ‘crazy talk’, promise._

****

_“S-Sunny…?”_ Summer asked, stuttering a little in disbelief, she’d not been called that since… well, since she died. Even then, the only person who called her that was… Tai.

****

She still missed him. It may have been 10 years and she might have let him go, but she’d never get over him fully. She would always wish the best for her teammate… and husband, she hoped that maybe he’d find someone else to love one day, he deserved that at least.

****

Come to think of it… she saw many similarities in Tai and Jaune, to the point that Jaune could essentially pass for a teenage version of the older man, if he got a tattoo on his arm, discarded the sword and shield and fought in hand-to-hand. The same shaggy blonde hair, the same slight stubble on their chin, that same scruffy look and the same admittedly rugged appeal.

****

But the comparisons went deeper than just appearance. The more Summer thought about it, the more she could see that Jaune and Tai were remarkably similar in personality and mannerisms too. They had that same dorky grin when they were happy, they both had the habit of ruffling a girl’s hair to reassure them. They both tried to keep everyone around them happy and were always willing to lend a hand, always willing to see the best in people. Finally, no matter the hardships or setbacks they face, both of them never gave up, they never gave in or backed away from a fight if it meant putting others in danger.

****

The Huntress blushed a little from her space in the mindscape. Now that she’d begun comparing Jaune to her husband, well… former husband now, she couldn’t help but see her host in a new light. A more favorable light as well. What that meant for their future time together… she couldn’t quite say.

****

The Huntress was pulled out of her musings by Jaune trying to get her attention.

****

_...mmer? Summer? You there?_

****

_“Oh! S-sorry Jaune! I-I was just distracted with thinking about something, that’s all…”_ Summer replied, feeling a little embarrassed and ashamed about ignoring Jaune like that. _“What were you trying to say?”_

****

_I was just saying that I called you ‘Sunny’ because, well… your name is ‘Summer’ and you’re cheerful a lot of the time! It just seemed like a natural nickname. Uh… do you not like it?_

****

_“No… I think it’s… appropriate, kinda cutesy for a grown woman though…”_ Summer admitted, trying to keep the light blush from her face as she thought about her new - well, old - nickname Jaune had come up with.

****

_Well, what can I say? When you’re not berating me or having fun at my expense, you can be surprisingly cute._ Jaune explained, oblivious to the effect his words had on the mother.

****

_“O-oh, I see…”_ She tried hard to keep from stuttering, she really did, but she couldn’t help it.

****

Before they had any time to discuss things further, the duo’s attention was drawn to the door of team JNPR’s dorm, now within sight as Jaune and Pyrrha rounded the corner.

****

Or rather, their attention was drawn to the two people standing in front of it. One of them was Winter Schnee, elder sister of Weiss and Specialist in the Atlesian military.

****

The other one was…

****

“Daniel!” Jaune called, raising his hand to wave at his friend, who returned the greeting in kind. “What brings you here?” The knight asked, while Daniel had been known for being spontaneous in the past, he’d almost always given Jaune a heads up when he wanted to come and visit.

 

“Hey Jaune.” Daniel replied, the man not wearing his armor, but his Atlesian Specialist uniform instead, a suited version of Winter’s own attire. “Listen, do you still have that flash drive I gave to you to hang on to, back before I left Beacon?” There was a serious note to his voice that made Jaune pause, whatever was on that flash drive must be pretty important.

****

“Well, sure I do. What do you need it for?” Jaune asked, he’d never seen Daniel with a demeanor this serious before, not even during his one-man feud with Cardin and his team. “Is… is everything okay?”

****

“No, Jaune. Everything’s not okay.” Daniel admitted. “You might have noticed I’m not wearing the Sentinel armor right now. Well… It’s been taken from me for the next few days.”

****

“What?! Why?”

****

“Well… I kinda broke into your headmaster’s office and… maybe threatened him a little bit.” The Gunslinger-turned-Specialist winced a little, especially at Winter’s renewed glare.

****

“W-Wait WHAT!?” Jaune cried, shocked that his friend would do something so... well, ILLEGAL!

****

“Yeah… it has to do with one of the exchange students here for the Vytal festival, I’ve got reason to believe they might be an undercover operative preparing to attack Vale. Specifically, the Vytal Festival, it’s a prime target of opportunity.” Daniel explained, sounding graver than Jaune had ever heard him.

****

“What…? Will one of the students really attack the Festival? Why would anyone do that? The panic and the chaos would probably draw in a full Grimm invasion that would cause untold amounts of collateral damage.” Pyrrha spoke up, looking rather shaken herself.

****

“We don’t know… but the identity of the suspect is on that flash drive, and… I suspect it’s the same person responsible for the incident with my former team. Someone who goes by the name ‘Cinder Fall’, she’s already attacked Atlas forces in the past.” The gunslinger explained.

****

Jaune paused for a moment. That name… it seemed so… familiar to him, though he couldn’t explain why.

****

Pyrrha spoke up instead.

****

“And the reason you decided to invade Headmaster Ozpin’s office was to… convince him to look for his person?”

****

Daniel looked a little guilty, so Winter replied in his stead.

****

“Specialist Wil… _Daniel_ here felt it best that this be brought to the headmaster’s attention as soon as possible, his reaction was simply him expressing his… dissatisfaction with the apparent lack of concern for this possible security breach.” The elder Schnee explained.

****

“Winter… we shouldn’t sugarcoat this for them, just tell them I had a panic attack an acted like an arsehole because of it.” Daniel groused. “Look, after the incident with my team… well I was really messed up. I was jumpy and paranoid, so seeing her here again… it just set me off. Doesn’t make barging into the headmaster’s office like that any less dickish, but at least you know why i did it.”

****

“Ah… I-I see.” The Spartan replied, a little mollified by the man’s admission. “Well… do you perhaps know which of the transfer students is actually this ‘Cinder Fall’ person?” She asked, hoping that the two had a lead they could share with her and Jaune, that way they could help keep an eye out.

****

Winter stepped forward this time.

****

“We have reason to suspect that a student from Haven, a Miss ‘Ella Stalls’ of team CEMN, to be Miss Fall in disguise.” The woman explained, her tone clipped and efficient.

****

Jaune and Pyrrha had only one reaction to this news.

****

“W-WHAT!?” Both teens sputtered out, Jaune doing so over the voice of the deceased Huntress in his mind, who was currently shouting about how _“I WAS RIGHT! I KNEW SHE WAS A SUPERVILLAIN AND I WAS RIGHT!! I TOLD YOU NOT TO GET INVOLVED WITH HER!”_ at the top of her lungs.

****

Winter raised an eyebrow at their reaction.

****

“I take it that you’ve… met this woman before.” The Specialist stated, still eyeing the two members of JNPR closely.

****

“Well… you could say that.” Jaune rubbed the back of his head a little in embarrassment.

****

“Explain, please.” It wasn’t a question so much as an order from the elder Schnee.

****

“Well… I fought her in the singles round, b-because Pyrrha had that meeting with the headmaster and asked me to sub in for her! I thought I’d be facing someone like Cardin or Coco!” The swordsman explained hurriedly, see Winter and Daniel’s surprise and Pyrrha’s shock.

****

It was Daniel who spoke next, placing both his hands on Jaune’s shoulders and looking him in the eyes.

****

“Jaune, I need you to be as honest as you can be right now, have you had ANY interactions with her outside of that fight in the arena.”

****

“Well… I, might have… argued and started a feud with her a few days ago.” The Knight winced as he spoke, dreading the reactions he’d get.

****

It was exactly as bad as he expected.

****

“WHAT!?” Both Pyrrha and Daniel yelled in unison, the Spartan stepping forward to hug Jaune from behind and press herself against him protectively, while Daniel began shaking a little as he tightened his grip on Jaune’s shoulders.

****

“What did you do?! How the hell did you get on her shitlist!? She didn’t hurt you did she?!” The man words were rushed and frantic, his breathing quick and shallow.

****

“What!? N-no! We just argued after I went to visit her team in the hospital! Emerald almost drowned in the team battles and I needed to perform CPR on her, I just went to see if they were okay because I made friends with them. Then she said that we _weren’t_ friends which got me mad, so then we argued about teams! I told her that having a team you trust and can work with was important, but she didn't want to hear it! It was all ‘strength this’ and ‘power that’, urgh!”

****

Jaune couldn’t resist snorting at the end of his lengthy rant, recalling Ella’s (or _Cinder’s_ , he guessed was her name now) entitled and pushy attitude really irked him.

****

“Jaune!” Pyrrha cried. “Why didn’t you tell me that you argued with that woman before your fight!? I’d have never let you fight her if I knew there was this sort of history between you, she might’ve seriously hurt you!”

****

The Spartan looked really distraught, so Jaune took her hands in his and gave her another kiss on the lips, which caused her cheeks to flush and her scared expression to morph into embarrassment. Jaune pulled back with a grin, while Summer had stopped her ranting about Ella/Cinder’s “being a supervillain” to coo over Pyrrha’s ‘cuteness when flustered’.

****

“J-Jaune! Y-you can’t just do that to f-fluster me when you want to stop me getting upset!” Pyrrha tried to sound stern, but her still-pink cheeks ruined her ability to seem threatening in any way.

****

“Really? Because it’s worked fairly well so far.” The Knight flashed the Champion a cheeky smile.

****

“Ahem.” The duo turned to find Winter standing there, arms folded and a _actual_ stern expression on her face as the Specialist tapped her foot, though the intimidation was undone by the fact that Daniel had a shit-eating grin on his face and was nodding his head like a lunatic the whole time.

****

“If you two are finished, perhaps you could retrieve the flash drive containing the evidence, Mr Arc? I would like to remind you that this concerns a possible terrorist threat to the Kingdom of Vale.” The Specialist stated, her flinty gaze and stern demeanor not once faltering.

****

“Y-yes Ma’am!” Jaune squeaked out, visibly cowed by the woman’s glare. He pulled out his scroll and unlocked the door to team JNPR’s dorm, leading the quartet inside to search for the flash drive, with Jaune shushing them so as not to wake the sleeping Ren and Nora.

****

“You had fun on your date with them then?” Pyrrha asked, the girl smiling a little, which mildly surprised Jaune. Off his nod, she followed up with, “What did you do with them?”

****

Despite Daniel whispering a rather perverse “Oh I bet there’s a LOT he did with them”, Jaune responded as if he’d not spoken.

****

“Well, we went to a karaoke night in one of Vale’s clubs, you’d be surprised how well Nora and Ren can both sing when they put their minds to it.”

****

“Really? Even Ren got up to sing? She didn’t strike me as someone who would… enjoy all that attention.” Pyrrha admitted. She wasn’t wrong, Lian was more than a little crowd-shy usually, refraining from speaking in large groups unless specially spoken to. The small ‘family’ created from team RWBY and JNPR was the exception though, Lian seemed more confident with them.

****

“Yeah… she really gave it her all. She… she’s got a lovely voice Pyr, you should’ve heard her up there.” Jaune smiled wistfully as he thought of the girls, singing their hearts out while looking at him, thinking of him.

****

“It was me.”

****

“Pardon, Jaune?”

****

“It was because she was thinking of me when she sang.” The Knight admitted. “She was dedicating her song to me, that’s why she was so confident. I… I give her that confidence, according to her.”

****

“That’s not the only thing you give us Jaune.” Pyrrha insisted. “You give us support and love as well. You help us whenever we need it, even when we don’t ask for it. That’s… that’s why we love you.” The Spartan blushed a little as she finished, her big green eyes averted from Jaune’s azures in embarrassment, which only made her look even cuter to him.

****

Jaune was so wrapped up in their moment that he barely noticed when his hand brushed something small and hard on his dresser. After a moment, he turned his gaze to the object in his hand and realized what it was.

****

“Oh… uh. I-I got the flash drive.” He whispered, though loud enough for Winter and Daniel to hear. Turning, to found Winter with a raised eyebrow and a small smile on her face, while Daniel’s grin just _refused to leave_ , he had his thumbs up and was nodding his head like an idiot.

****

“God, you’re so sweet I’m gonna get diabetes listening to you two.” The man stated, causing both Jaune and Pyrrha to blush.

****

“I can see that you really do care about all of your… partners, Mr… _Jaune._ It seems Weiss is in good hands with you.” The elder Schnee nodded her head approvingly, before holding out her hand. “Now, the flash drive please?” Jaune handed it over to Winter, who promptly passed it to Daniel, who pocketed it.

****

“Ordinarily I wouldn’t involve anyone else in this… investigation of ours.” Winter stated. “But… you have already had contact with this ‘Cinder Fall’ in her guise as a student, so any information you can provide would be invaluable. I would request that you and Miss Nikos accompany us to the meeting with the General and Headmaster.”

****

“Sure thing.” Jaune replied. “Lead the way, ma’am.”

\-----------

Line Break

\-----------

Ozpin, Ironwood, and Glynda were in the middle of a discussion regarding another incident with Atlas troops causing trouble at a checkpoint (this time two teams fought over a vehicle depo, resulting in the destruction of three bullheads and the severe damage to a Paladin), when the elevator bell chirped, signaling they had visitors. Glynda tilted her head in question, turning to her boss.

****

“Are we expecting anyone?”

****

“Not that I recall.” Ozpin answered, visibly unconcerned.

****

Sure enough, the doors opened a moment later, revealing Specialists Wilson and Schnee, followed by Jaune Arc and Pyrrha Nikos. Qrow, who had been standing to the side while the others argued, visibly cringed as he spotted Jaune. Jaune noticed the man, and managed a shy wave while his partner glared pointedly at the scythe-wielder. Ironwood, on the other hand, just looked annoyed.

****

“Specialists, I don’t recall requesting an audience with you.” He mused, glaring pointedly at Daniel. “Is there something you require, Wilson?”

****

The steely edge to Ironwood’s tone didn’t make Daniel flinch, but he did straighten up a bit as he fished the drive out of his pocket.

****

“Actually, sir, there is.” He held up the drive, earning an eyebrow raise from the general in response.

****

“A...flash drive.” He said, visibly unimpressed. Daniel frowned a bit, but before he could explain, Winter did it for him.

****

“Daniel claims that there is evidence of Ella Stalls being Cider Fall on this flash drive.”

  
Ironwood scoffed in disbelief, crossing his arms. “Oh really?”

****

“Yes. **Really.** ” Winter snapped, before quickly adding a bashful “Sir.” onto the end. Ironwood looked surprised by the normally composed Specialist’s outburst, but regained his composure and nodded, taking the drive from Daniel’s hand.

****

“Vey well. Well, thank you for this information, Specialist. We’ll be sure to-”

****

“Actually, sir, I was hoping you could look into it now.” Daniel said pointedly. Ironwood shot him another glare, but was quickly overridden by Ozpin.

****

“I certainly don’t see why we shouldn’t.” He said, looking between his cohorts. “Any objections?” He asked, his gaze lingering on Ironwood, who quickly shook his head. “Excellent. If you would, James.”

****

A slot opened on Ozpin’s desk, and Ironwood plugged in the drive, prompting a green screen to pop up on Ozpin’s desktop. After hitting a few buttons, a holographic screen popped up, displaying the text, “ **LOADING FILE 1.01…”** before suddenly a video file began to play, showing the inside of a Atlas Manta craft, and a familiar voice.

  
**“** **_Testing, testing. 1 2 3? I’m a sexy motherfu-OW!” Daniel shrieked as a man in brown with silver arm pads pinched his arm. “The hell, Ronin? You said you wanted me to test the acoustics!”_ **

****

**_“I did say that. Then you kept talking.” Ronin groaned, before putting away the scroll he had been looking at and nodding. “Alright, the EYE-SPY Mark 2 is ready for action.”_ **

****

**_“Thanks, Ron. You’re the man~!” Daniel hummed, eliciting another groan from the man beside him. The camera feed swiveled over to the open door of the Manta, where two other hunters crouched, one girl in cyan combat armor, and the other man in orange fatigues with leather armor. The man spoke first, his voice tinted with a German accent._ **

****

**_“My word, the architecture here is astounding!” he said, scanning the passing buildings with visible excitement. “Perhaps we could request a tour here after our mission?”_ **

****

**_“Sorry, Klein. I got no idea what we’re up to, so any touring will be on the backburner.” Daniel confessed, prompting the man to deflate slightly. “However, when we do get back, I’ll make a formal request.”_ **

**_  
_ ** **_While the man brightened visibly, the girl next to him stood up, and beamed at the camera. “Have I ever told you you’re the best leader ever?”_ **

****

**_“I think it’s come up once or twice,” Daniel responded, before smirking at his partner. “But please, my ego could always use a bit more inflating. Continue, Uriel.”_ **

****

**_Before the exchange could go any further, the Manta touched down onto a landing pad. “Alright, assholes. Let’s hit it.” Ronin said, tossing the helmet/camera to Daniel, who put it on before jumping out of the Manta, and marching over to the white-haired specialist, her sister, and the two dozen Atlas soldiers waiting at the other side of the pad._ **

****

Suddenly, the video went to static, broken jumbles of noise passing through the speaker. A moment later, the feed restored mid conversation, a few minutes having passed.

****

**_“-expected hostiles with dangerous abilities. Our mission is to make contact with the team and recover them, as well as their information on this potential terrorist cell.” Winter droned, her tone neutral and predictably stone cold. “Your team is only present for support in case my team encounters these empowered individuals. Otherwise, you are to stay out of the way. Am I making myself clear, Mr. Wilson?”_ **

****

**_“Yes ma’am.” He responded crisply, clearly unhappy but knowing what would happen if he spoke up again. Winter nodded, and gestured to her troops._ **

****

**_“All teams, to your Mantas! We leave in five!” she shouted, responded by a hearty response of “YES MA’AM!” from all troopers present. With that, they started to load onto the Mantas. Daniel followed his team onto the nearest one, prepared to sit next to them as they entered before an Atlas soldier took his spot. The soldier looked up at him with a slightly guilty expression, and explained his actions quickly._ **

****

**_“Apologies, sir. The Specialist requested one of us sit with your team.”_ **

**_  
_ ** **_Daniel turned around, and noted an empty space next to said specialist. He groaned before walking over, a noticeable yell of “Good Luck!” from Uriel as he left. As he sat next to the specialist and strapped in, sighing before turning his head to look at her. Winter’s expression was a mixture of confusion and exasperation. Expectedly, Daniel snapped._ **

****

**_“Look, you requested someone sit with my team. I wouldn’t be here if you trusted me.” He said, clearly just as annoyed and she was. However, a look of realization crossed Winter’s face, and she turned her attention to the floor without speaking._ **

****

**_“I...suppose you’re right.” She said slowly, looking back up at the camera. “I was...impolite, discounting your team.”_ **

****

**_Daniel’s voice was a bit kinder when he spoke again, waving his hand dismissively. “Hey, don’t sweat it. I get why you did it. I was just hoping we could be a bit more...friendly.” Winter stared at him for a few seconds before nodding in agreement, smiling softly._ **

****

**_“Yes, I suppose-”_ **

****

Another crackle of static and broken audio waved through, before the image returned, now about an hour later.

****

**_“-nd when we were done, Glynda was completely soaked in purple paint!” Daniel crowed, a series of guffaws from the surround troopers, and even a slight chuckle from Winter._ **

****

**_“How did you get out of that one?” She asked, cracking a rare smile. Daniel shrugged, before lacing his fingers behind his head._ **

****

**_“Oh, I just performed some...extracurricular activities for her, let’s say.”  Winter raised a brow at his statement, which he quickly amended. “I had to do her paperwork for a month.”_ **

****

**_Winter chuckled at that, before quirking an eyebrow at Daniel’s helmet. “And why exactly are you wearing that? It certainly doesn’t look regulation.” The camera drops slightly as Daniel takes it off and holds it for Winter to get a better look._ **

****

**_“This is a bit of a pet project. It’s called the EYE-SPY. Basically, it’s a helmet that allows recording of combat interactions with a few other features. Thermals, illusion prevention, the whole nine yards.”_ **

****

**_“Hm. Impressive.” Winter muttered, turning the helmet over in her hands. “Not anywhere near Atlas standards, but quite impressive.” She noticed the glare Daniel gave her, and quickly added, “No offense, of course.”_ **

****

**_Daniel rolled his eyes, but smiled before taking the helmet and putting it back on his head. “Yeah, no worries. Honestly, it’s more Ronin’s project. I’m just the guinea pig.”_ **

****

**_Suddenly, the side doors of the Manta opened, as did the door to the cockpit, where the pilot sat. “We’re here, ma’am!” He shouted back. “Fifteen seconds to insertion!”_ **

****

**_Winter nodded, and stood up, followed by the rest of the Atlas soldiers. “Team 1, with me. Team 2, move for insertion on the eastern rooftop. Corporal, stay with the Hunter team.”_ **

****

**_“YES, MA’AM!” They shouted, moving into their assigned position. Winter stood by the door, and turned to smirk at Daniel before jumping out, followed by her team of troopers._ **

**_  
_ ** **_“All teams, light is green, you are clear to enga-”_ **

****

A third burst of static, notably the loudest so far, interrupted the recording before it returned, now twenty minutes forward.

****

**_“-I repeat, all teams, this is Daniel Wilson of Hunter Team DRKU, we are in pursuit of a empowered individual on-STATIC-all teams, fall back!” Daniel cried into his scroll as he sprinted down an ally, close behind the rest of his team. While the footage is shaky, a notable figure cloaked in black ran in the distance ahead of them. Daniel’s scroll crackled to life with another, much angrier voice._ **

****

**_“Wilson, what the hell are you doing?! Get back to the Manta, NOW!” She growled, her tone tense with both rage...and a touch of fear._ **

****

**_“Negative, Specialist! This person killed a-STATIC-eam of Hunters, and half your damn soldiers! Fall back!” He growled right back, before pocketing his scroll as he rounded a corner, still following his teammates. After another minute of running, the hunters came to a stop at the entrance to a warehouse. Daniel and Uriel were on the left, Klein and Ronin were on the right._ **

****

**_“Alright, she’s trapped in here. Ronin, get to the roof, and scope out the insides. Klein, Uriel, you got my six. Half circle formation. On my mark.” He whispered, earning a nod from each of his teammates. “Mark.” With that, he moved into the dark corridor of the warehouse entrance, flanked by his teammates. He slowly entered the main room, the pale yellow bulbs above flickering, casting eerie shadows along the rows of boxes and crates. A female silhouette is present in the center of the room, which Daniel quickly spots. “FREEZE!”_ **

****

**_The shadow tilted it’s head slightly, almost curiously, before a smooth, sinister chuckle emanated from its mouth. “Well, well, well. Certainly took you long enough, Mr. Wilson.”_ **

****

**_Daniel tensed slightly at the tone, so condescending, so...uncaring. “Put your hands up, now! My team is taking you into custody!” He said, his voice strong, though an undeniable waiver of fear gripped it. The form chuckled again, as a dim orange glow began to emanate from her hands._ **

****

**_“No, I don’t believe you are.”_ **

****

**_With that, a sudden rush of flames shot forward, which Daniel narrowly avoided as he and his teammates dove to the side, squeezing of shots from their weapons all the way. Klein turned his rifle into its bo staff form, and rushed the women. A moment before his staff hit her, a pair of blades rose to block it. Seconds later, one of the blades dipped, before swiping across Klein’s chest. He let out  shout of pain, before it morphed into a wet gurgle as a blade ran through his neck._ **

****

**_“KLEIN!” Daniel screamed, watching his teammate fall backwards, blood spilling from his neck. Daniel aimed Destiny at the figure’s head, but paused when he heard glass shatter above. He looked up, and spotted the brown-clad form of Ronin falling from above, his dual daggers thrust downward towards the murderous bitch below. The women merely stepped back, allowing Ronin to fall before her, his grey eyes flashing with rage._ **

****

**_“You killed my partner.” He growled, flipping his daggers in his hands, going into an offensive stance. “I’m going to tear you apart!” The women just laughed, cruel and giddy, before entering her own offensive stance._ **

****

**_“You will try.”_ **

****

**_With that, the two went to blows. Blue blades sparked against red flames as the two fought, while Daniel’s gaze finally returned to his partner, who sat beside him, eyes slick with tears. “Uriel, get over there and help him from a distance. I’m gonna get up high, find a good place to make a shot...Uriel?!”_ **

****

**_The cyan huntress snapped back to reality, and nodded quickly, unsheathing her grenade launcher, and popping in a dust grenade. As Daniel started to climb one of the shelves, a terror-stricken voice whispered from below him. “Daniel?” He looked down at his teammate, her eyes now hardened with determination. “Let’s tear this bitch a new arse hole.”_ **

****

**_With that, Daniel resumed his climb, making it to the top of the shelve in seconds. He quickly stalked forward, the sounds of combat still present, if not echoing within the warehouse’s walls. He finally made it to the edge, and gazed down at the fight below him. Uriel had already used all of her grenades, and was now fighting alongside Ronin with her weapon in mace form. Their opponent dodged the sloppy swings of the larger weapon, kicking Uriel aside before slicing her blade clean through Ronin’s arm, taking his hand off. He howled, and fell to his knees, sharp gasps of breath cut off as a blade met his throat._ **

****

**_“Goodbye, weakling.” The woman hummed, drawing her blade across his neck. With that, Daniel roared in rage, and jumped forward, firing Destiny all the while. The woman either blocked the shots or simply twisted her body so that they would miss, before throwing one of her blades at Daniel, striking him in the chest. He cried out as he spun wildly, hitting the ground with a deafening thud, the camera cracking upon contact with the ground._ **

****

**_A brief static surge faded away as a pair of legs stalked towards Daniel, as he began to stir, and shift away from the approaching figure. “Please, don’t make me work for this.” She said, a mock sweet tone to her voice. “I had enough fun with your friends, so why don’t you jus-!”_ **

****

**_The woman’s spiel was interrupted by a grenade landing at her feet before exploding, sending her flying into a stack of crates to her right. Uriel hurriedly enters frame, picking up Daniel and dragging him towards the exit. “Urie...just go...please!” He groaned, only to get a smack from his teammate._ **

****

**_“Not a chance, Danny.” She said, turning and smiling at him. “We’re getting out of here, don’t even-”_ **

****

**_Her reassurement was interrupted by an arrow piercing her head, right between her eyes. She doesn’t even stop smiling as her body goes limp and falls to the floor, leaving a screaming Daniel to fall to his knees. “FUCK! FUCKING-FUCKING FUCK!”_ **

****

**_“You should have stayed down.” A smooth voice snarled at him, leading him to look up at the woman, standing confidently with a bow and arrow in her hand, smirking proudly at her work. Daniel’s breaths became ragged, then a growl left his throat. Flames began to build around his body as he picked up his gun, and charged at the murderer before him._ **

****

**_“YOU FUCKING BITCH!” He roared, shooting hot flames at her as he charged. She easily sidestepped the shots before lashing out with bow, only to be thrown back as flames melted the item, and threw her back into another stack of crates. She stumbled forward, wiping the side of her mouth, wear a tiny amount of blood leaked. She chuckled, and turned back to Daniel with an amused glare._ **

****

**_“All that for a few drops of blood...disappointing.” She said, before throwing her own wave of flames at the boy, sending him flying across the room, his aura shattering as he hit a wall. He flopped to the floor, Destiny clattering a few feet away from him. He crawled towards it, before a green boot stepped on his hand and kicked the gun away. He cried out, glaring through tear-filled eyes at the green-haired girl standing above him, two guns pointed at his face._ **

****

**_“Now, now, Emerald. That won’t be necessary.” The women hummed from beside her, once again wielding her duel blades. “I can handle this.” She bent down, and wiped a tear away from Daniel’s eye. “Oh, hush now. It’s alright. You get to live, Mr. Wilson. Just as a little warning to those who try to cross Cinder Fall.”_ **

**_  
_ ** **_Sudden footfalls outside of the building attract the women’s attention, as well as the hums of Atlas Mantas. “Ma’am, we need to go.” The green-haired girl said, holstering her guns and looking for a secondary exit. Cinder nodded, bowing slightly while smirking at Daniel._ **

****

**_“_ ** **_Au revoir, Daniel. Till we meet again.”_ **

****

**_With that, both the women beelined for the exit, just as the Atlas soldiers began to pour in, followed by Winter._ **

****

**_“Wilson! Wilson, can you hear me?! Shit-GET ME A MEDIC! Wilson, hold on!”_ **

****

**_Just like that, the camera fades to static, and an error is displayed before the camera shuts down completely._ **

\---------------

Line Break

\---------------

The room was silent for a few moments after the recording ended. No one dared speak after witnessing what they’d seen on the video, how could they? What could they say?

****

Until they noticed to crying and sniffling, coming from the prone figure in the middle of the room.

****

Daniel was on his hands and knees, tears streaming from his eyes and his hand dangling by his sides, too shell-shocked to do anything.

****

Winter moved forward, intent on comforting her partner, but Jaune was there first. The Knight knelt before the Gunslinger, placing his hands on his friend’s shoulders and waiting until Daniel looked up toward him.

****

Jaune simply held out his arms wide, inviting his friend for a hug.

****

He’d barely waited a second before Daniel seized him tight and buried his head in the Knight’s shoulder, resuming his crying while Jaune simply waited, patting his back and just hoping that he’d be alright.

  
“I… I thought I’d be over it… t-that I’d be fine watching this again… b-but it still hurts. It hurts so much… I just miss them…” The Gunslinger wept bitterly.

****

“It’s okay. It’s okay. We’ll make sure they didn’t die for nothing. We’ll make sure to get justice for them.” Jaune soothed, hoping this would mollify his distraught friend somewhat.

****

_When I find that… that monster, I’ll make sure she pays._ Jaune promised.

****

_“Make sure you save some for me.”_ Summer muttered darkly from the boy’s mindscape, the geography of which had twisted and morphed into a raging storm crashing against cracked and shattered ground, all mimicking the Huntress’ state of mind. “ _I’ll make sure she begs before I put that bitch down. What she did to them… they were just kids, Yang’s barely their age…”_ The rest of the woman’s seething and vengeful proclamations were lost in the incomprehensible snarling and growling that her speech became after that.

****

“I will make them pay.” Winter vowed. “The deepest darkest prison cell isn’t good enough for that murderer.”

****

“That won’t be necessary Specialist Schnee.” Ironwood spat out, the man’s face twisted into a mask of rage. “They won’t be heading to a prison in the first place.” The man’s organic hand twitched to the holster of his Heavy Revolver, while his prosthetic whirred and began to glow with energy.

****

The two soldiers’ enraged musings were cut off by the sound of cracking glass, coming from the reinforced windows surrounding the office. Spiderwebbed cracks were spreading quickly through the thick panes, all tinged with a purple glow.

****

“Oh I’m afraid you might to wait a while, James.” Came Glynda’s voice. When Ironwood turned to face her, he was actually more than a little scared of the Deputy, he’d never seen her quite that angry in a very long time. The woman’s hands were gripping, and _bending_ , her riding crop so hard her knuckles were white, her teeth were clenched and she was _shivering_ with barely repressed fury.

****

“As the Academy’s disciplinarian, it is _my_ duty to ensure the _appropriate_ **_punishment_ ** for _rulebreakers and troublemakers._ That _especially_ extends to those who _murder. My. STUDENTS._ **Am I CLEAR?”** The sheer force of her anger made it clear that ANYTHING other than fervent agreement would NOT be tolerated.

****

“That can come later.” Ozpin’s calm voice washed over them all, snapping the room’s attention to the headmaster, the man was still at his desk, one hand around his mug and the other flat on the desk. “First, we must inform the authorities that a known terrorist has infiltrated our Academy. It would also be prudent to have them investigate the company she keeps… her teammates may be hiding similar secrets.”

****

“S-so that’s it?” Daniel asked, his voice broken and despairing. “I show you p-proof that this murderous bitch is right under your roof, and you just say we can’t arrest her yet? I mean, I knew you were lazy old man, but I thought you actually cared about your students. Guess they don’t matter to you after all…”

****

“Daniel!” Winter cried, shocked at his audacity.

****

“MR WILSON!” Both Ironwood and Glynda roared in unison. “Apologize to Headmaster Ozpin this-!”

****

CRACK! CRUNCH!

****

The two adults were cut off the sound of something shattering and something being crushed at the same time. Both turned in the direction of the sound, and couldn’t hide their shock at what they saw.

****

Ozpin was no longer seated, but standing now. In front of him his desk, and his entire left hand, was drenched with scalding coffee. The mug that once contained the beverage was shattered across the desk and the floor, with a few shards still held in the Headmaster’s clenched fist. His other hand was similarly curled, except it had crushed a sizable portion of the man’s desk in the process.

****

Ozpin himself stared at Daniel with an impassive gaze, though his eyes were alight with highly controlled and restrained rage. Both Ironwood and Glynda cringed away from that look, a look they’d only ever seen once before, when they’d had to fight… _her. Personally._ Glynda had even stopped using her Semblance on the windows, she had re-directed it instinctively, in preparation for protecting herself from the overwhelming killing intent she sensed radiating from her superior. Judging from the way Ironwood’s human hand had unlatched the strap for his Revolver holster, the General’s reaction had mirrored hers.

****

“I care, Mr Wilson, how could I not? They were my students… as were you. I made sure to memorialize the names of your teammates in the crypt below the school, as I do with the name of every student that falls in the line of duty, no matter when it happens.” It was at that point that Ozpin noticed the mess that he’d made. “Ah, my apologies. I tend to forget my own strength when I get… emotional. Glynda?”

****

“Y-yes Headmaster?” Glynda couldn’t hide the lingering fear she felt, especially since despite his apology, the choking hostility emanating from Ozpin had not abated in the slightest, nor had the sparks and light faded from his eyes. It almost seemed like they were… _glowing greenish-yellow._

****

“Could you contact the Vale police department at your earliest convenience to inform them of Miss Fall’s, and her associates’, presence at our Academy. James, would you also be able to investigate them as well? Mr Arc, Miss Nikos and Miss Schnee, I would ask that you take Mr Wilson to a quiet location to allow him to emotionally process this event in peace.”

****

“Y-yes Ozpin.” The adults replied, still obviously wary of the Headmaster.

****

“Y-y-yes Headmaster!” Both Jaune and Pyrrha practically squeaked, if Glynda and Ironwood were scared of Ozpin’s outburst, the students and Specialist were almost catatonic with fear. Carefully, the three helped Daniel to his feet and into the lift while the Headmistress and the General remained behind.

****

As the doors began to close, Jaune could hear Summer’s voice echo in his mind, far more subdued than when he’d last heard it.

****

_“Wow… I-I… I’ve never seen Ozzy that mad before.”_

****

_Seriously?_

****

_“No… never.”_

****

Once the lift doors and closed and the contraption was on its way down to the ground floor. Ozpin spoke up once more.

****

“Oh, and Glynda?”

****

“Yes?” The Deputy was quite proud of keeping the tremble from her voice this time.

****

“I’m afraid you may have to wait to discipline these particular troublemakers.” Ozpin remarked, his unstained hand reaching for his cane, propped up at the edge of his desk.

****

“Why is that, sir?” Glynda was unsure why, but her eyes kept darting to her boss’ cane, she could sense… _something_ emanating from the handle… no. From the sphere at the very top. She’d never sensed this kind of energy from the cane before, what was it?

****

She got her answer soon enough.

****

When Ozpin’s hand touched his cane’s handle, the intricately carved lines that ran down the entire length of the cane began to glow, _glow,_ with _green light._ The sphere that topped the handle began to crackle with the same greenish-colored energy that the cane now radiated.

****

The same energy reflected off the walls, the floor, the ceiling... even the very _clockwork mechanisms_ of the Emerald Tower itself, all covered with the same patterned and glowing lines.

****

The same energy currently reflected in Ozpin’s eyes, which were flashing yellow all the while, as he gazed at his subordinates.

  
“I believe it is time for me to deal with these problematic transfer students… _personally._ ”

\---------

Line Break

\---------

Deep in the Grimmlands, in the ancient castle that stood deep within the cursed and blighted land, overlooking the vast swathes of foul pools that spawned the legions of Grimm that dominated the planet, a pair of red eyes shot open.

 

Salem took a deep, steadying breath. Had she really sensed that?

 

Yes, she had.

 

Her enemy had decided to re-awaken his own power. It would never be a match for hers, of course, but it didn't need to be.

 

It just needed to be enough to overcome the power of a Maiden.

 

_It seems that my agent has been discovered sooner than expected... no matter._

 

The Grimm Queen turned to the only other individual present in the meeting room.

 

"Watts, fetch Tyrian and Hazel for me... I have need of their skills."

 

As the man hurried to carry out her command, Salem turned away, resuming her vigil over the blighted land.

 

_Your re-awakened magic will not stop me, Ozpin. You are diminished, weakened, almost nothing. You will not stand in my way._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What? You didn't really think all that gimmicky green glowing Tron-lines stuff in Oz's office was just the guy's Semblance, did you?
> 
> He's very, VERY good with Aura, but no one's THAT good.


	39. Crossing The Line

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaune grapples with the knowledge of what Cinder is, and makes a mistake that puts him in her crosshairs.

Jaune sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the ground. The rest of his team had left to join RWBY in the tournament, but he had chosen to stay behind. He said he wasn’t feeling well, and technically, that was true. He felt awful.

****

_“Jaune, I know you have a lot on your mind, but I think it might be time for you to start the day.”_ Summer whispered, her voice bringing him back to reality. He nodded slowly, and stood up, walking over to the bathroom to shower. After he finished showering, and got dressed, he left for the mess hall to get breakfast. As he walked, he thought back to the things he had learned the night before. About who “Ella Stalls” really was. About what she’d done.

****

About the blood on her hands.

****

Then there was Emerald, who stood by her as she tore innocent people apart. Jaune stopped walking, and raked a hand over his face with a shuddering breath. Gods, how the hell could someone do that? How could they stand to the side as someone dies?

****

Jaune’s dark thoughts were interrupted by a hand clapping him on the shoulder, turning him around to see a familiar pair of pastry themed huntresses. “Hey there, stud. What’s with the long face?” Coco asked, tilting her shades down with a quirked eyebrow.

****

“Oh, uh. Hey Coco. I just have some stuff on my mind.” Jaune answered, rubbing his neck anxiously. “It’s nothing.” Coco’s eyebrows arched further, and she actually frowned a bit. Velvet looked just as uncertain, grabbing Jaune’s hand and squeezing it gently.

****

“Are you sure, Jaune? Y-you can tell us if something's bothering you.”

****

Normally, Jaune would never, **ever** consider lying to his friends. He knew that that would only lead to problems down the road. But as he looked at the two women in front of him, and the images of Daniel’s teammates flashed through his mind, he forced himself to smile, and shook his head. “No, I’m alright. Just a bit sluggish from a long night without sleep. I’ll be fine.”

  
Both of the girls’ smiles returned, and he felt a stab of guilt in his gut. _Liar_. “Anyways, what are you two doing around here? I expected you to be at the fairgrounds already.”

****

“Oh, we’re on our way.” Coco answered, her sly smirk returning. “Bun-Bun here just wanted to visit her favorite knight before we left.” Velvet promptly turned red, and stuttered out an embarrassed stream of words admonishing her teammate, clutching her ears in an attempt to hide her face.

****

“Really, I’m your favorite knight?” Jaune tried to keep his voice even and light, hoping that he could hide the anxiety welling up as he imagined the girls outside Beacon with Cinder out there… waiting to kill again.

****

“W-well… you’re really t-the only knight I know at the moment, so…” Velvet stuttered out, still red in the face.

****

“Oh…? So you’ve got your eye on _another_ knight in shining armor eh, Vel?” Coco teased. “I can’t believe you’d just go behind stud’s back like this… oh well, more for me I guess.” She sent another flirtatious wink Jaune’s way.

****

“Coco!!” Velvet screeched, startling both of them as the rabbit girl began beating her team leader with her fists, though Coco’s complete lack of reaction suggested that she wasn’t putting any strength into the blows whatsoever. “S-stop saying things like that! We agreed that when we finally got our date, we’d share-!”

****

Velvet smacked a hand over her mouth a second later, her cheeks blazing red, but the damage was done.

****

Jaune was standing there wide-eyed and open-mouthed, while the fashionista beside them had the _hugest_ smirk on her face.

****

“Yeah, I know… bit of a happy shock for me too, Bunny here wanting a threesome for her first time.” Coco laughed and patted the thoroughly mortified Velvet on the back. When she turned to Jaune, however, her smirk morphed into a hungry and wanting expression as she approached, lowering her glasses to lock her brown orbs with the boy’s azures.

****

“So… what d’you say stud…? Think you can handle all _this?”_ Unashamedly pushing her mature and… _very developed_ assets as close to Jaune’s face as she could manage, Coco licked her lips and winked again before tactlessly smacking her teammate’s behind. “Let’s not forget Vel too, huh? Don’t worry stud, I’ll make sure Bun here shows off what she’s got just for you.”

****

“Y-you know I never actually agreed to this… right?” Jaune squeaked out, all his darker thoughts temporarily banished as he tried to stop the amorous fashionista from roping poor Velvet into something she might not want to do.

****

“Oh that’s fine… the all-night shagging can come later, stud. We’re just happy to go on a date with you, while wearing the _sluttiest_ dresses money can buy.”

****

“COCO!”

****

“Okay, fine! I was kidding about the dresses Bun… we’ll just have to turn up naked the-OW!” Coco’s perverse promises were cut off as her faunus teammate grabbed her by the ear, this time putting some real strength behind her grip.

****

“Coco! Stop putting these f-filthy fantasies in Jaune’s head! We’re supposed to be at the fair right now, why can’t you just stop teasing for five minutes!” Velvet cried, obviously a little fed up with her leader’s constant stream of lecherous observations and borderline-harassment of her friends. Coco just laughed, but raised her hands in surrender.

****

“Ok, ok! Chill, Bun! I just messing around!” She muttered, gesturing to Jaune. “Look, how about we compromise and just have Jaune join us while we’re out and about.”

****

“Sounds good to me.” Jaune answered, glad for any distraction from the disturbing memories and dark fears that plagued his mind. “Are you alright with that, Velv?”

Velvet, still a blushing mess, nodded and released her partner’s ear. “Yes, that's fine. I’m sorry about-EEP!”

****

Velvet’s apology was cut off by Jaune kissing her on the cheek, making her face turn an even deeper shade of crimson as she covered his face. Coco chuckled, her lustful expression returned. “Giving Bun-Bun some love, huh? Any chance I can get some?”

****

Jaune laughed, but shook his head. “Oh no. You were a little too overboard with the teasing there, so you have to earn your kiss.” Coco laughed as well, tipping her shades back up with an ominous gleam.

****

**“Challenge accepted.”**

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The fair’s stalls and attractions were a welcome distraction from the events of yesterday, Jaune had been able to keep his mind off thinking about Daniel’s team since they’d arrived, mostly because he was preoccupied with fending off Coco’s attempts to ‘earn a kiss’ from him. The attempts, like everything Coco did, weren't as subtle as he'd like.

****

“Hey stud, wanna share this ice lolly with me?” The fashionista called to him, making a big show of sticking about half the whole thing in her mouth at once, eyes half lidded and exaggerated moans coming from her mouth all the while.

****

_“Well, she certainly is persistent… that’s a girl who knows what she wants.”_

****

_Summer? I… after last night I thought you’d, well…_

****

_“Keep being silent for the whole day?”_ Summer answered the boy’s question before he could vocalize it. _“Honestly Jaune? I was… tired of hating that Cinder woman. It won’t do me any good unless we’re actually facing her, and it won’t bring back the people she killed. If I keep dwelling on it… then I’ll probably lose myself in that hate. I don’t want that.”_

****

Jaune could tell she really meant it, even her voice in his mind was weighted with exhaustion, the emotional kind rather than physical. She did have a good point. What use would it be for him to spend his days hating Cinder when he could be doing other things, like having fun with Coco and Velvet at the fair today? Better to save that anger for when it was actually needed.

****

A pair of hands wrapping around his shoulders and neck from behind startled the Knight of out his thoughts, as did the voice that whispered in his ear.

****

“C’mon now stud, I know I’m hot stuff but am I really that nice to look at?” Came Coco’s succulent and enticing tones.

****

“Well… yes.” Jaune replied on autopilot, not really thinking about his response.

****

“Wow… no wonder you’ve got eight thirsty ladies waiting to rip your pants off, Jauney. Keep talking like that and I might just beat them to it.”

****

“Well… I don’t know about that.” Jaune said, before he realized what he’d done and slapped a hand over his mouth, but the damage was done.

****

“Oh reeeaaallly?” Coco’s drawing out of the word was accompanied by the most _lecherous_ and _perverse_ smirk he’d ever seen her wear. “So, you’ve managed charm one of them into bed then?”

****

Jaune blushed a little.

****

“...more than one?” The grin got bigger.

****

Jaune blushed harder.

****

“More than two? Than _three?_ Maybe even _four?”_ The grin was splitting the second year’s face now.

****

“Five, okay!? I’ve… _been with_ five of them. Though it’s really only four dates since Ren and Nora went with me together.”

****

He’d meant to whisper that last bit about Ren and Nora, he really had, but Coco still heard it and she licked her lips in response.

****

“Wow… a threesome already? Aaaww, I was hoping that the Bun and I could fill that particular niche, while you’re filling us at the same time…” Wow, she wasn’t trying to be even the tiniest bit subtle anymore. “HEY BUN!” Coco called out to Velvet, getting her teammate’s attention.

****

“What is it, Coco?”

****

“Sorry to burst your bubble hon.” Coco began before Jaune could stop her or even try to censor her. “Looks like your threesome fantasies have already been used by two of blondie’s teammates.”

****

“COCO! They’re not my fantasies!” Velvet cried out, reddening again. “Y-you’re the one who came up with the idea!”

****

“But you didn’t exactly object to it, honey Bun.” Coco shot her flustered friend a wink. “I’m guessing all those friendly little butt pats have been getting to you, eh?” To which Velvet practically _squeaked_ , her ears flopping down as she spoke again.

****

“They’re not ‘pats’ Coco! You just slap me on the arse from time to time! You’ve been doing it since first year!” Velvet folded her arms and glared at her leader, who was unrepentant.

****

“Well yeah, I do that everyone Bun. just my little way of saying ‘hello’. It’s not like it’s-eep!” Coco’s reply was cut off by a sudden gasp of shock as a stinging sensation erupted from her own backside. Whirling around, Coco found Jaune whistling nonchalantly, though the hand he’d used was still by his side.

****

“Oh, don’t mind me Coco, just saying ‘hello’ is all.” The Knight smirked at the fashionista, who was still a little shocked at the dork being so brazen.

****

_“Did you really need to smack her behind like that?”_ Summer groused at the Knight.

****

_What? She was starting it, what with slapping Velvet’s butt all the time, she even does it to me!_ Jaune defended. _It’s not like she can get mad at me or anything._

****

_“I’m not worried she’ll get angry Jaune, I’m worried she’ll get_ bolder.” Summer insisted. “ _I met a few girls like this in my Beacon years. Nothing rattled them or phased them, no matter how outrageous it was, they’d do it just to wind people up! It wasn’t malicious or anything, just a little bit inappropriate. If you tried to do to them what they did to you, it just emboldened them to do more because you’d proved you could take it.”_

****

So engrossed was Jaune in the mental discussion with the disembodied Huntress, that he didn’t notice Coco’s expression of shock vanish. It was replaced slowly by an expression of hunger and confidence as she strutted slowly up to Jaune, did stud really think she’d just let him get the last laugh like that? Oh no!

****

_Look, whatever Coco tries, I’m sure I can hand-aaahh!!_ Jaune’s train of thought was derailed instantly as he left a hot and wet object make its way across his left cheek. Pulling away hurriedly, he turned his head to see Coco, who raised an eyebrow challengingly in his direction, adopting a hungry smirk.

****

“You know blondie, no one’s EVER had the balls to just smack my ass like that. You’re the first to touch me like that…” The CVFY leader’s words were quick and breathy, her chest heaving as she practically panted in front of him, her brown eyes widened and dilated.

****

“L-look, Coco… I’m sorry! I just…”

****

“You could’ve at least groped me a little, you know?”

****

“.....w-what?” Jaune was flabbergasted at hearing her say that.

****

“You heard me.” Coco tilted down her shades to appraise the Knight. “I’ve been trying to rile you up all day, the least you could do for my effort is grope me a little when you decide to give me some of my own medicine, you can’t just slap my ass like that then leave me wanting more.” The fashionista’s words were utterly serious.

****

“Oh my god… there’s no winning with you is there? T-there nothing I can do to phase you, is there?”

****

_“I told you.”_ Summer chided him.

****

“Nope.” Coco popped the ‘p’ as she smiled at him. “Hell, you could even pin me against that wall over there for a quickie and it wouldn’t bother me. Want to know why?”

****

“....why?” Jaune was half-dreading the answer.

****

“Because I want you to.” Coco stated bluntly. “That’s the truth. I don’t care if we go on a date first or if you just snap and take me in an alley somewhere. As long as we get some one-on-one time, to let us get to know each other _very intimately_ , then I’ll be happy.”

****

“….huh, well fancy that.” Jaune was a little thrown by such an honest admission for Coco.

****

“More like fancy _you,_ Jaune. Cause I do.” Coco was smiling at him, not the perverse, teasing, triumphant or smug smirks he was used to , but an honest smile. “Bun does too, and you make her happy, happier than I’ve seen her in a long time. I know you’ll look after her, that you care for her. That’s why I like you. It doesn’t hurt that you can make me laugh and smile too.”

****

“Well, I think you can have that kiss now.” With that, Jaune leaned forward and pecked the girl gently on the lips for a few seconds. He made to pull back, only for a hand to tangle itself in his hair.

****

“I think you can do better than that blondie.” Coco smirked at him, before slamming their lips together and sticking her tongue in his mouth.

****

They stood there for a good while, the two exchanging saliva freely as their tongues swirled around each others’ mouths. Coco’s hands wrapped around Jaune’s shoulders, while the Knight himself threw caution to the wind and simply gripped her behind to squeeze firmly every so often, earning a very pleased hum from the girl.

****

All too soon, they separated. Coco licked her lips with a pleased coo while Jaune stood there taking a few deep breaths to steady himself after the intense kiss with the CVFY leader, his eyes closed. Just as he was about to open them, a pleasant smell entered his nostrils, reminding him of… _carrots?_

****

Jaune’s eyes opened to find a nervous Velvet standing in front of him, with Coco having a firm hold on her arms to keep her from running off.

****

“C’mon ‘Lover Boy’, I’ve had a lot of fun today… can’t leave poor Vel here out, can you?” Another cheeky wink from her and a soft whimper of embarrassment from the bunny girl, which almost made Jaune squeal a little at how cute she was.

****

“It-it’s okay, Jaune!” Velvet cried hurriedly. “Y-you don’t have to-eee!” She was cut off with a slight yelp as Jaune cupped her cheeks and leaned towards her.

****

“I don’t have to Velvet, but I want to… can I?” Velvet’s rather eager nod was all he saw before his eyes closed and their lips met.

****

Kissing Velvet was very different from kissing Coco, there was no tongue invading his mouth or grabby hands. Velvet simply took Jaune’s hands in her own as their lips pressed together softly, slight whimpers coming from the bunny Faunus as she shook with excitement. She was finally kissing him!

****

After a minute, the pair pulled back, Velvet blushing happily while Jaune smiled at her. Before she could speak, he reached up to pat and stroke her ears, earning a small whimper from the Faunus.

****

“You’re so cute, you know that?” Jaune whispered in Velvet’s ear, blowing a soft breath onto her left rabbit ear as he did so, which got the bunny girl to both squeal and moan at the same time as the sensations of pleasure washed over her.

****

“J-Jaune…”

****

“Sorry, just didn’t want you to be left out, is all.” The boy explained, rubbing the back of his neck with one while smiling shyly.

****

“That’s okay Jaune… I-I really liked it.” Velvet admitted, the second year still blushing a little from the lingering excitement. The pair stayed like that for a while, just taking in each others’ presence, at least until Coco grabbed Velvet and began to drag her away. Looking back to the confused Huntsman-in-training, she simply smiled.

****

“Don’t worry about us stud, we’re just gonna go explore the fair by ourselves for a bit, feel free to enjoy yourself in the meantime!”

****

Before Jaune could reply, the duo had vanished from sight.

****

Well, what was he supposed to do now?

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Cinder found herself in remarkably good mood. Her associates were all cooperating with her, her coffee from Beacon’s mess hall had been satisfactory for once, and it was a bright and sunny day that even she could enjoy. Not to mention the obvious, that her plan to kill both the Fall Maiden and Ozpin was coming together easier and easier. Now, she found herself wondering the fairgrounds, looking for something to catch her eye.

  
_With everything that will come after my plan, I’m glad that I have time to appreciate this beauty._ She thought to herself, looking amongst the bright stalls and happy people. Suddenly, her eyes fell upon a familiar face, and her expression slipped into a scowl. “Oh, great.” She muttered to herself.

****

Jaune Arc was leaning against a stall, drinking from a small glass with red liquid within it. Cinder’s annoyance at even seeing the blonde man was lessened as she noticed the look on his face. He looked...uncomfortable, like he could jump out of his own skin if he wanted to. She felt the strangest feeling of...concern, before squashing it and striding over to boy, a smirk plastered on her face. “Hello again, Arc. It’s been a while.”

****

Jaune jumped as an all-too-familiar smooth voice rang in his ears, and he turned to see Cinder Fall walk up to him, leaning on the stall next to him in a mirrored position. “H-hey, Ella. It’s, uh, only been a few days. Nice to know m-missed me.” He stuttered, barely keeping the immense fear that rose in his chest at the sight of her hidden.

****

Cinder chucked, tilting her head innocently. “Oh, I wouldn’t say “missed”, per say. More...desired to see you again.” A blatant lie, but enough to throw him off balance. Sure enough, his face flushed slightly and he shifted away from her. Good.

****

“You, uh, you d-don’t say?” He answered nervously, inching away from her and praying she didn’t notice. She smirked, and slid closer. He screamed internally, as did Summer.

****

_“HOLY SHIT, GET OUT OF THERE, JAUNE!”_ She practically screamed in his mind, clearly just as uncomfortable as he was.

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_I’m trying to!_ He hissed back, before noticing that Cinder was laughing again.

****

“My, you certainly look uncomfortable. Is something bothering you, Arc?”

****

Jaune looked into Cinder’s amber eyes, glinting with amusement, and something inside him **snapped**. How could she be so proud, so damn pleased with herself after all the shit she’d done? Gone was the fear of Cinder’s wrath, now replaced with something else. Something angry.

****

“Yeah, actually. My friend lost some people. People close to him.” He said, his voice steady with rage. Cinder arched an eyebrow at Jaune’s tone change, surprised by the sudden mood shift.

****

“My condolences. It can’t be easy losing someone close to you, let alone more than one.” She said, her tone softening, not entirely in deceit. While Cinder herself didn’t care for others, she knew how much people cared. However, as Jaune’s azure eyes flicked to hers, she almost regretted her words.

****

“Really? That’s weird.” He growled, ignoring Summer’s pleas for him to not do what he was about to do. “You didn’t have to much of a problem **ending their lives,** did you... **_Cinder?_ **”

****

Just like that, everything seemed to slow around them. People still walked and chatted idly, but the red clad women and the male knight were in their own world, staring each other down.

****

For a moment, neither of them did anything. Jaune’s mind was split between Summer’s frantic pleas for him to leave as fast as possible, and the mounting fear that came with realising what he’d just done. They were in a public place, right? S-she wasn’t going to do anything… she couldn’t! Not without…

****

He was interrupted by an arm on his shoulder, the grip strong enough that he almost cried out, his blue eyes meeting burning yellow.

****

“Perhaps you’re smarter than I thought, **boy** …” The emphasis on that last word made Jaune want to cringe away, but the ironclad grip Cinder had on his shoulder stopped him from moving.

****

“You know, I found you… _amusing,_ when we first met. How could I not? An incompetent buffoon out of his league here at a prestigious Academy like this.” She began.

****

“But then… you proved yourself worthy of my curiosity. What with your unique weapon, even among Hunter standards, and your… admittedly impressive Semblance. Congratulations.” The compliment was at least half-sincere.

****

“But now… now, well… you’ve proven yourself worthy of my attention. Would you like to know why?”

****

Jaune was too scared to reply audibly, so he just nodded instead. Cinder leaned forward to whisper in his ear this time.

****

“Because, my dear Jaune, you have proven yourself once more… to be. A. **Threat**.”

****

With that, Cinder released her grip, turned about and began striding away into the crowds, quickly disappearing from view.

****

Jaune released a shaky breath, before rapidly sucking in a few more to try and calm his fraying nerves.

****

_W-well, I t-think that went quite well._

****

Even before Summer began shouting, he knew he’d made another huge mistake.

****

“ _Well!? WELL!?! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!”_ The silver-eyed Huntress roared in his mind, her voice echoing and rattling around in his skull so much that it quickly gave the Knight quite the headache. “ _OF ALL THE RECKLESS AND IRRESPONSIBLE THINGS YOU’VE DONE, JAUNE ARC, THIS HAS TO BE THE WORST!”_

****

_Look, I know I screwed up! You don’t have to ye-_

****

_“I WILL YELL AND SHOUT AS MUCH AS I DAMN WELL PLEASE!”_ Summer interrupted, still yelling at full volume. _“Until it gets through that THICK SKULL OF YOURS that you CAN’T go doing things like this!!”_ The audible stresses in that sentence made it clear what she thought was most important.

****

_I wasn’t thinking okay!? I just saw her and she was ranting on and on like she always does while going around KILLING people, I can’t just stay quiet about that!_ Jaune insisted.

****

_“When it comes to people like her, Jaune, you HAVE to! Do you have any idea what it means when she says she considers you a ‘threat’?!”_

****

_It means I’m screwed, doesn’t it?_

****

_“No, Jaune. It means you’ll have to spend the rest of your life looking over your shoulder to make sure that someone isn’t trying to kill you! If you’re a threat to her, then she WILL try to have you KILLED!”_ Summer snapped out, though her anger was ebbing considerably, and it was mostly rooted in concern for him anyway. “ _That’s not even getting into what she’ll do people close to you, either… anyone you’re close to will be fair game for these people, Jaune. Your teammates, friends… loved ones.”_

****

_Oh god… Pyr, Nora, Ren, Ruby, Yang, Weiss, Blake… w-what the hell was I thinking…?_

****

_“Jaune, listen to me. I know you might be panicking right now and I’m sorry, I just wanted to make sure you understood how dangerous things might get, that’s all! Look, we can go to Ozzy and tell him what happened, he already knows about Cinder’s identity so he’ll be on the lookout for sure!”_ Summer tried to reassure Jaune as best she could, maybe she’d gone too far with her warnings about what Cinder might do… but it would be good in the long run for Jaune to keep an eye out from now on.

****

_Y-yeah… you’re right. T-thanks Sunny, lost it for a minute there, I’ll go to Ozpin first thing._

****

_‘He called me Sunny again… he really is a younger Tai, isn’t he?’_ Summer thought fondly, feeling her ‘section’ of the mindscape brighten as it was suffused with a comforting warmth. _“Okay Jaune… that sounds like a good idea...”_ With that, she drifted off, content in simply resting in the back of the Knight’s mind till she was needed again.

****

Jaune sighed as Summer’s presence receded. He should probably visit Headmaster Ozpin as soon as possible, they were in a Hunter Academy after all and Jaune was one of his students. After seeing how… badly he’d reacted to learning that the killer of 3 of his students was hiding in plain sight, telling Ozpin that Cinder had basically threatened him would be the best thing he could do now.

****

_God… I hope nothing goes wrong before then._ Jaune sighed.

****

Before he had even finished that sentence, somewhere, there was a man named Murphy.

****

And he was laughing quietly to himself.

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Neo was having a fairly pleasant day, all things considered.

****

The fair offered enough entertainment and various foodstuffs to keep her entertained nicely through the days, her favorite stall quite obviously being the ice-cream stalls, which offered a seemingly-endless selection of flavours and combinations. Neo was _very_ fond of mixing and matching, though her most frequent would be her namesake treat.

****

She found it helped calm her nerves very well.

****

The diminutive enforcer had been on edge ever since Cinder had announced their intent to attack the Emerald Tower two days ago. Now, Neo liked to consider herself a very skilled individual when it came to combat, but attacking Professor Ozpin, one of if not _the_ most skilled Huntsman on the planet (surpassed only, perhaps, by James Ironwood or maybe that Deputy head of his) with the intent of _killing him?_

****

No. That was blatant suicide.

****

Then again, what else could she do? It wasn’t like Cinder was accepting voluntary resignations now, was it? Oh no… her teammate Marcie made it perfectly clear about that in one of their private conversations on the dorm roof, how Cinder’s little ‘recruitment pitch’ had been ‘join me or die’ and ‘resignations not accepted’. That was essentially the ‘contract’ she and Roman had, really.

****

The more Neo thought about it, the more she realized that she was obviously not the only one having doubts and second thoughts. The obvious one was Marcie herself, since the grey-haired girl regularly used their little chats to talk about what a bitch their ‘team leader’ was and how she’d rather be anywhere else, doing anything else other than trying to kill the head of a Hunter Academy. Emerald, on the other hand… Neo was sure that her heart’s loyalty was still mostly to Cinder, so no confiding in her for the time being.

****

Neo let her head drop as she finished weighing her options. The only thing she could think of doing was coming along for Cinder’s assassination attempt, then attempt to flee at the first opportunity, the others couldn’t attempt to hunt her down immediately without compromising themselves or aborting the assassination and screwing up boss lady’s plans. That’d give her enough time for Roman’s contacts to have her ’disappear’, with enough spare lien and the fake identity necessary to start a new life somewhere else.

****

It wasn’t a foolproof plan, there was lots that could go wrong, but it was really the only plan she had. If she could just get away from Cinder…

****

Then, as if the two dickish wankers the universe had for Gods heard her silent plea, then laughed and decided to punish her for it, her scroll vibrated with an incoming message.

****

A mere glance was all it took for the girl’s heart to sink, it was Cinder.

****

_‘Return to the dormitory at once, I have an assignment for you.’_

****

Great. Another errand for the grade-A sociopath.

****

It took about half an hour for Neo to make her way back to the dormitory from the fair, she’d finished her ice-cream by then so she was sour about that, but she was mostly dreading what it was Cinder wanted her to do. Probably plant some explosives on an animal shelter or kill an orphanage or something, that seemed like the kind of hideously evil thing Cinder would get off on doing.

****

When Neo opened the door, she found Cinder there waiting for her, the woman’s back to the door.

****

The first thing the enforcer registered was the heat. It was choking and suffused the entire room. After a few moments of looking around for the obvious heat source while sweltering in her outfit, Neo’s pink and brown eyes settled on her new boss. The closer she put her hand to the woman’s form, the more intense the heat became.

****

Yeah, it was her alright. Since she’d learned from Marcie that Cinder’s powers sometimes… _malfunctioned_ when she got angry. For her to lose control like this…?

****

Neo pitied the poor bastard who set her off.

****

“Neopolitan.” Cinder practically growled out, turning to face the enforcer with anger quite literally _burning_ in her eyes, if the small orange flames around them and the snarl her mouth was contorted into were any indication.

****

Neo simply tilted her head quizzically, while staying as far away from the woman as she could manage to avoid the sweltering heat. Thankfully, as Cinder closed her eyes and took a few deep, calming breaths, the heat began to wane. When she opened her eyes again, the heat had receded entirely and Neo felt like she could breathe properly again.

****

“You will not be participating in our attack on Headmaster Ozpin tonight. I have another task for you.” Cinder stated.

****

Neo restrained herself from breathing a sigh of relief, whatever it was Cinder wanted her to do, it’d give her the perfect chance to slip away in the chaos! She could get back to Roman and collect her new identity, with enough lien to start a new life, then be in the wind by the time anyone could catch on!

****

Neo held up her scroll, into which she had typed the message _‘What’s the job, ma’am?’_ , adding that last bit was a nice touch, hopefully it would butter her up a little by appealing to her titanic ego or something.

****

Instead of responding verbally, Cinder pulled out her scroll and began to open up a file. Neo leaned in, she was probably going to get the details from the file or something-

****

Her heart stopped.

****

It wasn’t a file on the scroll’s screen, it was something much worse.

****

It was a picture of a certain dorky blonde Knight.

****

“This is the leader of the first year team Juniper, his name is Jaune Arc.”

****

For the first time in a long time, both of Neopolitan’s mismatched irises turned milky white.

****

“Kill him. Tonight.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're reaching the tipping point here folks, I hope you're ready.
> 
> As a note, thanks to the sort-of complaints we've had about Jaune's Mimicry Semblance, we'll be removing it soon. He'll lose it via massive head trauma that he'll take in the next chapter, I think it's time we had him learn to fight more tactically with just his tricked-out sword, as opposed to just bulldozing through everything with his Semblance.
> 
> Well, with that said, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Reviews and comments are always welcome. Seriously. We don't get as many as we'd like.


	40. Ready, Aim, Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cinder wages war on Beacon Academy, and there will be blood on the floor at the end of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here you are people, we're hitting 3 milestones all at once with this one.
> 
> This is the 40th chapter, almost 40 pages long with 15k words in it all at once.
> 
> Hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.
> 
> As always, reviews and comments are welcome.
> 
> Jack.

The room was silent as the four people inside prepared to head out.

****

The dingy room in the run-down warehouse they were sheltering in was a far-cry from their comfortable dorm room at Beacon Academy, but it was necessary for their plans.

****

“Is everyone prepared?” The cold voice of the team’s leader asked.

****

“Yes ma’am.” Emerald replied, clipped and efficient.

****

“Sure thing boss.” Answered Marceline, who was far less enthused about it.

****

Neo simply nodded.

****

Cinder allowed herself a small smile, her plan was coming to fruition. By tonight, the Ozpin would be dead, and the Maiden powers would be hers, along with Beacon’s Relic.

****

“Very well. Come, we have a Headmaster to kill.” Cinder turned to Neo. “Make sure that you accomplish your mission too, I want him dead.”

****

“Who?” Marcie asked, out of a mild curiosity at who could possibly have pissed off her boss enough to warrant an entirely different assassin to deal with. “One of those other teachers?”

****

“A troublesome pest. A little worm who has defied me for too long.” Cinder spat out, her face twisting in rage and she turned and strode to the door. “We have wasted too much time already. Move.”

****

As Emerald followed Cinder out the door to the waiting unmarked Bullhead that would take them to Beacon’s grounds, Marcie quickly hurried over to Neo.

****

“Who is it?” She asked. “Anyone we know?” She was only half-serious, expecting Neo to just shake her head.

****

Neo held up her scroll in reply instead, having already typed out a message on screen. ‘ _It’s Jaune. She wants me to kill Jaune. He figured out who she really is, somehow.’_

****

This caused the grey-haired girl’s eyes to widen and her mouth to take in a sharp breath as she began to tremble a little.

****

“W-what?! No. No no no FUCK!” She swore angrily, hands balled into fists as she glared at Neo. “T-this is just your sick idea of a joke isn’t it?! I swear pipsqueak, y-you’d better be fucking with me! Even if you’re on the level, you hurt him and I’ll shove that fucking umbrella right up your-” She started threatening, though her voice trembled and shook as she did so.

****

“Marceline!” Cinder’s called from outside, obviously irritated. “ _What_ are you _doing_? We must go NOW.”

****

“Coming boss.” The girl snapped back, turning and jogging out the door and into the waiting Bullhead, leaving Neo alone.

****

She quickly curled in on herself, letting a few honestly scared tears drip from her now milky-white eyes, She couldn’t defy Cinder without severe consequences for herself and Roman, but at the same time, she couldn’t just… kill Jaune.

****

She couldn’t just go to Beacon’s staff or any authorities anyway. She was a criminal, they’d arrest her on sight if they recognized her. If Cinder caught wind of what she was trying to do, she and Roman would be dead, that woman did not take any betrayal or disloyalty lightly. She didn’t have anyone to turn to, so what could she do…?

****

Well, perhaps there was one person she could turn to, one person who could still help her, as he had when she first found him.

****

Neo wiped her eyes of her tears and began to head out the door, pausing only to retrieve her parasol as she left. After she’d left the warehouse, her stride began a full on sprint. The clock was ticking, and she didn’t have much time at all.

****

She knew where she needed to go.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

“Ugh! Come on you lazy animals, we’ve not got all night!” Roman Torchwick, infamous crime lord of Vale, hollered to the roomful of White Fang grunts working to move the latest crates of Dust he’d acquired.

****

Why Cinder had him working with these useless idiots he’d never know, but if that was what boss lady wanted, then he’d just have to do it. They might be incompetent half the time, but under Roman’s guidance, they got the job done.

****

Except for that one loner in the corner with the katana and the bull horns, she’d just kept muttering creepily about punishing someone called ‘Blake’ for her ‘betrayal’. She was dressed in all black, and in Roman’s opinion was just some whiny kid trying too hard to be emo after a bad breakup, probably with the ‘Blake’ she was obsessing over.

****

Whatever, not his problem, he had bigger things to worry about. Like Neo.

****

Roman had always been uneasy about working for Cinder in the first place. Partly because her schemes would be very bad for the whole of Vale if pulled off correctly, and Roman _liked_ living in Vale, but also because she didn’t strike Roman as the kind of person to leave any… _loose ends_ alive. He and Neo would be useless to her as soon as she’d gotten what she came for and Beacon was trashed.

****

However, it was after Cinder had co-opted Neo into helping her with the infiltration that Roman had made his mind up, no amount of money was worth this. He was leaving at the first opportunity, or at the very least he was getting Neo as far away as possible, with a new name and lien enough for a fresh start. He might be a criminal and an unrepentant thief, but he had morals of his own. He’d dragged Neo into this life with him, he’d be damned twice over if he let her die because of it.

****

Everything was set, everything was going to plan… until two days ago, when Cinder had decided to rope her into assassinating the fucking Headmaster himself.

****

It was suicide, there’d be no way they’d succeed, even with the boss’ ‘special powers’ and those other two brats of hers, she’d never be able to win. Not with an entire Atlas fleet commanded by General Ironwood himself hovering over their heads.

****

While no one was looking, Roman let out a shaky sigh and let a single tear drip from his exposed eye. _Damn it, kiddo… I’m sorry for dragging you into this._

****

The sudden slamming of the door was not what caused Roman to lose his concentration, the small light-pink and brown missile that slammed into him at surprising speed was.

****

“Ooof! What the hell- Neo!” The crime lord gazed down at the small form of his enforcer and friend as she tried her best to hug him. “What are you doing here?! Aren’t you supposed to be with Cinder and the brats right now!?” A part of him was relieved that she was here, it meant that she was out danger, at least for now.

****

Until he got a good look at her eyes, that is. Her completely white eyes.

****

That wasn’t good. White irises meant one thing for Neo, she was scared, terrified.

****

“Woah woah! Hey there… what’s the matter with you?” Roman asked as gently as he could. Putting hands on the girl’s shoulders and looking down at her. “Neo… what’s wrong?” He asked, a little more strently, when she merely sniffled instead of replying.

****

Pausing, Romand turned his head to find the White Fang grunts had largely stopped what they were doing to stare at the scene in front of them. Annoyed, he yelled at them.

****

“What the hell are you animals looking at!? BACK TO WORK!” They jumped to obey, letting Roman return to the task at hand, finding out what had scared his partner so much.

****

When Roman turned his gaze back to Neo, he instead found a scroll shoved in his face with a message on it, since it was so close he actually had to take it in one hand and move it back a bit to make the words legible.

****

“Cinder wants me to kill Jaune, but I can’t do it, I just can’t. We have to warn him, please _!”_ Roman read out in a low voice, so that none of the Fang could hear him. Just to be safe, he led Neo to a deserted corner of the warehouse they were in, so that they could keep the conversation private.

****

“Jaune… he’s that dorky blonde that stopped you falling out of that Bullhead a while back, right?” Roman asked, getting a nod from Neo in reply. Instead of snarking or laughing like he usually would, Roman simply sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose with his free hand. “Damn… you must’ve got it real bad for this kid if you’re risking pissing the boss off for him.”

****

To his surprise, Neo didn’t deny it, instead choosing to shuffle her feet a little and hang her head.

****

“Oh jeez… you really _do_ have it bad for him, don’t you kiddo?” Roman asked in mild disbelief, handing Neo back her scroll so she could reply to him.

****

_‘Why wouldn’t I? He’s been so nice to me, Roman… he’s friendly and sweet and charming and… and I really like him.’_

****

“I… I see.” Roman admitted, lost for any witty comeback or reply at seeing Neo like this. “Well, what the hell d’you want me to do about it? It’s not like we can just call him on your scroll or anyth-” He cut himself off as Neo’s white eyes regained a little colour, along with her cheeks.

****

“You’re shitting me, you’ve got the guy’s NUMBER?!” The crime lord hissed. This only got Neo to glare at him fiercely.

****

_‘Just call him, Roman. Now.’_

****

“Fine. But if we’re still alive tomorrow, we _are_ talking about just giving your number to random boys later, Neo!” The man’s voice adopted a lecturing tone for the second half of that little tirade.

****

_‘CALL HIM AND WARN HIM NOW!’_

****

“Fine, just give me that!”

****

Neo shoved the scroll in his face in reply and folded her arms, while huffing angrily.

****

With that, Roman snatched the device from Neo and began to dial the number.

****

They both hoped they weren’t too late.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

****

Jaune was pacing JNPR’s dorm room frantically, trying to decide what to do about Cinder’s threat. On one hand, if he stoked the fire by reporting Cinder further, a fight could start. On the other, Cinder even being free was dangerous, so a fight was inevitable. His spiraling thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of his scroll. He noticed that the number was an unknown number. For the briefest moment, he thought that it might be Cinder, and his heart sank. He answered the call carefully, gulping and quietly hoping it wasn’t Cinder. “H-hello?”

****

“Hey there, hero. How’ve ya been?”

****

Jaune sputtered audibly as he registered the voice of Roman-fucking-Torchwick, who was actually a much preferred alternative to the red-clad women who was hell-bent on making his life as hellish as she could. “R-roman? What the hell are you-”

“Look kid, I don’t have time to explain. Point is, Cindy and her brats are gonna try and kill Headmaster Ozpin, and take down the Emerald tower. You gotta stop ‘em.” The man interrupted, making Jaune’s heart stop. Cinder was going to...what? NOW?! “Move while you can, kid, you can still stop this! Neo’ll be there soon, so just hold out till then!”

****

Jaune nodded, and hang up the call before sprinting out of his room, dialling another number. The other person answered, their tone pleasant and happy. “Oh, Jaune! I was about to call y-”

****

“Pyrrha, Beacon’s about to be attacked!” He interrupted, still running. “Okay, technically the tower, but I need you to get everyone you can away from here!”

****

“What? Jaune, I don’t understa-”

****

“It’s Cinder, she’s trying to kill Ozpin!”

 

“But that’s...that’s insane, Jaune! She can’t possibly…”

 

“Pyrrha, please! Just get whoever you can, and start getting them out!”

****

“O-okay. Alright. Be careful, Jaune. Please.” His partner pleaded, before hanging up. Jaune quickly dialed the next number on his list. A tired “hello?” was all his friend got out before Jaune screamed his exclamation.

****

“DANIEL, CINDER’S HERE AND SHE’S GOING TO TRY AND KILL THE HEADMASTER!”

****

Silence stretched between them for a few seconds before there was audible shifting on Daniel’s end, followed by fast footfalls. “Where? Where is she headed?”

****

“Somewhere around the Emerald Tower!” Jaune answered, his near constant running starting to wear him out. “Daniel, we need to warn Ozpin!”

****

“No, **I** need to warn Ozpin! You need to get the hell away from Cinder, and this fight!” Daniel practically snarled into the scroll, followed by the sound of something wooden being punched, before Daniel let out an audible groan. “Well, that hurt like hell. Anyway, just get outta here, Jaune!”

****

After that, Daniel hung up. Jaune stopped for a moment, really thinking about what Daniel said. Honestly, he was right. Jaune had **_no_ ** business going toe-to-toe with Cinder, let alone her AND her teammates. The thought of someone getting hurt because he didn’t act, however, propelled him forward once more. No one was getting hurt tonight. Not on his watch.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

Beacon’s grounds were reasonably quiet and peaceful as the unmarked Bullhead landed near the entrance, engines set to a lower power configuration to avoid making too much noise. The three occupants quickly disembarked before the Bullhead took off and flew away, before it drew unwanted attention.

****

No one said anything, Cinder was too focused on the task at hand, Emerald was a little conflicted, and Marcie was too busy seething over the unfairness of the situation to bother talking. The trio simply made their way in silence toward the Emerald Tower, neutralising any Atlas patrols they came across, though-non lethally so as not to draw too much attention before they struck.

****

It did slow them down somewhat, having to hide all the unconscious soldiers so that their comrades wouldn’t spot them, but they made good time nonetheless. Luckily, they hadn’t run into any teachers, that would’ve been disastrous.

****

“Emerald, place the explosives at the midpoint of the tower.” Cinder instructed. “Marcie, stand guard.”

****

Both simply nodded in affirmative. It didn’t take too long to accomplish, the green-haired illusionist had months of practice by now. The rappels they'd brought along did their jobs well and held firm.

****

The group swiftly headed inside the tower, the explosives were simply there as insurance in case the assassination was compromised. Besides, destroying the Emerald Tower outright would still disable the CCT, preventing Vale and the Atlas expeditionary fleet from calling for help quickly. The fleet could still send a ship back to Atlas with a warning, but it would time, time enough for Cinder to get what she came here for.

****

The woman couldn’t help a cruel smile at the thought, Ozpin truly was arrogant if he decided to risk turning his own Academy into Vale’s CCT Tower as well. Did he really think that no one would try to take advantage of that?

****

Her mistress was right, he _had_ grown lazy and complacent, and that would be his undoing.

****

The lift journey up to the man’s office was incredibly tense, all three occupants preparing for the worst when they arrived. Would Ozpin be waiting for them? Would other teachers be there? Or… perhaps he’d be entirely unaware and they could kill him quickly and without fuss.

****

It was a slim hope, but for the grey-haired assassin of the group, it was a comforting one. While she regretted killing Ozpin, it was really the only way out at this point. At least if he died quickly they could escape, he might even the chance to slip away and intercept Neo before she could… kill Jaune.

****

Cinder, for her part, was actually hoping that Ozpin was both present and prepared for them. That way, she could finally prove herself by killing Salem’s hated nemesis in combat. She could prove her worth, prove her might, her superiority. No one would challenge or question her again, especially after she found the Fall Maiden and finished what she started.

****

_Ding._

****

The lift doors had opened.

****

The trio entered the office quite cautiously at first, hoping they could catch Ozpin by surprise.

****

That was quickly abandoned once it was made clear that the office was empty. Which left Cinder with a very important question burning in her mind.

****

_Where. Was. Ozpin?_

****

Before anyone had time to properly look around, a muted whine was heard from outside the window, steadily growing louder.

****

The trio barely had time to brace themselves before twin beams of energy came smashing through the window and slammed into Emerald and Marcie, knocking them off their feet. Cinder, on the other hand, was unharmed, and quickly summoned her glass blades in preparation for a fight.

****

A whitish-black armored suit came flying in and landed in the office near the window it had just smashed. The suit raised both its palms, which were glowing with the same energy that had been blasted through the window.

****

“Alright, put your hands in the air, and this doesn’t have to get ugly.” The suit intoned, in a male voice far too realistic to be synthesised. So… it had a pilot, did it? Cinder held back a small smile as she thought about that.

****

Had it been an unmanned drone, they’d have had no choice but to take it on, since her attempt at infecting the CCT with the Black Queen Virus had not gone to plan. Now that she knew it was a _piloted_ suit, well…

****

Behind her, the two girls had quickly scrambled to their feet, staring rather wide eyed at the armored suit in front of them, they’d never seen anything like this before. What the hell was that!? Cinder, however, gestured to Emerald, gently narrowing her eyes and making them subtly light up in the process.

****

The suited pilot may not have known what they gesture meant, but Emerald did, all Cinder needed to do now was keep him talking until she was prepared.

****

Come to think of it, that voice… she _recognised_ that voice, though he was obviously older now. Yes… she did know this man, from his enraged snarls to panicked screams that he’d let out as she’d cut down his team, one by one. What was his name again…?

****

“You know, I didn’t expect to see you here… ‘Danny’.” Cinder allowed a smug smile to cross her face at her use of what was obviously a nickname, more so at how the armored man stiffened when she said it, she’d hit the nail on the head. “How are your team doing? Your _new_ team, obviously… the last one, well… I’m sure you remember what happened to them. **I** certainly do, after all.” She smirked for extra emphasis.

****

“Shut up. I’m taking you in.” The man snapped.

****

“Oh, are you now? With that pathetic little armour of yours, boy?” Cinder taunted. “You could barely scratch me the first time you tried resisting… what makes you think you stand a chance now?”

****

“Why don’t I **show** you!?” The man snapped, charging both of this palm blasters and deploying the additional weapons on the armor. “Final warning, put your fucking hands up or I’ll turn you to ash!”

****

Cinder, however, was utterly nonplussed.

****

“You know, I’m rather thankful that you’re wearing that armor, Daniel.”

****

“Why the hell’s that?!” The anger in the man’s voice was completely open now, she had him right where she wanted him, focused on her. He didn’t even notice Emerald gradually sneaking up on him from the side, her red eyes glowing slightly as she prepared her Semblance.

****

“Because you’ve brought your coffin with you, of course. At least you more sense than your fallen teammates.”

****

“That’s it.” Daniel snarled, utter rage in his voice as his repulsors finished charging. “I don’t give a shit if I’m supposed to take you in alive, you’re dead you murderous bitch, you’re fucking dead.”

****

Before Daniel could act, however, Emerald had lunged forward and placed both hands on the side of his helmeted head, the glow in her eyes intensifying as her Semblance activated. The man collapsed to his knees, gauntlets falling uselessly by his side as the repulsor charge dissipated, muted sobbing and gasps now emanating from his helmet.

****

As Emerald moved to rejoin her compatriots, Cinder raised an eyebrow.

****

“What is he seeing?”

****

“I… made him relive the deaths of his team, ma’am. The illusion will last for at least two hours.” Emerald answered.

****

“Well done. Come. He cannot stop us now.” Cinder cast one last disdainful look at the collapsed man. “We must find and eliminate Ozpin quickly, he will undoubtedly alert his superiors when he recovers.”

****

The trio retreated to the lift, thumbing the button to close the doors as Cinder pondered their next move. She idly glanced at the buttons on the lift while doing so, only for something rather interesting to catch her eye.

****

Out of the 5 or so floor buttons on the lift’s panel, 1 of them was utterly unmarked, with no indication as to which floor it went to. That was interesting, certainly.

****

What was even _more_ interesting was when Cinder tried to press the button, only to be greeted with… nothing. Nothing. No grinding gears, no whirring of the lift descending the tomer. Nothing. The panel wasn’t responding.

****

Or the floor the button was marked for held something worth protecting.

****

Cinder smiled smugly, perhaps she had found what she was looking for after all.

****

Soon, the lift was on their way down to the unmarked floor, after a quick application of electricity from Cinder’s powers shorted out the protection around the seemingly innocuous button.

****

Cinder’s growing excitement was matched only by her companions’ mounting fear. They couldn’t seriously take on Ozpin, could they? The Fall Maiden was one thing… but Ozpin was quite another. Only Cinder had been told what Ozpin was capable of, and even then, she was unaware that her mistress had… neglected a few details.

****

After all… she was a useful tool, but an expendable tool nonetheless. If Salem could use her death to learn more about her enemy’s reawakened magic, then so be it. There would always be more like her, some power-hungry, some dispossessed and abused, others anarchists who hated the system simply for existing, she would never need to look far for new pawns.

****

The loss of a potential Maiden was unfortunate, but ultimately a minor setback. After all, Salem could afford to wait for more opportunities to kill or corrupt the latest hosts to acquire their powers for her cause, it wasn’t as if time was a limiting factor for her anymore.

****

But Cinder and her subordinates continued downward, blissfully unaware of the utter lack of concern Salem had for their lives, of anyone’s life not her own.

****

The lift doors opened and the trio stepped out, emerging in what looked like a vast underground vault of sorts. A faint greenish light lit the area, but that was not what caught Cinder’s attention, nor was it the clockwork symbols and other sigils carved into the masonry. What caught her attention was the large, cylindrical pod sat upright at the end of the vault.

****

The pod containing a young woman with light brown skin and matching hair, though her face was marred somewhat by the scarring around her left eye. She was dressed in naught but medical weaves to protect her modesty.

****

Cinder’s smirk grew into a cruel smile. At last! She’d found what she was looking for, or rather, _who._

****

“Well, well, well.” She strode forward, ignoring Emerald’s warning that it might be a trap. Even if it was, she was _not_ about to let that stop her, not now, when the remaining Maiden’s power was FINALLY within reach!

****

“Look at what has become of you, girl. Alone, weak, helpless before me… as you should be.” Another smug and cruel smirk manifested on her face, along with her glass bow, which had an arrow nocked and ready.

****

“But don’t worry.” Cinder’s false reassurance came easily as she stopped in front of the pod, bringing her bow up and pulling back the string. “Your powers are far better off in my hands than yours… I will accomplish things with them that you never could. And now… you never will.”

****

With one last farewell, she released the arrow.

****

“Goodbye, girl. This power was never rightly yours to use. It is mine.”

****

As the arrow hit home, shattering the glass and causing the girl in the pod to gasp out in pain as her eyes shot open, Cinder couldn’t help but close her eyes and tilt her head back, a triumphant grin on her face as she spread her arms, waiting for the rush of power as the rest of the Maiden’s magic found it’s true host.

****

Only to be confused, however, when that feeling never came.

****

“Uh… boss? What the hell’s going on?” Marcie voice snapped her out of her confusion, and Cinder opened her eyes to see what she was talking about as the girl approached with Emerald in tow. Only to be stopped dead in shock by the sight before her.

****

The Maiden girl, the pod she was in, plus the entire apparatus it was attached to were… _fizzling and shaking._

****

“What? What is this?!” Cinder cried out in shock and disbelief, especially as that began to change into flat out _dissolving._

****

The Maiden and the life support system she was hooked up to were _dissolving_ in front of them, into a faint greenish glowing mist that was slowly drawn back into the similarly glowing sigil on the wall it had been ‘attached’ to. After the image was gone entirely, the glow faded.

****

Cinder was _seething_ , _boiling_ with rage. The Maiden had been there! She had been _right there!_ And it was a trick all along! A phantom image of some sort! And she had fallen for it.

****

Whatever rage she felt now was only amplified as she heard a sound behind her, a sound that got her to whirl around, her eyes slitted and her mouth twisted into a snarl of hatred. That same sound also caused her subordinates to turn too, albeit far more slowly thanks to the fear that ran up their spines as the sound reached their ears.

****

The sound in question? A faint _click-clack_ sound, not unlike that made by a cane as it tapped its way across the floor.

****

“Welcome. I’ve been waiting for you.” Professor Ozpin greeted them.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

“Damn it all! Why won’t they respond!? I told them to stay in contact at ALL times!” Ironwood snarled, the Atlas General replacing his scroll after a third attempt to contact his subordinates had ended in failure. “Any luck reaching Qrow?”

****

The duo of General and Deputy Headmistress were currently making their way through Beacon’s halls, their destination being the Emerald Tower to meet with Headmaster Ozpin.

****

“None.” Glynda growled angrily. “The drunkard’s probably passed out at some bar already! I swear when I get my hands on him, I’ll…” She started, still seething, only for Ironwood to gently interrupt her.

****

“Glynda, we can’t afford to waste any more time, we need to meet with Ozpin again as soon as possible to discuss our next moves. Qrow and Specialists Schnee and Wilson can be filled in after we have a plan of action.” Ironwood insisted. “The enemy will likely be making their move soon, we need to be ready when they do.”

****

“You’re… you’re right James. Come on then.” Glynda increased her pace, with long quick strides, Ironwood matching her easily thanks to his augments.

****

The pair approached the set of double doors in the hallway that led out into the courtyard, but before they could proceed, a shout from behind them interrupted them.

****

“Professor Goodwitch!!” The voice cried, causing the combat instructor to immediately snap to attention and turn on her heel to face it. Looking down the corridor, the Witch of Beacon was rather surprised to see a gaggle of students approaching her and James. Among them, she could see the members of team RWBY, team NDGO, the second year team CVFY and three members of team JNPR.

****

“What is it, students?” The professor asked in her usual stern manner, her face morphing into the usual glare she adopted when preparing to admonish students for a mistake. “Would you care to explain _why_ you are both up _and_ equipped with your weapons at this hour?”

****

“I’m sorry Professor Goodwitch!” Ruby Rose stepped forward to address her, the red and black haired girl meeting her gaze rather nervously. “I know we shouldn’t be out at this hour, but Jaune said it was really important that we go help!”

****

“Help? Help with _what,_ exactly?” Glynda raised her eyebrow, while beside her James adopted a look of confusion.

****

“I know this might sound rather… outlandish, Professor, but Jaune was quite insistent.” Lian Ren stepped forward with her own input. “He said that he was contacted regarding a threat to this Academy, and that they’d be attacking tonight.”

****

_This_ got Glynda’s attention properly.

****

“What sort of ‘threat’ has Mr Arc claimed will be attacking this Academy?”

****

“He said that someone was trying to attack Headmaster Ozpin, Professor Goodwitch.” Pyrrha Nikos insisted, stepping forward with her own equipment at the ready.

****

“WHAT!?” Glynda cried out, with James’ visage mirroring her look of shock.

****

“It’s true teach.” Coco Adel spoke up next. “He gathered us all together to try and help, he even said he’d contacted one of his old buddies, someone called ‘Daniel Wilson’.” This explanation now caught the General’s interest, who stepped forward to address the children himself.

****

“You mean to tell me that Specialist Wilson had advance knowledge of this attack, and he neglected to inform his superior officer!?” James’ face twisted into a snarl. “That impulsive hot-headed fool! He’s going to get himself killed!” Glynda placed a hand on his shoulder in response.

****

“Later, James. For now, we need to get to Ozpin.” She insisted.

****

“What about us?” Blake Belladonna spoke up now.

****

“Yeah! You can’t expect us to miss out on this action!” Of course it would be Yang Xiao-Long who thought that it’ll be a good fight.

****

“Fine.” Glynda snapped, her gaze re-focusing on the trainees. “But this will be a very dangerous situation to step into, so you _will_ do _exactly_ as we say at all times, _is that_ **clear**?” The students nodded in affirmative in response, causing her to soften somewhat.

****

“Very well… now then, come alo-” That was when she realised something. “Miss Nikos, where is Mr Arc?”

****

“Oh! Oh! Fearless Leader said he wanted to go on ahead to help out his old buddy!” Nora Valkyrie cried out, with her usual enthusiasm present and accounted for. “He went on without us while we gathered everyone else!”

****

“You mean to tell me… that Mr Arc decided to approach a very dangerous situation… ALONE? With no back-up WHATSOEVER!?” Glynda practically _snarled_ with frustration and anger, mostly at her student’s impulsiveness and idiocy.

****

“Yeppers-peppers!” Miss Valkyrie replied, completely nonplussed by or ignoring the Beacon Headmistress’ rage entirely, even as everyone else cringed away. “Of course Jauney would do something like that, Professor! That’s why he’s our Fearless Leader!”

****

Glynda pinched the bridge of her nose and sucked in a breath in an attempt to calm herself.

****

“ _Very well then…_ come along students.” She ordered, as she and James began again, while the students fell into step behind the two. “We must reach Headmaster Ozpin’s office as soon as is possible, we will simply need to keep an eye out for Mr Ar-”

****

Before Glynda could finish her sentence, the double doors leading to the courtyard shattered and collapsed inward, a figure of black, white and yellow tumbling through it. The figure smacked against the ground, rolled a few times, then finally came to a stop near the shocked adults and students.

****

As the figure struggled to his feet, Glynda realised that it was none other than Jaune Arc himself, though judging from the bruises on his skin and the dents in his armor, he was clearly having quite a bad time.

****

“Jaune!” Nikos rushed forward, past Glynda, to look her leader over and fuss over him. “What happened to you!? Are you alright!?” She sounded quite frantic as the other girls began to move forward too.

****

“H-holy shit… that guy… hits like a Goliath. P-probably even harder… I think I broke a few ribs there.” The boy winced, shivering and stuttering as if he was in pain.

****

Rather than chastise him for profanity, Glynda instead moved one of her hands to the boy’s shoulder, turning him gently to look at her as she questioned him.

****

“Who? Who was it Mr Arc?”

****

Her question was soon answered, however, as one of the tallest and broadest men she had ever seen stepped through the destroyed doors, arms folded and expression stern. He had a light tan to his skin, as well as brown hair and a beard to match. He seemed to be waring some form of green robes, with a dark shirt underneath and matching trousers.

****

James had his revolver ready and aimed right at the man’s head before Glynda could move, though she readied her crop as well, just in case.

****

“Who are you?” The General demanded. “Why attack this student?”

****

“He was trying to get into the tower. I can’t let anyone in, he refused to surrender.” The man rumbled, in a rather deep and gravelly voice. “This doesn’t have to end in violence. My associates have business here, don’t interfere and I won’t have to fight you.” He seemed honestly sincere.

****

“What ‘associates’!?” Glynda barked out. “Who are you working with!?” Though really ,she already knew the answer, but the familiar sound of the man’s voice and his look was distracting her from fully having that realisation.

****

She barely had a second to throw up a barrier with her Semblance before a blur slammed into it.

****

Flipping backward in a remarkable show of agility, the blur resolved itself into the form of a man in a brown trenchcoat, with a white uniform and black straps underneath. His yellow eyes darted between the adults and teens in front of him.

****

“Oh ho ho ho ho! What have we here? Some delicate little lambs and their herders, trying to aid the false shepard!” The man giggled and cackled maniacally as he spoke. “Poor little lambs, so lost and alone! Far away from the wisdom of the Goddess!”

****

“Who are you!?” Ruby Rose demanded, the girl stepping forward to address the attacker directly. “Do you work for the White Fang!?”

****

The man tilted his head a little, but soon broke into more laughter.

****

“Oh no, of course not, my little Rose! Why would I, when serving the Goddess offers me all the guidance I could ever need?”

****

“Who’s that?” The girl asked again. “Is it that woman who’s trying to attack the Headmaster?”

****

At this, however, the man’s face twisted into a snarl.

****

“How DARE you assume that I would EVER debase myself so!? I would NEVER sully myself with that pretender! Not when my Lady has already blessed me with her presence!” As the man ranted, he threw off his trenchcoat to reveal his full outfit, while a very vicious-looking scorpion tail uncurled itself from behind his back as he crouched low.

****

“He’s… a Faunus!?” Miss Belladonna’s voice gasped out.

****

“Indeed I am! My name is Tyrian… ambassador and disciple of the Goddess herself!” Tyrian proclaimed with grandiosity, an insane smile spreading across his face. “You children are of no concern to me, only the False Shepard’s death matters! Although… _you_ do interest me.” The last statement was addressed to Jaune Arc, the boy unfurling his kite shield and assuming a combat stance.

****

“You leave him _alone._ ” Miss Rose snapped out, with surprising hostility in the young girl’s voice as she unsheathed her weapon, pointing the barrel directly at the scorpion Faunus in front of her. He simply smiled gleefully in reply.

****

“Why… the Rose has thorns! Can we kill them now, Hazel, for the Goddess?” Tyrian asked of his companion, though hearing his name jogged Glynda’s memory at last.

****

“Hazel… Hazel Rainart?” Off the man’s head tilt, Glynda’s eyes narrowed and her lips thinned into a line. “So… this is where you ended up, helping murderers and psychopaths destroy the Kingdoms.”

****

“The Kingdoms are not my concern, Professor.” Hazel replied, his gaze stern, though apologetic. “All I care about is making sure that Ozpin pays for what he did, I’m sorry that it’s come to this, but he _needs to pay.”_

****

“So… this is about your sister then? I wonder what Gretchin would say if she could see what’s become of you, if she saw that you’re attacking the Hunters she idolised, and endangering the civilians she wanted to protect in the process.” Glynda snapped angrily. “She’d be disgusted by what you’ve become.”

****

At this, Hazel stiffened, before growling in anger himself as he sunk into a ready stance, while Tyrian did likewise.

****

“You’re going to protect that _murderer_ then? Fine. He’ll pay, even if I have to kill all of you to get to him.” Hazel snarled out, suddenly _far_ more aggressive than he had been a moment ago.

****

“Students, leave the hall and take the alternate route to the courtyard and tower. This is NOT your fight NOR is it a debate, this is an _order,_ _move now.”_ Glynda ordered, pleased when the students obeyed instantly, all 4 teams filing out of the hallway and leaving the four adults alone.

****

For a few moments, there was silence and peace, no one moved, no one did anything. Perhaps, just perhaps, this could be resolved peacefully.

****

Then Hazel made the first move, Tyrian following not long after.

****

As she brought up her riding crop to defend herself from the crazed zealot bearing down on her, manic grin on his face and scorpion tail poised to strike, Glynda could only hope that her students could keep themselves safe.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

The sixteen students, led by Jaune Arc, Ruby Rose, Nebula Violette and Coco Adel, made their way steadily through the hallways toward the courtyard, though taking the longer route meant they would arrive significantly later.

****

“I hope the teachers will be alright.” Nebula said, the NDGO leader looking nervous all the while.

****

“Relax kid.” Coco assured her fellow leader, the older girl wearing a serious look that Jaune did not see often. “Goodwitch is tough as nails, and the guy with her General-fucken-Ironwood! They got it handled.”

****

“I hope so.”

****

“So… what’s the plan then?” One of the NDGO members, Dew, spoke up.

****

“Honestly, I thought we’d follow Jauney boy’s lead here, since he’s the one who got this little crew together.” Coco stated. “Anyone got any objections to that?”

****

There was a chorus of ‘no’s’ from the girls around them. Coco turned to Jaune with a raised eyebrow behind her shades.

****

“Alright then blondie, what’s the plan?”

****

Jaune gulped, feeling all the girls’ eyes on him. He’d lead his team well enough before, but leading three other teams on top of that? He wasn’t sure he could pull that off! Would they really all listen to him just like that?

****

He felt hands reach out to squeeze his own, looking down he saw that one of them belonged to Pyrrha, while the other belonged to Ruby, both the Crimson Spartan and the Reaper of Beacon had encouraging smiles on their faces.

****

“It’s okay Jaune, we’ll follow your lead.” Ruby assured him.

****

“Thanks Rubes. Will… will all of you really follow me, just like that?” He asked to the assembled girls and two older boys from CVFY, looking for confirmation.

****

“You bet we will lover boy.” Yang nodded her head.

****

“We’re here because of you, so you should lead us.” Blake insisted.

****

“C’mon Fearless Leader! You got this!” Nora cried out.

****

Ren simply smiled and bowed her head slowly in assent.

****

“We’re here for you Jaune.” Nebula insisted, a soft smile on her face, her teammates all gave affirmatives as well.

****

“Heh, c’mon stud, no way I’m letting you get yourself killed before I get my turn with that tight ass of yours.” Coco threw a wink his way, some of her old sass and cheek returning.

****

“We’re happy to help you, Jaune!” Velvet threw in her bit, the bunny Faunus nodding her head eagerly.

****

Fox Alistair simply nodded as well.

****

“We are sworn to your service for this fight.” The tall boy, Yatsuhashi, rumbled in his deep voice.

****

“Well, okay then…” Jaune admitted, clearly not expecting this kind of unanimous approval. “Well… first thing’s first, we need to make sure the Headmaster’s alright. If there _is_ a fight going on, then target the weaker team members first before focusing on the leader, alright?”

****

The team members all replied with affirmatives, before Jaune turned and began to lead them all down the corridor again. Ruby, Coco and Nebula all fell into step beside him, readying their weapons as they drew nearer the courtyard.

****

“Hey… what’s that?” Jaune heard one of team NDGO’s members, Octavia, call out. He and the others turned to look at the girl, then in the direction she was pointing.

****

“There’s something out there.” Octavia insisted, finger pointing squarely out one of the darkened windows, the light of the day almost totally swallowed up by the encroaching night.

****

“I can’t see anything… hey Blakey, you see anything?” Yang turned to her teammate, and CVFY’s members turned to Velvet. As the only Faunus in the group, their superior night vision would probably pick up whatever was out there.

****

“There… there is something out there, yes.” Blake confirmed, squinting her amber eyes as she moved closer to the window. “It… it looks like… I’m not sure.”

****

“It looks like some sort of sphere with tendrils coming out of it, from the outline.” Velvet had moved to stand by Blake at the window, the bunny girl’s brown eyes equally narrowed. “I’ve… never seen anything like it before, it’s almost like there’s a… a _glow_ coming from it.”

****

“Look, whatever it is, it’ll have to wait. We gotta get to the Emerald Tower like right now!” Yang urged, with Weiss and Ruby in particular nodding in assent.

****

“Agreed, we must make sure these infiltrators have not harmed the headmaster.” The heiress insisted.

****

“Well, then we’d best get moving.” Pyrrha’s statement drew murmurs of agreement from the other trainee Hunters. Jaune decided to take the lead, tore himself away from the window that Velvet and Blake were staring out of, and began to move down the hallway.

****

“Come on guys, whatever that thing is we need to leave it for now, it’s probably harmless anyway.” The Knight reassured the other students, who also broke away from the window and began to follow him.

****

Had the students known what it was that was waiting outside the window, they might have been more cautious, they might have made sure that creature was dead before they moved on.

****

But sadly, they didn’t take those measures, so the creature continued its journey unobstructed by the trainee Hunters, making its way deep into the Emerald Forest.

****

Settling down, the Seer Grimm began to broadcast the conversation it had picked up between the human children to the Alpha Seer. It might not have been able to understand what those humans were saying, but the Queen could.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

_Interesting…_

****

Salem’s red eyes studied the image being projected within the bulbous membrane of her Seer’s ‘head’. The image showed more than a dozen children, Beacon students given their attire, advancing down a hallway.

****

As the transmitting Seer re-focused its sight, Salem could quite clearly see the children were within Beacon itself, approaching the Academy’s courtyard. No doubt they were on their way to the Emerald Tower. If that wasn't enough, the conversation her Seer had picked up between them outright confirmed it, they were trying to protect their Headmaster.

****

_At least your little lambs are loyal to you, Ozpin… a pity they won’t be able to save you. Or themselves…_

****

Closing her crimson orbs, the Dark Queen reached out with her mind, her network of carefully planted Seers within the forest around Ozpin’s pathetic Academy all acting as relays to amplify her control. The Grimm within responded to her instructions swiftly, and were soon on their way to the Academy’s grounds.

****

The Grimm moved as one. Beowolves, Ursae, Nevermores, even a few Deathstalkers, all of them moving with a singular purpose, all of them responding to the irresistible command from their Queen that burned within their primitive minds.

****

_The children must not reach Ozpin, kill them all._

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

The four teams had made it about halfway across the courtyard before the first roar was heard.

****

“What the hell!?” Yang called. “Was… was that a Grimm!?” The blonde brawler was glancing around, scanning for any of the creatures in the immediate vicinity, the other teams slowing to a halt as they began to join her.

****

“Impossible.” Weiss replied, the heiress raising Myrtenaster regardless. “The only Grimm here are in the Emerald Forest.”

****

“Might want to check your eyes there kid.” Coco called, the fashionista already hefting her deployed minigun in both hands, her eyes fixed on the darkening sky. “There’s Grimm on the way, get ready.”

****

“But where?” Gwen asked, team NDGO readying their weapons as well.

****

“See those dark clouds up there?” Coco asked, the other students followed her finger to see the aforementioned clouds, slowly drifting in from the direction of the Emerald Forest.

****

“Those are some odd looking clouds.” Pyrrha observed.

****

“Yeah… those aren’t clouds.” Coco stated rather bluntly. “Bun, you’ve got better eyes than mine, what are those for the kids in the back?”

****

Before Velvet could reply, one of the ‘clouds’ let out a loud screech as it began to speed up, the group now making out the wings flapping at the sides.

****

“NEVERMORES!!” Jaune yelled in alarm.

****

The other students responded instantly, those with long-ranged weapons taking aim and trying to snipe the beasts from the sky, Ruby and Pyrrha being the most effective at this with the others providing covering fire. A few of the Nevermores got close enough to unleash a barrage of feathers, but Jaune was in motion by then, using Ruby’s Semblance to block almost all the feathers with his kite shield before they reached his friends. Before long, the Nevermores were dispatched.

****

Any attempts at a victory cry were drowned out by the louder roars that began to reach their ears, roars that most certainly sounded like a combination of Ursae and Beowolves. The beasts came into view a few moments later, dozens of them bearing down on the students.

****

Yang, Yatsuhashi, Fox and Pyrrha moved to the front to form a barricade against the creatures, with Nora joining them after she had used up all her grenades from Magnhild’s launcher form to thin the herds. Jaune made to follow, only for a hand on his shoulder to stop him. He was greeted by Coco’s shades meeting his eyes.

****

“Nuh-uh, this’ll take too long. Someone’s gotta go make sure the Headmaster’s alright, we can handle this.” Coco turned to Ruby. “Rose! Go with Arc! We’ll hold the line here and join you when we can!” She ordered, her tone all business as she stepped forward with her minigun in hand.

****

“But-” Jaune began, trying to protest.

****

“Did I freakin STUTTER!?” Coco _yelled_ as Yatsu, Fox, Yang, Nora and Pyrrha met the first waves of creatures head on. Team NDGO, Blake and Weiss provided ranged support, the latter with her Dust cartridges and Glyphs to empower her fellow students, the former with their ranged configurations. “Get going NOW!”

****

“Y-yes ma’am!” Jaune and Ruby both cried out, operating on instinct at that point, Coco turned out to be capable of a terrifyingly effective Goodwitch impression when she needed to be. Gone was the friendly and slightly perverse civilian Coco they knew, replaced by the more professional and stern Huntress Coco.

****

As Jaune retreated toward the tower with Ruby in tow, he heard Coco call out to him.

****

“You best not die on me, Arc. I still want my date!”

****

“Good luck Jaune, be safe!” Nebula cried, the girl shooting a charging Alpha right between the eyes with her crossbow, to be finished off with a barrage from Coco’s minigun.

****

“Give em hell, Lover Boy!” Yang threw in her two cents, the brawler sending a Beowulf flying with a vicious uppercut.

****

“Try not to die Fearless Leader!” Nora added her own encouragement, even as the bomber crushed an Ursa’s head with Magnhild.

****

With the praise from his friends and the cacophony of sounds from their weapons ringing in his ears, Jaune and Ruby disengaged and began to make their way to the Emerald Tower.

****

_I hope they’ll be okay… come to think of it, I hope General Ironwood and Professor Goodwitch are okay, too._

****

_“They’ll be fine, Jaune.”_ For the first time in a while, the Knight felt the familiar presence of Summer Rose in his mind. “ _Glyndie’s one of the strongest women I’ve met, and James Ironwood didn’t become head of the Atlas Military for nothing. I’m sure they’re doing just fine.”_

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

There was one thought that was currently taking precedence in the mind of Glynda Goodwitch right now.

****

_This is not good._

****

She had known that she and James would in for a tough fight the second Hazel had taken a punch from the General’s robotic arm and been completely unphased by it, instead taking the opportunity to pick the man up and hurl him across the hallway, She had seen him suplex Alpha Beowolves and even Deathstalkers with that thing, for crying out loud!

****

It only got worse than there, mostly because Hazel turned out to be capable of stabbing raw Dust crystals into his forearms with few ill-effects, not even being slowed down by the pain at all. Perhaps his Semblance let him numb pain or something? Then again, Glynda wasn’t paying too much attention to what the massive man was doing right now, she was too busy fending off the psychopathic scorpion Tyrian.

****

It took quite a bit more skill and finesse than Glynda was used to using lately just to keep the man at bay, with his agility and sheer speed, he was _everywhere_ . He zipped to and fro, cackling all the while, barraging the Deputy with machine gun fire from his wrist-bracers whenever she created any space between them, whenever he _did_ get close he’d become a whirling dervish. The fact that he made liberal use of his tail as a combat weapon meant that she now had _five limbs_ , in effect, to deal with.

****

Growling, the Deputy nailed the man in the face with a wave of inertia, sending him flipping backward, though he landed in a crouch, that manic grin still affixed to his face in a permanent slasher smile.

****

“The Goddess’ faithful will always triumph over the false believers!” He chanted. He’d been throwing a steady stream of litanies to his ‘Goddess’ around ever since the fight started, his devotion to her was… disturbing, to say the least. Especially when Glynda knew exactly who it was he was talking about.

****

She sent some sharpened shards of the destroyed double-doors at him in reply, a few got through, but he dodged most of them. It didn’t do as much to him as she might’ve liked.

****

A loud whine and a blast caught her attention from nearby, as she briefly glanced left, she caught the image of James discharging a fully charged blast from his repulsor directly into Hazel chest at near-point blank. Much to her satisfaction, he was actually knocked down this time. The General took the opportunity to perform a near-perfect suplex of the stunned giant, before grabbing him again and kicking him out into the courtyard with his augmented leg.

****

That just left Tyrian to deal with, for now.

****

“Surrender.” Ironwood growled out, the repulsor in his palm already charged up again as he aimed it at Tyrian, his other hand now clutching his heavy revolver again. Glynda, in turn, readied her crop and levitated a few more objects behind her, including the hallways fire extinguisher.

****

“Oh ho ho ho! I don’t think sooo~” The crazed assassin warbled in a sing-song voice.

****

“Yes, it is. Now drop your weapons an-aarrrgghhh!!” James’ ultimatum was cut off by a cry of pain as a bolt of electricity slammed into him at full-force, throwing him back into the ground. He tried to stand, but the energy surge had overloaded his augments, which refused to respond.

****

Hazel came walking into view again, one arm outstretched and charge with a crackling yellow energy from the Dust crystal he’d shoved into it. An arm that was now pointed squarely at Glynda.

****

“If you’re going to fight for the murderer that sent my sister to die, then you can die with him.” He growled out, his voice deeper and more reverberating than before. Tyrian came to stand beside him, cackling all the while with his tail poised.

****

Only to be interrupted as a bright beam of bluish-white energy slammed into his chest at full force, knocking him down for the second time. As Tyrian and Glynda recovered from their shock, they heard a voice that Glynda never thought she’d be relieved hearing.

****

“Counter offer, BFG. You surrender, or I’ll fry your face. How about that?” The voice of Daniel Wilson sounded out as the Sentinel Armor flew in through the destroyed doors, kicking Tyrian in the face as he passed to land beside Glynda.

****

“What’s up, teach?” He asked, conversationally.

****

“Where _exactly_ have you been, Mr. Wilson!?” Glynda snarled out, as James finally struggled to his feet behind her, his augments repaired and operational once again.

****

“I went to try and kill the bitch who murdered my team.” He replied, dead-serious. “But she had that green-haired bootlicker of hers hit me with another illusion. They were gone by the time I shook it off. Oh well… at least I can turn these assholes into charred ash as a consolation prize.”

****

Hazel had gotten up again, moving to stand by Tyrian with both arms charged with electrical power.

****

“Hey pal. Word of advice?” Daniel called out to the giant. “I don’t care how big you are, I’ve taken down Goliaths in this thing. Put your… put your _fists_ down and come quietly, or I’ll waste you.”

****

Hazel’s only reply was to blast him with twin streams of electricity from both arms before either he or the adults could react.

****

“Daniel!” Glynda cried out in alarm, as the suit dropped to one knee, crackling and shuddering from the energy discharge. There were even a few burn spots across the chassis.

****

She was quite relieved, however, when he stood back up quite quickly, the glow from his suit lights and the repulsors he was now charging suddenly much brighter than before. She didn’t have to wonder why long, as the suit’s automated assistant chose that moment to chime in with a helpful notice.

****

_‘Energy reserves at 375% capacity.’_ The smooth voice stated.

****

“Well, how about that?” Glynda could practically _hear_ that smug smirk in her former student’s voice as he retaliated, both of his repulsors and his chest-piece opening up with an energy barrage so intense it flung both Tyrian and Hazel right out into the courtyard. This allowed the trio to have a much-needed breather.

****

“Are you alright, Specialist Wilson?” James asked, showing genuine concern for the young man.

****

“I’ll… no, not really sir. That bitch made me see my dead team again… made me watch them die. I’ll be ‘alright’ when I turn her into a smouldering corpse.” Wilson muttered darkly.

****

“You’ll have to get in line then.” James growled out, thumbing his revolver. “She’s a dangerous terrorist, far too dangerous to take in alive.”

****

“We can deal with Cinder Fall and her associates _later._ ” Glynda ordered. “Right now, we have to finish dealing with _them._ ” She gestured with her riding crop to the courtyard doors… only to be confused when Tyrian and Hazel did _not_ re-emerge from them.

****

Stepping out into the courtyard, the trio finally caught sight to the would-be assassins, they were currently fleeing the Academy grounds. Even on foot, they showed remarkable haste, they were almost gone from view at this point.

****

“I’ll get after them.” Daniel began, but Glynda held out an arm.

****

“No, let them go, we need to make sure that Ozpin is alright first.” She ordered, both men snapping to attention and falling in behind her as the Deputy began to make to way toward the Emerald Tower.

****

As they hurried across the west courtyard, Glynda could only pray that her superior was still alive.

****

_Please be alright Ozpin, you’d better not have died on me._

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

In the fortified vault deep beneath the Headmaster’s office, the only sign as to the frantic and brutal battle taking place within were small flashes of green light and reddish-orange fire.

****

As Marcie Black’s body hit the vault wall for what felt like the fiftieth time, there was only one thought dominating her mind.

****

_We’re screwed. No, we’re dead._

****

It had all started off reasonably well, all things considered.

****

The boss had decided to do her thing, gloating and bragging and generally going off on one of her ‘I’m awesome and you suck’ tangents, as Marcie liked to call them. The old man in front of had just _stood there_ with his walking stick in front of him, just listening to it all with a slight frown on his face, but otherwise apparently not giving a shit.

****

_He’s probably heard this way too many times before_ , Marcie had thought. The old guy had probably come across so many bad guys who screamed about their superiority in his career as a Hunter that it just didn’t phase him anymore.

****

Now, Marcie was never fond of hearing Cinder’s arrogant boasts, it always grated on her nerves, but the boss had decided to lay it on _extra-thick_ for this occasion. Usually these speeches were about half a minute long at most.

****

This one turned out to be a four-minute monologue.

****

There she went, banging on about how she was the destined owner of not one, but _all four_ Maidens’ powers, about how she was the strongest and the most powerful and she’d crush the plebeians beneath her heels and how she was the chosen ‘Dark Messiah’ who would usher in a new age and _oh my god_ , _just shut up already!_

****

Marcie was bored out of her skull by the time Cinder reached the apex of her bragging… no, fuck this. This wasn’t bragging. This was full-on self pleasure! God, it was like she was having one off right here, with the way she was getting off on her own hype. If the fight didn’t start soon, she might just fall asleep from boredom.

****

That said, her boredom cleared up instantly when Old Man Ozpin started talking.

****

Marcie had been expecting some generic platitudes or an offer to let them surrender peacefully, that was what these Hunters usually did whenever she came across them. It was how she’d given them the slip time and time again, feign surrender then just mace them in the eyes when they got close, the pepper spray worked like a charm. Perhaps he’d even promise some retribution for those students of his that Em and Cinder had killed a few years ago.

****

Needless to say, that’s not what they got. They got something much more interesting.

****

Old Man Ozpin, as it turned out, actually _had_ been listening to the entirety of the boss’ bullshit, self-serving monologue about destiny and entitlement and her own greatness. How the man had managed it without literally dying of old age and boredom first was a mystery Marcie might never work out. Regardless, he’d been listening, and he wanted to ask the boss a question.

****

_“_ By all means… a final question before you die.” The boss had so ‘kindly’ offered. Though that self-satisfied smirk on her face was wiped clean away by what the old man said next, it was so shocking that Marcie wished she’d been recording the whole thing, she’d have treasured it forever.

****

“Why?” Ozpin had asked. “Do you think _you_ are worthy of the mantle of the Fall Maiden?”

****

Cinder had bragged a bit about herself again, insisting that since she was strong enough to take the power from that other lady, it was hers by right. Though this time Marcie picked up the tell-tale edge of insulted anger in her voice, it was what usually came up when someone _dared_ to try and knock her massive ego down a peg or two.

****

Old Man Ozpin shot that down instantly, he’d heard from his observer how things really went down. After all, not only had she had lots of help from Em and herself, but the only way she’d been able to take part of the power in the first place was with that Parasite Grimm in her glove.

****

He’s also insulted her, right to her face, with what he’d said next.

****

“Then there’s the matter of personality. Your ‘predecessor’ Amber… she was a kind and generous soul. She risked her life to help those in need in the frontier settlements, even though she was under no obligation to do so. That takes a courage, idealism and strength of character that you, Miss Fall, most certainly do not have. And it is most certainly required to take on the mantle of a Maiden.”

****

Cinder had spluttered out some denials and angry death threats at that, but the old man refused to stop until he’d said his piece. He’d just ploughed on, heedless of how angry the boss was getting.

****

“When I look at Amber, I see the ideal Guardian for our people, a symbol of hope and unity in these times ahead. When I look at you… all I see is a petty bully stepping on anyone who displeases her, who thrives on terrorizing those weaker than her, as all playground bullies do. You have all that power… and what do you do with it? You hurt and maim those who can’t fight back. That takes no courage, no strength of character at all. In fact… I’d say it highlights just what a cowardly little failure you really are.”

****

It didn’t take too long after that, about 5 seconds by Marcie’s count, for flame-bitch to flip her lid and rush forward in a blur to try and skewer the old man with her flame sword.

****

_He’s dead. There’s no way he can get out of the way in ti-_

****

That was as far as Marcie’s thoughts had gotten before she was sent tumbling backward and sprawling into a heap on the ground. She’d noticed that Emerald and the boss had suffered similarly, though the latter was still standing.

****

As it turned out, old Ozpin fought with his cane, and he was much, _much_ more skilled than any of them would have predicted. Hell… the guy swiped dozens of glass shards and bullets from Em’s guns out of thin air with the damn thing, for crying out loud!

****

Marcie had assumed that walking with a cane meant that he’d be slower than most people they’d fought. But no, he was actually the fastest and most agile opponent they’d ever gone up against. You just couldn’t hit him! Whenever she tried with her prosthetics, he’d just _vanish_ in a green blur, then she’d feel her body being hit with what felt like concentrated machine gun fire and flung backward.

****

It wasn’t gunfire, as she had learned quickly. It was his cane. The old man held it like a fencing sword and jabbed someone with it at about 200 miles an hour, she could _swear_ that he left behind greenish afterimages he was moving so quickly! One ‘poke’ with that cane might not have hurt that much, but when those pokes averaged about 50 a second for 5 seconds…

****

Which brings us to right now, as the assassin girl hit the wall after getting a haymaker to the face from the headmaster, who was currently engaged with Cinder again. They blurred back and forth, the boss blocking with her twin glass swords while Ozpin attacked relentlessly, he quickly managed to break her guard and hit her in the chest with his stick, sending her skidding along the floor, though remaining on her feet.

****

Marcie looked over to Emerald, but she was out cold. She’d been prioritised and quickly taken out by Ozpin as soon as she’d tried to use an illusion on him, the old man was so fast that Em hadn’t had time to set up the image before he’d broken her Aura with about 20 seconds of continuous cane strikes.

****

“Marceline!” Cinder called out, catching her attention. The woman was surrounded by a flaming shield to keep the old man at bay, he was just _standing there_ about 10 feet from her, watching with those same narrowed eyes and grim frown that he’d put on when the fight had started. “Take Emerald and go!” She ordered. “You have her responsibility now.”

****

Marcie knew what that meant. Scrambling over to Emerald and hoisting her unconscious form over her shoulder, Marcie fumbled in the girl’s pockets until she found what she wanted, the detonator for the explosives they’d placed near the midpoint of the Emerald Tower. She was supposed to trigger the explosives, but with her out cold…

****

Surprisingly, Marcie _didn’t_ find herself batted around like a pinball by _Professor Fast-As-Fuck_ (as she’d taken to calling him a few times through the fight because _come on, he was asking for that nickname!_ ), probably the boss keeping him busy or trying to kill him on her own, she didn’t look back to check, too busy running as fast as she could to the extraction point. Well, as fast as could with Emerald on her shoulder.

****

She reached the point fairly quickly as it was just outside of the west courtyard, though the Bullhead was nowhere in sight, meaning that she had nothing to do but wait. It’s not like they’d be taking off without the boss anyway, she’d kill them if they did that. The girl’s thoughts were interrupted by a series of loud roars and gunfire from nearby.

****

Looking around, Marcie saw a group of Beacon students engaged against a horde of… Grimm? _Here?_ On the grounds of Beacon?! What the…!? Come to think of it, a few of those students looked to be from… Jaune’s team?

****

_Oh no. He’s… he’s not here is he!? Oh god…_

****

Fortunately, a quick scan of the students showed that Jaune was nowhere in sight. Nor was that little red-caped girl… Ruby, was that her name? Yeah, Ruby. She and jaune must have gone off somewhere else to… get some help or something. Well… at least the fricken Grimm invasion would keep any other bystanders occupied while the boss finished up.

****

Marcie thumbed the trigger of the detonator, her thoughts warring with one another. On the one hand, she couldn’t disobey Cinder when it came to something this important, but on the other hand… the rubble might hurt some of those students, but at least Jaune was nowhere in sight, he’d be okay…

****

With a heavy heart, Marceline took the detonator in a firm grip and pressed the trigger down.

****

The Emerald Tower erupted into flame and falling masonry seconds later.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

**Beacon’s Vault, at the Same Time**

****

The lights that normally lit the Vault had been rendered inactive some time ago, plunging the whole space into pitch darkness. The only light that bathed the area now came from the bright flashes as green and orange blurs clashed violently.

****

Cinder stumbled back as a barrage of jabs forced her to defend, the suited man not letting up for even a second as he pelted her with blows. She summoned a flame blast around herself, forcing him to retreat and giving herself room.

****

Stomping her foot to spread heat across the floor under her, she quickly fashioned another volley of glass shards to throw at him. Ozpin swatted them all out of the air at breakneck speed, but the woman used the distraction to close the distance and slash at his neck.

****

Ozpin blocked it with his cane, the implement sheathed in a greenish glow with the markings on the sides lighting up as he pushed against her blades. Cinder’s savage grin met his determined scowl.

****

“What’s the matter, old fool? Can’t you that you’ve-” A fist caught her in the gut before she could finish, knocking the wind out of her, a knee found her chest to send her stumbling before several slashes of the cane began to tear at both her dress and her Aura, forcing her back.

****

Ozpin seized the initiative quickly, blurring forward and attacking her with countless cane thrusts so rapid they sounded like an automatic weapon, the effect caused Cinder to almost dance in place for a while as her body spasmed and buckled from the barrage. The Headmaster moved so fast that greenish after-images could briefly be seen as he attacked. Before she could recover, Ozpin delivered an Aura-charged haymaker right to her face, sending her _flying_ across the vault.

****

Had she not been capable to flight thanks to the portion of Amber’s powers she had been able to absorb, the usurper Maiden would have found herself buried directly in the masonry of the opposite wall. As it stood, she floated in place, a flaming inferno surrounding her body and her eyes lighting up as she prepared to turn the Headmaster of Beacon into ash where he stood.

****

The Professor slammed his cane’s tip into the ground as he dropped to one knee, the markings flashing as the channelled Aura formed into a spherical barrier that surrounded his being. The barrier was green and crackling with energy all the while.

****

The fight had been long and hard fought. Cinder was just about spent, while Ozpin knew that if her flame wave hit him head on, even with somewhere below half of the Fall Maiden’s power behind it, it would deplete even his Aura too quickly for him to recover fully. Even with his rapid Aura regeneration, his opponent would still be able to kill him while he was weakened, before the regeneration could kick in properly.

****

This was it. Whoever landed this next attack would secure victory.

****

Cinder unleashed the flame blast at the same time as Ozpin pushed off the ground.

****

Much to the usurper Maiden’s surprise, however, the Headmaster did _not_ in fact jump straight at her. No. Rather, he jumped at the wall to the left, avoiding the flames entirely.

****

As his feet reached out to touch the wall, a green glyph formed under them, propelling Professor Ozpin forward and upward again, this time aimed at the opposite wall.

****

By this time, Cinder had begun to launch wave after wave of flame at the approaching man, she knew what he was doing… he was using the force of the ricochets to move forward and approach her at an angle. He was essentially using a vastly scaled-up version of the tried and true gaming technique of ‘dodge from side to side as you approach the enemy to avoid being shot’, only Ozpin’s involved ping-ponging himself off the walls instead.

****

It was too little, too late. No matter how fast she turned, the prospective Fall Maiden couldn’t keep up with Ozpin’s movements, her Aura was too depleted to let her. The spherical shield was still in place as well, even if some of her frantically launched fireballs _did_ connect, the shield held firm.

****

As Cinder moved for one last desperate attack against her adversary, Ozpin’s form vanished into mist, the same greenish mist that his image of the Fall Maiden had been composed of. By the time she registered what was going on, it was too late to stop it.

****

Cinder whirled around in mid-air, to be greeted by the sight of Professor Ozpin. He was standing on a rotating green Glyph displaying a clockwork symbol and swinging his brightly glowing cane, markings fully lit up and the primary shaft crackling with the same energy as his shield barrier, right at her chest.

****

As the woman tumbled from the air and smashed into the ground hard enough to shatter what remained of her depleted Aura, she felt as if she’d been hit by a Titan Grimm. She tried to stand up with the last of her strength, but a green energy bolt caught her in the chest and flung her further back along the ground, she rolled a few times before coming to a halt in a heap.

****

Her adversary’s cane was still crackling with green energy from the sphere on the handle, leftover energy from his last attack as he lowered the glyph to the floor.

****

Now safely back on solid ground and a little winded after such a furious exertion, Ozpin began approaching the would-be assassin, his face set in a firm scowl and grimace as he thought about what she’d done. The attack on Amber… killing his students… this was someone who thrived on creating misery, on dealing out death and taking things from others, all while hurting those who had no chance of defending themselves just so she could gloat about her ‘superiority’.

****

As Cinder tried to struggle to her feet, Ozpin gripped his cane tightly as he approached, coming to a halt a few feet in front of her and tapping the point against the ground to get her attention.

****

“Surrender yourself. Your associates have fled and your Aura is depleted. This is your only warning.”

****

Cinder reply was cut off by a loud explosion from overhead.

****

The vault’s roof began to split and crack, Ozpin looking up in alarm as he realised what that meant.

****

_The Tower! They must have planted explosives… the students! Glynda!_

****

The damage to the vault was minimal save for the spider web of cracks along the roof, but the tower itself would be much more badly damaged. There would undoubtedly be chunks of masonry and rubble that had been or were going to be broken off by the explosion, they would come raining down at terrible speed, if there were any students in the vicinity…

****

By the time Ozpin returned his gaze to his would-be assassin, she was already fleeing the vault via the lift shaft using what she had of the Maiden powers, probably to catch up to her associates and escape. He could catch her easily enough… but that would mean leaving the rubble to potentially harm his students or fellow teachers.

****

Quickly, Ozpin turned and hurried out of the vault’s secondary exit. Hopefully, he could reach the courtyard in time to protect his students.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

“Come on Jaune!” Ruby called out, the Red Reaper zipping toward the tower using her Semblance. “We need to help the Headmaster!”

****

“Ruby, wait!” Jaune called. “We can’t just go charging in there,we don’t even know what this woman’s capable of!” Well, that wasn’t exactly true. Jaune knew quite well what she was capable of from the footage that Daniel’s helmet cam had recorded, as well as his own fight with her during the Vytal Tournament.

****

“But Jaune, Headmaster Ozpin could be in real trouble! He could be really hurt right now, we can’t just stand here and argue when he needs help!” Ruby insisted, the girl wasn’t budging on this. “Besides, I can just go in there and scout around with my Semblance. I promise I’ll be careful, but I just need to see if he’s alright!” Ruby gazed up at Juane with her big silver eyes.

****

_Damn it… I really have no defense against her doing that._ Jaune growled out mentally.

****

_“Jaune, even if you do let her go up there, please… please make sure she stays out of danger. Please keep my little girl safe…”_ There was a note of desperation in Summer’s pleading that really tore at Jaune’s heart, and that he understood. How could she not be worried? After all, her daughter was going into a fight against someone who had KILLED at least three other students like her already.

****

_I promise Summer, I give my word as an Arc._ He vowed, before placing a hand on Ruby’s shoulder to stare into her eyes. Ruby squeaked a little at the sudden contact, as well as the intensity in Jaune’s blue eyes.

****

“Okay Ruby, go and see if Ozpin’s alright… but you stay out of sight and _don’t_ try and attack whoever’s responsible without waiting for me first. Look Ruby… Daniel lost his whole team to this person, they’ve _killed_ students like us before. Whatever you do, _don’t_ take that risk… please.” Jaune insisted, bordering on begging himself.

****

“...okay, Jaune.” Ruby whispered, squeezing his hand in her own, with a small smile to try and reassure the boy in front of her. His deep concern for her wellbeing made her feel very happy, she liked that he was watching out for her, and not in a condescending way either. She wasn’t a little kid to him, she was a close friend (and now girlfriend, wow.) that he cared for.

****

With that, the Knight and Reaper made their way to the tower, arriving near the base, they found it surprisingly silent. Where were the noises of intense fighting? Where was the battle damage?

****

“I’ll go up and check the top floor, I’ll be really quick I promise Jaune! If I find anyone I’ll stay out of sight and call you!” Ruby was off before he could stop her. Well, at least she’d promised to stay out of sight…

****

The Knight decided to stand guard at the tower’s entrance, if only to greet anyone friendly who showed up and direct them to the upper levels, or fend off any Grimm that tried to get in.

****

A minute later, his scroll began to vibrate with an incoming call.

****

“Hello?”

****

“Hey Jaune, it’s me! I got up to the Headmaster’s office, but there’s nobody there! There’s no one in the whole tower!” Ruby’s voice came through, the confusion quite clear.

****

“Alright… well come back down here, we can meet up with the others and work out what to do next.”

****

“Okay, see you there. Stay safe, Jaune.”

****

“You stay safe too… Crater Face.” He couldn’t resist it, even after all this time, it might dissolve some of the tension he’d been feeling since she’d gone up there.

****

“H-hey! Who are are you calling Crater Face, Vomit Boy?!” The young girl yelled through the scroll, he could hear the indignant tone as she spoke. Jaune couldn’t help but chuckle a little at the reaction, it might have been inappropriate given the situation, but the moment of levity was sorely needed for the stressed Knight. “Fine! I’ll be down there! Try not to vomit on anything while I’m gone!”

****

Her need to try and sass him back was so adorable and endearing that Jaune sniggered a little as soon as he shut off the call, the image of Ruby’s face cutely scrunched up in indignation appearing in his mind. From the warm and happy laughter echoing alongside the image, Summer clearly shared his opinion about how cute her daughter was when flustered or indignant.

****

A storm of rose petals nearby heralded Ruby’s arrival, the Reaper marching up to Jaune with her face set in a pout. Before Jaune could open his mouth, she jabbed him in the stomach and folded her arms, glaring up at him while reinforcing the pout.

****

“I take it I deserved that for the Crater Face comment, huh?” Jaune preempted her rant. “Sorry Rubes… couldn’t resist. I think it’s cute, like you, you know?” He reached out to ruffle the girl’s red and black hair, causing her to blush a little and duck her head.

****

“Oh… o-okay. A-apology accepted!” Ruby  squeaked out. “So… what’s the plan now, then? I mean… the Headmaster’s not in his office… should we go back to the others?”

****

“Yeah, sounds like a plan to me Rubes.” Jaune agreed. “Well, let’s get-”

****

That was as far as he got before the tower in front of them exploded into flames.

****

Both students were sent reeling backward as the whole Emerald Tower was engulfed in a fiery conflagration, but that was not what worried Jaune, what worried him was the large chunks of masonry that were breaking off and falling to the courtyard.

****

“Ruby! Come on! We gotta-” For the second time, he was cut off mid sentence. But this it wasn’t because of an explosion.

****

It was because of a loud scream of pain that made his blood run cold.

****

Whirling around, he saw his first friend lying on the floor, clutching at her leg… a leg with a large chunk of masonry embedded into the lower half, with blood already pooling around the area as Ruby cried out in pain. The rubble must’ve hit her hard enough to get through her Aura.

****

“Oh god… RUBY!” Jaune yelled as he made his way over to her. “Oh my god. C’mon Ruby I’m getting you out of here!” The Knight knelt down to  lift his friend, when a loud crack from above drew his attention.

****

Looking up, he saw the largest piece of metallic debris yet hurtling toward them. There was no way they’d survive that, no way that Ruby could get out of the way in time…

****

Wait. It was metal. It was _metal debris…_

****

Blocking out Ruby’s pained cries for him to move and Summer’s distraught screams for him to take her daughter and leave as fast as he could,Jaune closed his eyes and focused, drawing on a Semblance he’d never used yet. It took a lot of effort… and a lot of Aura, from the drain he felt as he drew on it, but Ruby’s life was at stake, there wasn’t any other way.

****

Throwing both his palms out with a cry of exertion, the Knight focused all of his willpower into stopping the debris, before it could hurt Ruby or himself. The black shimmering outline that engulfed his gauntlets began to envelop the metal pieces falling toward them, one-by-one.

****

_Please let this work, please god let this work, just give me this one… I don’t even care if I get hurt, just let me save Ruby._ He whispered the prayer in his mind, hoping that someone, _anyone_ , could hear him.

****

Evidently, someone had.

****

After a while, Jaune heard a small voice call his name, and he opened his eyes. He found himself staring at Ruby, the girl obviously in pain but looking a tiny bit better than she had done. That was likely because she’d pulled out the piece of shrapnel that had found her leg and used part of her beloved cape as a tourniquet to staunch the blood flow.

****

“D-don’t worry, i-it wasn’t very deep.” Ruby assured him, though her face with still pale and clammy from the sweat and blood loss.

****

“C-can you walk?” Jaune asked, through gritted teeth. It was taking every ounce of his concentration to hold up the debris, how did Pyrrha made this look so easy!? Oh… right, she practiced, a lot, like with everything she did.

****

“N-no… Jaune, please, you have to-”

****

“I’m _not_ leaving you here, that’s not an option.” He growled out, his hands shaking slightly.

****

“B-but how am I going to…” The reaper’s question was cut off as another figure came running into view, panting a little and clearly out of breath. They’d sprinted the whole way here, apparently. That wasn’t what shocked Jaune, though.

****

It was the pick and brown eyes that greeted his own.

****

“N… Neo? What are you… doing here?” He managed to ask through his exertion.

****

‘ _She wanted me to kill you, but I couldn’t do it. I had to make sure you were okay. I’m really sorry Jaune, you’ve been so kind to me and I want to make this right.’_ Was the message he read on her scroll.

****

“Well… thanks. You want to make it up to me?” Another rapid series of nods from the heterochromic girl. “Get… get Ruby out of here. Now.”

****

_‘What about you?’_

****

“Get Ruby out of here… don’t worry about me.” He managed a small smile.

****

“Jaune…” Ruby whimpered, her soft, shaky and pleading voice drowning out the much louder and more frantic pleas from the Huntress in his mind as Summer practically screamed at him to get clear when Ruby was safe, to not throw his life away in some stupid sacrifice that wasn’t necessary and wouldn’t accomplish anything, other than traumatising his closest friends.

****

Neo scooped up the younger girl gently, before turning and running as fast as she could away from the area, Ruby glancing back at Jaune all the while as he watched them go. They were fine, they were safe, they were okay. No one else was going to die on his watch.

****

Jaune prepared to release the rubble, what with the drain on his Aura he couldn’t keep it up for much longer, slowly inching his way clear of the impact zone as he gritted his teeth. Hopefully, he could get clear then drop the rubble safely, if all went to plan.

****

Sadly, things did not go to plan. For there was one factor that the Knight did not account for when planning his own escape to safety. A factor named Cinder Fall.

****

The proto-Fall Maiden was onboard the unmarked Bullhead, along with her two associates, the craft having just begun to take off. The woman was seething with hate and anger. Anger at being denied what was hers by right. Anger at falling short at the last hurdle. Anger at being beaten, despite all her strength and power, by her mistress’ hated adversary. But most of all, anger at the knowledge that her months-no… her _years_ of planning and preparation amounted to _nothing._

****

Her anger had been focused on Ozpin ever since the vault, but as the Bullhead began to lift off, the doors still open as the pilot hadn’t flipped the switch to close them, something caught her eye that gave her rage a new target. Or rather… some _one._

****

The sight that drew her eye was that of Jaune Arc, the first year who had beaten her in the Vytal Tournament, holding up rubble from Beacon’s tower single handedly. He must be using another Semblance to do so, probably Nikos’ given the faint black glow her keen eye could make out from here.

****

At the mere sight of Jaune, Cinder’s rage and anger found a new victim to focus on. Images and memories rushed into her mind, all of them based on times where the boy had defied her or inconvenienced her or even slightly pissed her off.

****

His argument with her as he visited her team… his defeat of her in the solo rounds… figuring out her identity, even now… he’d survived the assassin she’d sent after him. All these memories simply fuelled her anger until the usurper Maiden was seeing red. Calling for the pilot to hold the transport steady where it was and keep the hatch open, she called on her powers to summon her glass bow, nocked an arrow and took aim.

****

_Ozpin and the Fall Maiden might still be breathing, but at least I can be rid of you and your interfering ways, Jaune Arc._

****

With that, as the Bullhead began to climb and the hatch began to close, Cinder released the arrow.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

Jaune was almost clear when the pain erupted in his chest.

****

“Urrgkk…” He gasped out, as he looked down to see a glass arrow sticking squarely out of his chest, blood dripping from the wound.

****

_Oh no… if I’m bleeding, that means…_

****

While the wound itself was relatively minor, and had missed the vital organs, the arrow had done its job.

****

Between the lingering damage from his short but brutal ‘fight’ against that Hazel person and then the Aura depletion from channelling Pyrrha’s Semblance into holding up all that rubble from the tower, even his significantly larger-than-usual Aura was at dangerous levels.

****

Cinder’s arrow was simply the nail in the coffin at this point, his Aura had shattered with the impact. And since most Semblances ran on Aura, his included, this only meant one thing.

****

Jaune barely had time to shield himself as the rubble, now once again in freefall, came crashing down right on top of him.

****

“JAUNE!!!” Ruby screamed out as her friend disappeared beneath all the masonry and debris, tears stinging the little Reaper’s eyes. Beside her, Neo was doing no better, the small enforcer sinking to her knees with hands over her mouth, eyes turned milky-white once more and she shook.

****

“RUBY!” Came a loud voice, shortly before the girl in question was swept off her feet and snatched into a tight hug. The blonde mane indicating that it was her sister Yang. “What the hell happened!? Are you alright!? Shit, you’re bleeding!” It was rare that the girl swore, but she did so now as she looked over her younger sister.

****

“Yang! It’s Jaune! He… he’s under all that rubble! Please, we have to help him!” Ruby cried out, crying openly now.

****

“What…?” Came Pyrrha’s shocked voice, NPR and NDGO’s members all staring in shock at the rubble in front of them. “But… b-but how!? What happened!? How did this… no! Jaune!” The Spartan rushed forward to try and pry the rubble away, joined by Ren, Nora and Nebula and her team. In her panic, the Champion neglected to use her Semblance.

****

CVFY was watching the scene with somber expressions, Fox and Yatsu bowing their heads while Coco was consoling a crying Velvet, the rabbit Faunus burying her head into the fashionista’s shoulder. Her leader was watching the scene with a shell-shocked expression. She’d been half-joking when she’d told Jaune to come back alive, but now… the words felt sour in her mouth.

****

“WHAT is going on here!?” A stern and imperious voice boomed across the courtyard. The students turning in place to see the figures of Glynda Goodwitch and James Ironwood, with Daniel hovering above them in his armor, striding toward them. They all looked reasonably torn up from their fight in the hallway, but none the worse for wear.

****

“Professor! You have to help Jaune, he’s trapped under all of that rubble!” Blake called out, the cat Faunus sounding genuinely scared.

****

“Have any of you seen Headmaster Ozpin!?” Ironwood demanded, to which all the students shook their heads. “Damn it… we should’ve gotten here sooner! Perhaps then we might’ve-”

****

“Arrived in time to help, James?” A smooth, inquiring voice cut across the courtyard. Turning to the source, everyone stared rather slack jawed as Professor Ozpin strode toward them, for the first time not using his cane but holding it at his side in a backhand grip.

****

“Professor! You’re alright!” Coco called, visibly relieved.

****

“I am fine Miss Adel.” The Professor replied, before turning to Goodwitch and preemptively answering the question he knew was coming. “Before you ask, Glynda… I do not need medical attention, nor did our enemy discover any… important information. Besides, there is someone here who needs your help far more than I do.” The man’s gaze turned to the debris pile, making it very clear who he was referring to.

****

Without a word, the Headmistress began levitating the rubble with a wave of her crop, seemingly making it look effortless in the process. Soon enough, they could make out the battered form of…

****

“Jaune!” Pyrrha, Ruby, Nebula and Velvet all called at once. Everyone else watched with bated breath as Daniel flew in, scooped up his friend and flew out before the rubble was deposited back down.

****

“Is he breathing?” Ironwood asked, the General’s expression a grim frown.

****

“.....yes. Thank god.” Daniel replied, visible relief in the man’s voice. He moved to pull out the glass arrow before Ironwood stopped him.

****

“His Aura is shattered, pull that arrow out now and he might bleed to death.” He warned the Specialist.

****

“Get him to the medical wing Mr Wilson, as quickly as you can. They can remove it safely and bandage the wound” Ozpin ordered, the armored man complying instantly as he took off.

****

“Professor… will Jaune be okay? I mean, he’s survived things like this before… but I don’t think his injuries have ever been this bad…” Ruby asked the headmaster, real fear in the girl’s voice. She was right, even those who had seen Jaune injured before had never quite seen it this bad, the presence of the glass arrow was especially terrifying and moved more of the girls to tears.

****

After all, that meant that it wasn’t a Grimm attack or freak accident, another person had actually tried to kill Jaune, probably the same person who had attacked the Academy.

****

“I… I don’t know, Miss Rose.” Ozpin admitted, the Professor’s gaze fixed on what remained of the Emerald Tower.

****

“I honestly don’t know.”


	41. Confessions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A fresh face appears to head the investigation into Cinder. Meanwhile, Jaune starts his road to recovery, Ruby and Yang prepare for a trip home, and Winter confesses her feelings to Daniel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A big thanks to my colleague 'Force Commander Joe' for allowing us to use his Original Character for this story!
> 
> As always, reviews and comments are welcome.

As the sun rose over the Kingdom of Vale the following Tuesday, one man was already preparing to start his day.

 

Detective Joe Orion yawned loudly as he got out of bed to the sound of his alarm clock ringing in his ears. Padding over to the window, he opened the curtains and gazed out at the skyline of the place he called home.

 

“Another day in paradise.” He muttered, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. The rest of his morning routine was reasonably simple and didn’t take long for him to get through, but he always spared a minute to look out at Vale every morning, to remind himself why he continued to fight for it. In his own way.

 

Sighing, the Detective opened up his scroll, he had missed messages. One from his former Captain at the Vale PD, Flavus Westbrook, requesting that Orion contact him at the earliest convenience. There was one from Minnie asking him if he was going to bother showing up on time today, and if he wanted her to grab him his morning coffee and pastry if he was going to be late. He replied with a yes to that one. He always enjoyed coffee in the morning before a hard day’s work.

 

Finally, there was a message from Caitlyn, it was probably the same thing she’d asked him the last few days, but he’d reply nonetheless, he always had time for his sister after all.

 

_‘Hey Joe, I know that I’ve probably already asked you this before, but are you sure you’re okay? After Beacon… please just text me back to make sure you’re okay.’_

 

The Grimm attack on Beacon had been three days ago, and Caitlyn had texted him the previous two days as well, continually asking him if he was okay no matter how many times he assured his sister he was fine. Most people would have been at the very least irritated with the barrage of messages, but Joe knew that this was his sister’s way of worrying about him. It was natural, she’d done it every single time he’d been injured in the line of duty when he was still with the Vale Police.

 

Joe simply smiled slightly before crafting a reply, once more assuring his sister he was okay and that she didn’t need to worry. After that was done, he set off for the office to start his workday.

 

Orion Investigations, the Private Detective Agency he’d started after leaving the Vale Police, it had been an amiable farewell with his old colleagues and they still kept in touch. In fact, most of his cases were referrals brought to him by Flavus, who was happy to allow Orion and his staff to lend a hand whenever his officers needed it. He would even allow his former officer to mentor some of the rookies in the training classes, feeling they could benefit from the veteran’s kindness, idealism and by-the-book attitude.

 

It didn’t take him long to reach his workplace… well, his company, really. Stepping into the building, the PI was greeted by a warm cup of coffee and a bag of pastries shoved right into his face, the hands holding them belonging to Minerva ‘Minnie’ Marquise, his ever-reliable secretary.

 

“Good morning Minnie.” The man greeted, a smile on his face as usual. He glanced at the coffee cup. “Is it decaf?”

 

“Did you remember to pay me this month?” The woman asked him half-sarcastically.

 

“Well, yes.” He replied.

 

“Then yes. Yes it is. Here you go boss.” Minnie thrust both items into her superior’s hands, before turning on her heel and walking back to her desk.

 

“Anyone else here yet?”

 

“Ryan’s here looking at some blood she found yesterday. It’s not part of a case, but she just thought the splatter pattern was ‘interesting’. Garnet and Drew are a no-show, probably because they prefer to have more of what other people call ‘sleep’, you do know what sleep is don’t you boss?” Minnie raised her eyebrow, that familiar smirk on her face.

 

“Believe it or not Minnie, I DO in fact sleep on occasion, I’m not a machine.” Joe took it all in stride, he was used to easy banter between them, it really helped make boring days more interesting.

 

“I’d never know by the way you act when you’re on a case.” The woman replied, twirling a pen in her left hand. “Oh… by the way, your old boss called. Said he wanted to set up a meeting with some old friend of yours, I smell a new case~” She continued, sing-songing that last bit.

 

“Did Flavus say who it was?” The detective asked, he had quite the list of old associates from his days in the service, some of whom he’d not seen in quite a while.

 

“He just said that you’d know who it was when he described him to you, I’ll patch him through to your scroll now.”

 

“Thanks, Minnie.” With that, the man stepped into his office and shut the door. Walking to his desk, he pulled his scroll from his pocket and tapped the answer button.

 

“Hello?” He asked politely.

 

“Ah, Orion, it’s Flavus! Did Minerva tell you I’d called?” The voice of his captain came through clearly.

 

“Ah, yes. She said you had a client for me.”

 

“Yeah, though i should probably warn you, coat the place in air freshener unless you want second hand alcohol poisoning, the guy smells like a goddamn distillery. It’s 9 in the morning and he’s ALREADY DRUNK for crying out loud!” Captain Westbrook growled into his scroll. “I’m sending him over to you right now, I don’t want him around the rookies any longer than he has to be, you think you can handle him?”

 

“Don’t worry Flavus, I can handle him just fine. I know that he might seem like a drunken asshole on the surface, but believe it or not, he’s a good person deep down.” Orion explained.

 

“Yeah? Well, forgive me if I don’t quite see it.” Westbrook snorted. “Look, the guy’s on his way to you now, I sent him off about 2 minutes before I called you back, he should be there in about-”

 

Their conversation was interrupted by a loud crash for the office, causing the detective to jump in surprise as an adult man came flying in through the now-destroyed window. He rolled on impact, then managed to right himself in time to roll into a crouch, from which he stood up and dusted himself off.

 

“Never mind, he’s here. I gotta go Flavus, talk to you later.” Joe hurriedly assured his superior before hanging up. He turned to the ratty man, who was currently taking gulps from his flask without a care in the world.

 

“Good morning Qrow.” Joseph smiled lightly at the Huntsman. “There was a perfectly good door you could’ve used, you know.”

 

“Eh… I’ll pay for it later.” Qrow waved him off. “Right now, we need to talk.” The Hunter’s posture straightened, his previous slouch and drunken sway nowhere to be seen, he was serious about this.

 

“About what? My old Captain said you had a job for me.” Joe gestured for Qrow to sit in the chair in front of his desk, while he took the seat behind it. Lacing his hands in a pyramid in front of his face, the detective waited for the other man to begin. He pulled out a notepad to jot down important information, just in case.

 

“Alright then, you know the attack on Beacon a few days ago?” The Hunter prompted.

 

“Yes, it was invaded by Grimm. They damaged the CCT in the process, but it’s still functional save for spotty communications at times, no casualties were reported among students or staff and the Grimm were repelled with minimal damage to other infrastructure.” Joe recited the report he’d been given by his former captain, his tone clipped and efficient as his Vale PD training kicked in again.

 

Qrow just chuckled and chugged from his flask again before continuing, his gaze hardening.

 

“That’s the official line kid. There WAS a Grimm invasion, but that’s not what damaged the CCT.” He explained.

 

Joe narrowed his eyes a little at that, jotting down a note on his pad.

 

“Sabotage?”

 

“Try assassination.”

 

“The headmaster was the target? How many assailants?” The questions came quickly and easily to him, so did Qrow’s answers, which the detective made sure to note down.

 

“Five of em. They planted explosives on the tower, but they didn’t have enough to blow it up fully. Oz is fine, he fought em off.”

 

“All five of them?”

 

“Two of them fought Glynda and Jimmy instead. That made a real difference in the end. Speaking of Iron-dome, his tin cans are already helping rebuild the tower and restore the CCT. Should be back up in a week if nothing screws it all up.” Qrow explained.

 

“Alright… so what is it you want _me_ to do about it? This honestly sounds like a job for the Vale Police’s Counter-Terrorism Unit, not a PI.” Joe was confused, this was a little out of his league, despite all his years of experience.

 

“Look, I don’t want you to try and _arrest_ these guys, pipsqueak.” Qrow snorted. “That’d be suicide. I just want you to dig into ‘em, see what sort of dirt you can find. Real names, where they were born, where they trained, stuff about their pasts.”

 

“....alright. But this might cost you a little extra, tracking down terrorists and assassins isn’t cheap, especially if I need to be discreet.”

 

“Kid, these people tried attacking one of the four primary Hunter Academies, the suits on Vale’s Council are chomping at bit to find these guys. They’re write you a blank check, all it’ll take is one phone call from Oz to tell ‘em you’re helping the investigation and you’ll get all the resources you need.” Qrow smirked at the PI’s shocked expression.

 

Joseph took a moment to consider this. On the one hand, tracking these people could prove dangerous, not just for him but the people close to him as well, especially if his targets found out he was investigating them. On the other hand, resources wouldn’t be an issue, and these people had already tried to attack one Hunter Academy, if he could help stop them from attacking another he’d save a lot of lives in the process. That was why he’d joined the Vale Police in the first place, to protect and serve the people.

 

And get out from under his mother’s thumb.

 

Regardless, the PI had made up his mind. He stuck his hand out, which Qrow took for a firm shake.

 

“Alright then, Orion Investigations is at your service.”

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Line Break

\--------------

Jaune opened his eyes.

****

Sitting up, the Knight rubbed his head, wincing as he felt a sharp flare of pain in his forehead. He clutched at his temples, but all he could do was wait for the pain to subside.

****

_What happened to me…?_ His memories from the last few hours or so were muddied, he could only recall vague bits and pieces, hopefully his memories would clear up soon, but in the meantime…

****

After the pain had faded, Jaune picked himself up on unsteady legs, with the muscles in his arms burning as he applied his weight to lever himself to a stand, it was as if he’d been holding up some sort of metal column or something.

****

“Gah… feels like my everything’s on fire.” The boy mumbled, running his hands across his body to check for any injuries. Just as he was brushing his right hand across his chestplate, he felt it slip a little bit into a hole in his armor. Confused, Jaune slowly poked a finger into the hole and gave it an experimental wiggle.

****

His confusion turned to alarm when he felt his finger go much, _much_ deeper than his chestplate went. Yanking it out with a startled cry, Jaune stumbled backward a ways in panic, his breathing growing shallow and hurried. After trying to calm himself as much as he was able, the young Knight steadily poked his finger back in, his horror mounting as he came to a realization.

****

_Oh God, th-th-there’s a hole in my chest…_

****

What the _hell_ had he been doing pick that injury up!? It didn’t look like a bullet or sword injury, or any melee weapon for that matter, the wound was more pointed than that, almost in the shape of an elongated diamond.

****

If Jaune didn’t know better, he’d swear he’d been shot with an… an...

****

Arrow.

****

His mind chose this moment to clear up his memories, apparently deciding that what he needed right now was _more_ trauma.

****

Jaune once again clutched his head as dozens of images and sounds flashed through his mind about the preceding day; being called by Roman Torchwick about the attack on Beacon, gathering his friends, those two men in the courtyard, the Grimm attack, the tower exploding, the rubble about to hit Ruby, then...

****

He’d stopped it, he knew that much. He’d tapped into Pyrrha’s Polarity Semblance via his own to stop the rubble so that Neo, who had defied Cinder’s orders to kill him, could get Ruby clear. He’d been aiming to get clear himself, before…

****

Before he’d been shot. Before the rubble had fallen again as he lost his ‘grip’, with him still under it.

****

It was Cinder, it had to be. There was no one else he’d met who both used a bow and arrow in combat AND hated him with all her might. Jaune shivered at that realization, the fact that he’d actually managed to anger someone enough that they’d tried to **kill** him.

****

He knew that following the career of a Hunter was likely to make him a few enemies, but actually having to _deal_ with the first one he’d made (as a student, no less!) and the knowledge that she would likely be gunning for him as long as they both still breathed?

****

It was enough to make him want to live up to Ruby’s nickname for him, which he promptly did about two seconds later, doubling over and upchucking the contents of his stomach onto the grass before him.

****

_Wait… grass?_

****

Looking around. Jaune realized that he was back on that weird mountain path again, if the last time he was here was any indication, he’d find Summer waiting for him at the end of the path, at the edge. It made sense, this was essentially her ‘space’ in his mind after all. She likely waited here whenever she wasn’t either talking to him or in direct control of his body, assuming he ever gave her permission again.

****

_Well, no time like the present. She’s probably worried about me, I’d better let her know I’m alright._

****

With this thought in mind, Jaune set off down the familiar path, following the scatterings of rose petals that littered the way. This time however, as he approached the cliff edge Jaune began to feel droplets of rain from overhead. The closer he got, the heavier the downpour became, the clouds overhead darkening and even crackling with lightning at times.

****

Had Jaune stopped to think about this, he would’ve realized that the malleable nature of the mindscape was giving him a glimpse into the mental state of his ‘partner’ at the moment.

****

While Jaune suspected that Summer hadn’t taken his injury and second near-death experience too well, he had no idea how bad it was. Had he taken a moment to study the weather and think a little about the nature of the mindscape, he might’ve had some idea.

****

The Knight made his way to the clearing, his hoodie pulled up to shield him from the downpour. As his arrived, he could just make out a figure in the middle of the deluge, cloaked in white and kneeling down. Drawing closer, Jaune could make out some stray sniffles from Summer’s hunched form, as well as some quiet mutterings.

****

“That idiot! I told him not to…to put himself at risk like that. He didn’t listen… he never listens, now he’s in the hospital with an arrow in his chest and I don’t know if he’ll wake up this time. Why’d he have to do that!? Why couldn’t he have just sped in and got Ruby out of there… why!?” The cloaked woman continued to mutter, oblivious to Jaune’s approach.

****

“Um… hey, Summer. I-I’m not dead after all.” Jaune decided to just get right to the point, figuring that might be best.

****

Summer stiffened, then whipped around to face him directly, getting to her feet rather shakily as she did so. Her silver orbs were wide and shock was plastered all over her face. After a while, she addressed him.

****

“J-Jaune?” She sounded relieved, shocked and disbelieving all at the same time, Jaune had never heard the Huntress’ voice sound so small and quiet before, not even when she was getting emotional about her family and death.

****

“Yeah, it’s me.” The boy in question offered her a small smile in turn, hoping that it would at least reassure her.

****

Summer lowered her head for a few moments in reply, the only sound in the clearing being her increasingly heavy breathing, finally she managed to control her breathing again and lifted her head to meet Jaune’s gaze. When their eyes met, those silver orbs had hardened considerably and narrowed into a glare, while her mouth had thinned into a firm line.

****

“Summer?” Jaune asked, a little confused and slightly scared by her rapid change in expression, as well as the look she was giving him.

****

Summer stood from her kneeling position and began to make her way over to him.

****

“Look, I know that you might be mad that I almost… almost died again, but-”

****

Jaune was cut off as Summer's hand swiped across his face, snapping his head sharply to the sideways and sending the Knight stumbling backward as a stinging pain erupted in the cheek she slapped.

****

“Ow! What the hell!?” Jaune cried out in alarm, clutching his stinging cheek.

****

“Do you have any idea how worried I was?” Summer’s voice was quiet and soft, but full of anger and hurt as the Huntress continued to glare at Jaune.

****

“You… must’ve been pretty worried.”

****

“I was. I was terrified that you were going to die. For real this time.” Summer continued, her glare not letting up. “You keep doing this Jaune. You keep throwing yourself into danger like some… impulsive… hot headed _idiot_ and you just. _Don’t._ **_Stop._ **” Her hands balled into fists while her silver eyes began to acquire a faint glow to them.

****

“Do you… do you have some sort of pathological _need_ to endanger your own life? Do you just not care about how that makes the people who care about you feel? How it scares them to see you hurt yourself and almost die, over and _over_ _again.”_ The Huntress hissed out through her now-gritted teeth, the glow in her eyes brightening as she spoke. By now, Jaune was unnerved enough to take a step back.

****

“Look, what else could I do? I had to-”

****

“Shut up.” Summer snapped, though her tone was not as sharp as it once was, her voice was getting thick with emotion and her glowing eyes were beginning to leak a few tears. “Just… just _shut up._ Don’t try to tell me that it was the ‘only way’. Don’t try to promise me that you won’t do it again, because we both know you _will._ ”

****

The woman finally came to a halt, her whole body beginning to shake slightly as the tears came more quickly.

****

“Just… why can’t you be more careful?” Summer whispered, arms wrapping around herself. “Why can’t you keep yourself safe…? Just, just to stop worrying me so much, worrying everyone… do you just like playing hero and making a big show? Just _why_...” At this, Jaune felt he finally had to speak up.

****

“Look. I get you’re angry at me for what I did back there, but there was no other way! If I didn’t do what I did, then Ruby would’ve DIED! Is that what you wanted me to do!? Just do nothing and let my first friend die!?” Jaune cried, voice steadily building as he continued on.

****

“NO!” Summer cried out, throwing her hands out as her eyes widened. “No! I just… I just want you to be more careful with your own life, is that too much to ask!? I… I’m really thankful you saved Ruby like you did, really I am!”

****

Jaune took a deep breath to calm himself as he replied.

****

“I know you are… and I’m sorry. If I’d had more time, I might’ve thought to just rush in there, grab Ruby and get clear… but everything was happening so fast. I just saw the rubble falling toward her and I… I just couldn’t let her get hurt, Summer.” Jaune insisted, walking over to the Huntress in question and placing a hand on her shoulder.

****

Much to his surprise, Summer’s response was to glomp him.

****

The Knight stumbled back a little as her strong arms wrapped around him and seized him tightly in a strong hug.

****

“I… I know. That you Jaune, thank you for saving my little girl...” Summer practically wept into his shoulder, her tears flowing openly now and the naked emotion clear in her voice. “I’m… I’m sorry for shouting at you earlier, I was just, just so _worried.”_

****

“Yeah… I’d be worried too if you pulled the stunts I did.” Jaune chuckled weakly. “And about Ruby… don’t mention it, it was nothing. Any of my friends would’ve done what I did if they got the chance.”

****

“It’s not ‘nothing’ Jaune, you saved her life. That’s no small thing.” Summer insisted quietly, the Huntress letting him go and stepping away from him, smiling even as a few stray remaining tears rolled down her cheeks. “You’ve got no idea how happy it makes me to know that you’re watching out for her. I know that my little Petal’s all grown up now, but… I still worry. Even if I’m not there anymore, I still worry.”

****

“If it means anything, I think that you still worrying about her shows that you really care.” Jaune replied, smiling in return.

****

“Well, thank yo-” Summer was interrupted as the landscape began to rumble and crack. “Oh, it looks like you’re waking up now… I was hoping to thank you properly for… saving Ruby, my little Petal.”

****

“Well, there’s no need for th…” Jaune’s voice trailed off as Summer leaned forward to plant a gentle kiss on his cheek for a solid 5 seconds. He was still somewhat stunned as she leaned back to appraise him with a smile.

****

The last thing Jaune heard before the entire landscape was consumed by light was Summer’s voice.

****

“Thank you, Jaune.”

\-----------

Line Break

\-----------

****

Jaune’s eyes cracked open, and immediately slammed back shut as the oh-so-familiar glaring lights of Beacon’s Medical Ward hit them.

****

_I really gotta stop waking up here._ He mentally groaned, before slowly opening his eyes again, and looking around the room. Once his vision adjusted, he noticed that he wasn’t alone, several familiar shapes and faces finally coming into view.

****

Pyrrha and Yang were seated on either side of him, each clutching a hand desperately, as though he’d fly away if they let go. Ruby was at the edge of his bed, clutching his legs with equal intensity, her head resting on top of his feet. Jaune almost laughed at the image, but didn’t want to wake any of them up, so he continued to look around the room.

****

Notably, Daniel was slouched in a chair on the far wall, his head hanging limp as soft snores slipped through his mouth. Finally, and maybe most surprisingly, Penny stood next to Jaune, looking at the scroll in her hands, scanning the screen with sharp eyes. Suddenly, her eyes flicked to Jaune, and lit up in surprise. Before she could speak, Jaune brought a finger up to his lips, surprised at how easily the motion came to him. He was still sore, but movement seemed like it was possible at this point.

****

However, it appears that Penny didn’t catch his message, or simply didn’t care, because she immediately leapt onto his chest, and shouted a thrilled, “FRIEND JAUNE!” that woke the rest of the girls in the room, as well as Daniel, who practically lunged out of the chair in surprise.

****

“Wasit-wa-what happened?!” the Specialist sputtered as he sat up, looking around wildly before noticing the girls all huddled around Jaune, all speaking at once and on the verge of tears as Jaune lay helplessly in the middle, his expression confused but relieved. Daniel quickly got to his feet and rushed over to his friend’s side as well, his own face now lit up with a grin. “Jaune, you crazy bastard, NEVER DO THAT SHIT AGAIN!”

****

While the shout itself was angry, Daniel quickly wrapped Jaune into a brief hug, the girls parting for him to do so. Jaune coughed for a few seconds as he lay back down, but grinned nonetheless at his friends. “I think...I can agree to that.” Ruby was the first one back at Jaune’s side, clutching his arm tightly while tears spilled down her face.

****

“I-I thought y-you were...t-t-that you were…” She croaked, before Jaune’s hand cupped her face and she paused, looking into his cool azul eyes, which also shimmered with emotions.

****

“Hey, I’m ok Rubes. I’m sorry I scared you, any of you.” He added, his eyes flicking to the other three girls, whose eyes were also slick with tears. “Gods, I’m so damn sorry.” With that, the girls once again closed in around him, while Daniel walked out of the room, typing a number into his scroll. After a few seconds, the Headmaster picked up.

****

“Yes, Mr. Wilson?” the older man asked softly, his voice laced with exhaustion and emotion.

****

“Jaune’s awake, sir.” Daniel said, still smiling as he spoke. “I was hoping you could get an announcement out to his friends.” After a brief silence, a chuckle came from the headmaster’s side of the call, followed by a slightly more upbeat response.

****

“I’m glad to hear that Mr. Arc is alright. I’ll send for his friends, though I will also be visiting him.” He said, followed by the sound of a scraping chair and an elevator opening. “We have much to discuss.”

\------------

Line Break

\------------

By the end of the day, Jaune was exhausted. After the rest of his team, Team RWBY, Team CFVY and Team NDGO had arrived and express their relief about his slow recovery, he had talked to doctors about his current state.

****

At the moment, he was healing slowly. As long as he didn’t plan on running any marathons in the next few weeks, he would be alright. There was the issue of his sembalace, however. It had been...damaged when Jaune was attacked. In other words, he wouldn’t be able to use it for a time. When he asked the doctor how long it would be, she explained that there was no certainty on WHEN it would return, only that it would eventually. “At least, three months.” She explained, her tone sten and pointed. “At the very worst, you might never be able to use it again.” Jaune was very downtrodden at this point, but was then faced with more visitors: The big three.

****

Headmaster Ozpin, General Ironwood, and Glynda Goodwitch wanted to talk about what had happened, how he knew about the attack, and where he thought Cinder would go. “Honestly, I’d love to help,” He said, rubbing his face in a tired motion. “I just...don’t know that much about Cinder. I’m sorry.”

“Please, you have nothing to be sorry for Mr. Arc.” Ozpin assured him, a small smile on his face. “We’ve asked enough questions, I believe it is time for us to go. Thank you for your time, Mr. Arc.” The man stood up, and nodded to his student. “Rest easy, Jaune. You’ve earned it.”

****

With that, they left, and Jaune let himself relax, slouching back into his bed. He closed his eyes, and was about to drift off to sleep when a knock at his door, startling him. “Sorry, I didn’t know…” He started, before pausing when he noticed who was there. “Oh...hey, Neo.” Neo waved shyly, waiting outside the room, as if she was uncertain whether she should come any closer. Jaune tilted his head, and offered his hand to her. “C’mon, I was wondering if you were still around.”

****

She hesitantly moved forward, taking his hand and squeezing it gently. Before Jaune could say a word, something happened that he genuinely hadn’t expected.

****

Neo...spoke.

****

“I’m so sorry.” She whispered, her voice was so...vulnerable, soft, and gentle, much more so than he had ever even imagined. Her hands laced together with Jaune’s, and she bowed her head as tears fell from her face. Jaune reached up with his other hand, and wiped away her tears.

****

“You have nothing to apologise for, Neo. You saved Ruby, and you saved the headmaster and the school by warning me about Cinder’s attack.” He said, smiling at her. “To be honest, I’m...kinda proud of you. You’ve shaped up to be more of a hero than a criminal.”

****

Neo stared at Jaune, disbelief evident in her gaze, before giggling, and hugged Jaune. Jaune returned the hug, and after a minute, they seperated. Neo pulled out her scroll and typed a message for him, turning it around when she was finished. “You’re such a silly knight, but you’re MY silly knight.” He read, a small blush forming on his face. “Heh, love you too, Neo.”

****

She leaned down and kissed him, before holding her scroll up and showing him a second message. “I have to go now, you-know-who will get suspicious if I don’t turn up.” He read, frowning as he did so. He was aware of who she was referring to, and at the moment, he had quite the bone to pick with her. “Right, yeah. I shouldn’t keep you.”

****

Neo nodded, giving Jaune’s hand another squeeze before letting go and walking over to the door, when Jaune spoke again. “Hey, Neo?” He asked, the short mute turning around and tilting her head questioningly. “Tell her I say hi.”

****

A brief silence was followed by Neo striding back over to him and planting a series of rapid punches into Jaune’s side, who immediately started to protest loudly. “ACK! NEO, NO! STOP IT! I WAS KIDDING! AHHHHHH!”

\------------

Line Break

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****

“Yes, Dad, Ruby and I are fine!” Yang groaned into her scroll, borderline annoyed by her father’s consent questions. She knew how worried he’d be when he heard about the attack, but it was still a bit grating to endure the barrage of concerns and questions, many of which often overlapped.

****

“ _Alright, alright. I’m sorry, Sunflower! I’m just...sigh...I’m glad you’re both ok.”_ Taiyang Xiao-Long muttered, sound a little bashful and making Yang feel like a ass.

****

“It’s fine, Dad.” She said, smiling a bit as she looked at Ruby, who was beaming in the chair across from her. “So, we still good to come out to Patch this weekend?”

****

“ _Oh, of course!”_ he answered, his enthusiasm restored. “ _It completely slipped my mind with all that was going on, but yeah, you’re still welcome. Zwei’s been lonely without you, of course.”_

****

Yang was about to respond with her own cheerful affirmation when Ruby suddenly shot up. “Oh, oh! Dad, can I bring a friend with?!” Brief silence was replaced by Tai’s laugher, as well as a confirmation.

****

“ _I don’t see why not._ ” Tai said, before continuing. “ _Who were you thinking of bringing? One of your teammates?”_

****

Ruby chuckled a little, and tapped her fingers together anxiously. “W-well, I was actually thinking about bringing my friend Jaune. He saved me, and he got hurt, so I just...wanted you to meet him.” Technically, that wasn’t a lie. She did want her father to meet Jaune after he almost died...again. However, she also wanted to break to news about her, and Yang’s, relationship with Jaune.

****

_“I see…”_ Tai hummed, before his tone became a bit more serious. _“And this Jaune is...a boy?”_

****

“Pops, c’mon!” Yang groaned, followed by another set of chuckles from her dad.

****

“ _Kidding, kidding!”_ He said humorously. “ _Yes, it’s fine if Jaune would like to come as well._ ” Ruby cheered and jumped around the room, grinning happily at her sister, who returned the smile easily.

****

“Thank you, dad!” She cheered, earning another laugh from the blonde man.

****

“ _No problem, Petal. So, see you in a few days?”_ He asked, his smile practically audible.

****

“Yup. See you then, Dad. Love you!” Yang said, hanging up the scroll after Ruby also shouted her goodbye. Yang then turned to her ;little sister with a quirked eyebrow, her expression slightly concerned. “Rubes, you sure it’s a great idea to bring Jaune with us? I mean, I’m sure Dad will like him, but...are you sure we should do this **now**?”

****

“Why shouldn’t we?” Ruby asked, still smiling. “Like you said, Dad’s sure to like him, so I don’t see why we shouldn’t come out and tell him about our relationship!” Yang sighed, but nodded in acceptance while standing up.

****

“Yeah...yeah, I guess you’re right, Rubes.” The blonde brawler said, before stretching and gesturing towards their dorm room. “Well, we should probably head to bed. We can visit Jaune tomorrow and ask him if he wants to come with us to Patch. Sound good?”

****

“Yup!” Ruby said, before skipping off in the direction of their room, followed by Yang, who chuckled at her sister’s antics.

****

\--------

Line Break

\---------

Jaune was sitting quietly in his hospital bed, humming to himself to pass the time. It wasn’t like he had much else to do while he was still here, but at least he’d be released in a few hours. The doctors simply needed to run some last tests and scans to make sure he really was healthy enough to be discharged.

****

It was still a boring wait though, even with Summer keeping him company. At least they could play some games like ‘I Spy’ to try to stave off the boredom. The Huntress was also quite chatty when it came to topics that interested her, such as her daughters. Her biggest tangents however, were on both fairy tales and weapons.

****

Well, at least he knew where Ruby’s obsession came from.

****

_“Hey! It is NOT an ‘obsession’!”_ Summer squawked in his mind, indignant. “ _What’s wrong about taking pride in knowing the intricacies of the weapon that you have to take into battle every day?!”_

****

_Nothing’s wrong with it. It’s just that you take it way past ‘pride’ and more into ‘fetish_ ’ _territory, the way you talk about weapons. I’m surprised you’ve not asked about my sword yet._

****

_“Oh there’s no need, my little Petal helped you with that sword, so obviously she’d do a great job. She learned from the best after all.”_ The Huntress insisted, motherly pride in her voice.

****

_Oh right, I see how it is. Well, what about the fairy tales then? I can understand you wanting to make sure you knew about weapons, but the fairytales..._

****

_“I… I wanted to be a princess when I was a little girl.”_ Summer admitted, sounding a touch embarrassed. _“I wanted to wear a pretty dress and meet a handsome prince and fall in love… at least, I did before I decided to be a Huntress to help people instead.”_

****

_Well, at least now I know why you fight in a dress, you get to help people and live out your princess fantasies all in one!_ Jaune joked, chuckling a little.

****

_“It’s not a dress! This, mister, is a combat skirt! A. combat. SKIRT.”_ The former mother stressed, causing Jaune to break out into laughter. _“Hey! W-what’s so funny?”_

****

_Nothing it’s just… you just sound so much like Ruby right now. I mean sure, you’re her mother but… knowing that you both act like this… I guess she takes after you more than you thought._ Jaune admitted, taking a moment before moving on.

****

_I know that she takes after Qrow in terms of her weapon and fighting style, but the liking fairytales, being a huge weapon nut, being  kind, always wanting to help people and do the right thing… that’s all you._

****

“ _Thank you Jaune. That… really means a lot to me. I’ve not been there for most of her life… I just hoped she’d still remember me even after all this time.”_ A faint sniffle accompanied her words.

****

_Are you okay?_

****

_“I’m fine, just… just happy that my little Petal takes after me so much, that she’s grown into such a wonderful young lady. That’s what every mother wants for their child.”_

****

_I’ve been meaning to ask, where did ‘Petal’ come from?_ Jaune asked, a little confused. She’d only started using that nickname for Ruby recently.

****

_“Oh… that was from Tai actually, back when Ruby was still an infant. He was taking a picture of me holding her for our family photo album and he joked that we looked like ‘A rose and its petal’. The name stuck after that.”_ Summer practically gushed, fond nostalgia coating her voice.

****

_Huh, I see… does Yang have a similar nickname, or do you play favourites?_ He teased.

****

_“Oh no, she does. She’ll always be my bright and radiant little Sunflower.”_ Summer let out a rather loud squeal at that. _“Ooohh! I can’t help thinking about how cute they were as babies! They really were the most adorable little tots.”_

****

_I… I can tell._ Was Jaune’s only real reply to his passenger’s bout of motherly nostalgia.

****

Jaune’s focus was brought back to the waking world once more, as the doors to the Medical Wing were slammed open by a red blur, a blur that sped right up to his bedside. The blur resolved itself into the form of Ruby Rose, which unfortunately only made Summer squeal louder as she inevitably began to gush about how Ruby had grown up and was ‘so adorable’.

****

That was as much as Jaune could make out before the Huntress’ chatter degenerated into an unintelligible mess of squeals and coos and cuteness-induced noises, forcing the Knight to gently push her presence out his conscious mind so that he could focus on Ruby.

****

“Oh… hey Ruby! Nice of you to visit.”

****

“Heya Jaune!” The girl cried, smiling widely. “Are you getting released today? THe nurse I spoke to said that you were gonna be released soon!”

****

“Yeah… yeah I am, they just need to run some scans to see if I’ve got any other damage they didn’t spot. If it all checks out them I can go by this afternoon!”

****

Ruby promptly pounced on him in a hug.

****

“That’s great! I bet you’re really bored cooped up in this boring hospital all the time, but don’t worry, me and Yang have a surprise for you!” Ruby explained, pointedly not letting go of him, but instead snuggling closer into the medical bunk while still holding on.

****

“Oh, really? What’s that then?” Jaune asked, trying to distract himself from the way Ruby’s youthful-yet-maturing body was rubbing against his own as she snuggled up to him.

****

“Well, we-” Ruby began, only for another voice to interrupt her.

****

“Wow… should I leave you two alone for a while?”

****

The duo’s heads whipped around to see an amused Yang standing at the foot of Jaune’s bed, hands on hips and smirking with a raised eyebrow.

****

“It’s not like we were doing anything, sis.” Ruby grumbled. “I was just giving Jaune a hug is all, he’s getting released today so I thought he could use a hug to celebrate!”

****

“Really? You sure it’s not cause you wanted Lover Boy here all to yourself?” Yang asked, as she moved around to stand at the side of the bed. “I mean, I knew you were growing up, but here you are seducing boys in hospital beds.”

****

“Yang!” Ruby cried, the smaller girl tightening her grip on Jaune nonetheless. “N-no one’s seducing anyone! We’re just cuddling! Besides, Jaune’s very huggable!” Ruby babbled, though her cheeks pinked slightly as she spoke.

****

“Really? Well let’s see about that.” At this, Yang promptly clambered into the bed on Jaune’s other side to wrap her arms around him as well. Thankfully, the bed was sturdy enough to support their weight. “Mmm, you were right sis… blondie here’s VERY huggable, good call.”

****

Jaune, despite feeling a _little_ uncomfortable due to the sisters’ combined weight, still wrapped his arms around both girls. They responded by snuggling a little closer and wrapping their arms tighter, Yang cooing in contentment and Ruby giggling a little while mumbling about Jaune being a ‘teddy’.

****

It was nice, especially when jaune managed to get comfortable properly. The girls’ warm bodies felt nice against his. It was a moment of calm and peace for the Knight.

****

At least it was, until Yang decided to wrap her leg around Jaune’s own, while also beginning to actively rub her body against his. While her pace was gentle and subdued, it was still enough to get a reaction as she shuffled around.

****

“Um… Yang, what are you doing?” Jaune asked, a little wary.

****

“Oh nothing, Lover Boy… just getting comfy.” Yang assured him, while still wriggling rather provocatively.

****

“No you’re not! You’re just trying to rub up against him to show off your… your boobs!” Ruby burst out, silver eyes glaring cutely at her elder sister. Yang, for her part, didn’t even bother denying it.

****

“Ah… you got me Rubes. To be honest, I thought it’d be nice to give Jauney boy a treat after what he did a few days ago. Especially because he saved your life.” Yang’s voice softened noticeably when she reached the last part, with a slight tremor in her voice.

****

“It was nothing Yang, I just did what anyone-”

****

“Stop. Stop downplaying what you did, please. Even if it was ‘nothing’ to you, it wasn’t ‘nothing’ to me, so I think you deserve a reward.”

****

“Hey! I-if anyone should reward Jaune, it should be me, right?” Ruby insisted, suddenly latching more closely onto Jaune’s side and tugging lightly at his arm. “I mean, he saved my life right… s-so I should reward him, that’s fair!”

****

“Well, what did you have in mi-mmpphh!” Jaune’s question was interrupted by the reaper pressing her lips softly against his, her hands on his shoulders to pull him closer.

****

_“Oh… oh MY.”_ Summer gasped, though Jaune was too busy to notice.

****

The Knight wrapped his arms, both of them, around Ruby’s slim waist, tugging the girl closer as they kept kissing. Both participants were engrossed in their lip-lock, so much they completely ignored Yang’s presence as the brawler sat there with shock plastered on her face. She’d never imagined that her sweet sister would be that bold, especially with Jaune!

****

Evidently, his saving her life a second time had done wonders for her confidence around him.

****

The pair did eventually break apart, though it was only because they ran out of air, leaving a small saliva trail between their mouths as they parted. Both teens were panting, their cheeks red with slightly giddy smiles on their faces regardless.

****

“Heh… wow, that was… that was something.” Jaune admitted, still holding onto Ruby.

****

“Yeah, that was… that was really nice, Jaune.” Ruby smiled slightly wider as she cuddled closer again, hands still on the boy’s shoulders as they held each other's’ gaze. “I’m… really glad I did that.” She insisted softly.

****

“Wow Rubes, didn’t think you’d have it in you to do that to Lover Boy.” Yang’s breathy voice caused the two to separate and look around to gaze at her. The brawler was lying behind Jaune, her own face rather flushed and her breathing quick and shallow. “Well, guess it’s my turn.”

****

_“Oh my GOD, she’s turning it into a contest!”_ Summer cried, though Jaune was far too occupied to notice the Huntress’ remark.

****

Before either could protest, Yang wrapped her arms around Jaune’s shoulders, one hand reaching into his hair to pull him close, slamming her lips firmly against the boy’s own. Her kiss was much more energetic and passionate compared to Ruby’s soft and searching one, with both blondes pushing their tongues into each other’s mouths as they swapped saliva. Yang quickly wrapped one of her legs around Jaune waist and legs to move closer, the two deepening the kiss as they lost themselves.

****

Things began to grow hotter and heavier between the blondes as Yang began to rub her body against Jaune’s once more, though this time it was firmer than the last time, with more intent and passion behind the action. The teens moaned softly as Jaune began to buck his hips against Yang’s form, to which the brawler eagerly responded with her own hip thrusts, building their excitement very quickly.

****

All too soon, they broke apart. Thought this time it was not lack of oxygen that separated the amorous blondes, as they had remembered to breathe through their noses this time, but a rather firm shake on their shoulders.

****

Despite no longer kissing, Yang and Jaune still held onto each other, cerulean orbs meeting lilac-turned crimson, both bathed in the glow of Yang’s now brightly-lit golden mane.

****

“Wow…” Jaune whispered, there really was no other word for what they’d just experienced, though he was also having to fight off his body’s ‘natural reaction’ to having an intimate experience with a girl like Yang.

****

Yang, for her part, was rather riled up herself. Her lilac orbs had bled into crimson, while her hair was several shades lighter than it used to be and emitting a light glow. Her cheeks were flushed and breath came in large pants, which inadvertently caused her slight pain as her chest rubbed firmly against her clothes. Yang was thankful that Jaune was looking at her face, so that he wouldn’t notice how firm her breasts had gotten from their make-out session. She had to will herself to calm down before she spoke again.

****

“Wow indeed, you like that Lover Boy…?”

****

“Y-yeah. It was… it was great.” Jaune admitted, wiping his mouth to get rid of the excess saliva splashed across them, they really had gotten lost in the moment.

****

“You know, it doesn’t have to stop here.” Yang said, her lilac eyes steadily reddening as her excitement built once more. “We could… go furth-”

****

“AHEM.” Two heads snapped around to face the third voice. It belonged to a rather upset looking Ruby Rose, who was standing at the foot of Jaune’s bed, pouting at the two occupants with her hands on her hips. She apparently gotten out of bed unnoticed by her sister and shared boyfriend.

****

They… might have forgotten she was there.

****

_“Oh… she’s jealous.”_ Summer cooed in Jaune’s head, the mother giving an ‘aaawww’ in sympathy. “ _My baby girl, growing up fast! She’s already jealous of her sister…”_ This comment caused Jaune to roll his eyes slightly.

****

_C’mon Summer, what’s she got to be jealous of with Yang? Aren’t they sharing me with the others?_ Jaune asked.

****

_“Probably because Yang’s always had more confidence when it comes to you, Jaune. She’s willing to go further with you, flirt more brazenly, be more assertive… that kind of thing. My poor little girl probably thinks she can’t really compete with that, it might seem irrational, but that’s likely what she’s thinking.”_

****

_And how do you know this, exactly…?_

****

_“... because I might have been a teensie, little-bit jealous of Raven when we were at Beacon together.”_ Summer admitted quietly.

****

_Wait… seriously!?_ Jaune fought the urge to gape at that, since he’d be doing it while in Ruby and Yang’s company, and they’d likely find it weird.

****

_“Look! I hadn’t finished… ‘growing up’ when I started Beacon, okay!?”_ Summer cried out defensively. “ _I’d like to see how you’d feel if you were in my shoes, stuck with a teammate who had legs for days, hair like an enthralling, pitch-black waterfall and a pair of  melon-sized breasts that defied gravity! Plus, she had that ‘cool bad girl’ vibe too! How was I supposed to compete with that!?”_

****

_Uh… Summer? Y-you kind of sound like you, um… ‘admired’ Raven back then._ Jaune admitted, the Knight struggling not to react to the… surprisingly _detailed_ images that his, or rather _Summer’s_ , mind conjured up about her former teammate.

****

“ _Have you_ **_seen_ ** _that woman, Jaune!? She’s got a body that would make_ **_women_ ** _hot for her! Besides, I-I was just curious when I was younger, is all!”_ Summer remained adamant, though Jaune was prevented from arguing further when Yang spoke up to address her sister.

****

“Yeah, Rubes?” Yang asked casually,and  to her credit she recovered remarkably fast, not even batting an eye at Ruby’s pout or steely glare, though considering it was _Ruby_ glaring at them she looked less threatening and more adorable.

****

“D-did you have to go that far with Jaune!?” Ruby demanded. “I thought we were going to tell him about our surprise!”

****

“Oh, right! Sorry Rubes.” To which Yang turned to Jaune and, without missing a beat, continued.

****

“Jaune, we want you to have a threesome with us tonight.”

****

Jaune choked, Ruby’s eyes shot open as she rounded on her sister with reddened cheeks.

****

“Yang!! T-that wasn’t the surprise!! S-stop lying to Jaune like that!!” The flustered girl cried while stomping her foot angrily. The elder sibling simply chuckled in reply.

****

“You’re right… we actually wanted a five-way with Weiss and Blake as well.” The brawler’s cheeky grin persisted, even over Ruby’s outraged screech.

****

“YANG!!!!” She squealed angrily, the Red Reaper’s hands balling into fists and her cheeks practically _glowing_ with mortification. By contrast, Summer’s mental comment indicated that she was taking Yang’s behaviour far better than the younger Rose.

****

_“That’s my little Sunflower… always the joker in the family, she certainly picked that up for Tai.”_

****

_Sunflower?_

****

_“Tai called her that when I held her, he said we were ‘a tall, beautiful rose and a small, cute sunflower’, it was too adorable not to use…”_

****

_Ah, got it._

****

“Ah, sorry Rubes. Okay… the truth is that, well… we want you to come with us to Patch this weekend to meet our dad.” Yang admitted, turning to look at Jaune again.

****

“Really… you want me to meet your dad?” Jaune was a little unsure about that.

****

“Yeah!” Ruby cut in, visibly more excited that Yang was. “We just want you two to get to know each other, is all! It’ll be fun, ooohh! You can even meet Zwei as well!”

****

“Zwei?”

****

“Our dog.” Yang explained, her voice turning more serious for the next part. “Look Lover Boy… you almost died a few days ago, _again._ We want you to meet our dad because, at the rate you’re going, if we don’t get you to meet soon then… you won’t get the chance.”

****

Seeing Yang wilting a little at that, even trying to turn her face to hide the tears forming in her eyes, Jaune gently cupped her head in his hands and planted a kiss on her nose.

****

“Hey, I know that I get in danger more than I probably should…”

****

“Yeah. Got that right.” Yang snorted, though it ended with a slight sniffle.

****

“...but I promise you, I’m not going anywhere.” Jaune continued, softly. “You girls… you all give me something to fight for, I don’t plan on losing that anytime soon.”

****

“... y-you better not, not till we’ve been on our date.” Yang insisted, though the slight stutter in her voice was telling. The brawler still managed a shaky smile.

****

Jaune opened his arms slightly in offering, and so was only mildly surprised when Yang essentially _jumped_ into his arms, the brawler hugging him as if he’d die if she let go. Given his current track-record with near-death experiences, well… it wasn’t an impossibility.

****

“You scared me Jaune… you really scared me when you vanished under rubble. Even if you saved my sister…” Yang whispered, as Jaune ran his hands through her hair to calm her. The mere fact that he could do this _without_ Yang beating him senseless really spoke of how deeply she’d come to trust Jaune as a friend, teammate and now… boyfriend.

****

A tap on the shoulder caused Jaune to look behind him, seeing Ruby standing there. The younger girl’s lower lip was quivering slightly, her eyes shining as she gazed at her sister and best friend. The reaper shuffled nervously from foot-to-foot, almost expectantly.

****

Jaune simply rolled slightly to give her room, before unwrapping one arm from Yang and holding it out to Ruby.

****

The reaper was in the bed and hugging Jaune from the side in about 3 seconds.

****

Jaune simply lay there, content to hold the sisters as they hugged him. He promised he’d be there for them, and if this was what they needed right now, then he’d gladly provide all the support they needed.

_\--------------_

Line Break

\--------------

Beacon’s training room was filled with the sounds of combat, the clashing of swords and the shouts of aggression from their wielder echoing off the rooms walls. Winter Schnee was currently fighting a pair of AK-130 drones from Atlas, their twin blades clashing with her own. She dashed backward, separating from the sword lock she had previously been in, before dash forward once more and swiping the left drone’s leg with her rapier. It stumbled to the ground, before the rapier pierced it’s metal head, shutting the droid down.

****

Winter retracted her weapon from the drone’s head, turning to the second one, which had started advancing on her. She launched forward, her rapier clashing against the duel blades of the bot, which swung back in retaliation before letting out a shuddering groan as Winter’s sword cleaved through it’s chasie, sending it to the floor in pieces. She stood up straight, catching her breath after the intense fight when a familiar voice called out behind her.

****

“Quite the show, Snow Angel.” Daniel said, leaning on an weapon locker near the training mat. Winter chuckled a bit, walking over to the side of the mat and picking up her water bottle she had set aside. “You know, blue looks good on you.”

****

Winter quirked an eyebrow, before reminding herself she wasn’t wearing her usual uniform. Instead, she was wearing a light blue tank top and black yoga pants. Unsurprisingly, they were much easier to fight in. “Thank you. White does wonders for your ass.”

****

Daniel sputtered in surprise, before laughing at his partner’s quip. “Damn, I’m rubbing off on you, huh?” He said, smirking at the specialist as she approached him. “So, how’ve you been, Winter? I heard you had to visit ol’ Iron-dome earlier.”

****

Winter frowned, and nodded while leaning next to Daniel, clearly unhappy. “You heard correctly. I was...questioned about my whereabouts during Ms. Fall’s attack.” Daniel raised an eyebrow, and tilted his head.

****

“Well, where were you?”

****

***Flashback***

****

_“Tucker! Stop trying to flirt with the specialist and help me get Church down from the flagpole!”_

****

_“HOW THE FUCK DID I GET UP HERE?!?!”_

****

_“Oh hey Church. Me, Washington and Tucker were just playing a game. Then you walked in the middle of it and Freckles decided you needed time out. Right, Freckles?”_

****

_“_ **_AFFIRMATIVE._ ** _”_

****

_“Tucker, get me the hell down!”_

****

_“Dude, what am I supposed to do? I have a freaking broadsword, how does that get you down from there?”_

****

_“TUCKER! HELP. ME.”_

****

_“FINE! Drop your sniper!”_

****

_“Why?!”_

****

_“I’m going to shoot the pole. Aim for the bushes when you fall!”_ _  
_

 

_“WHAT?! NO FUCKING WAY!”_

****

_“Tucker, you can’t just shoot Church down from there!_

****

_“What the hell do you suggest, Wash?!”_

****

_“I...um...maybe we should call Carolina?”_

****

_“I got it!”_ _  
_

 

_“CABOOSE, NO!”_

****

_***_ Flashback end***

****

“Probably Hell.”

****

“Hm. Sounds fun!” Daniel quipped, smiling at his kinda-girlfriend, who scowled at him before sighing, and smiling back.

****

“Well, how have you been, Daniel? Crash through anymore windows?” She asked playfully, before an uncertain look crossed Daniel’s face. “...Daniel?”

****

“I’m...not sure.” He answered slowly, his hands balling into fists. “First, Cinder took my ass out AGAIN, this time without even throwing a punch, and then...then Jaune almost...a-almost…” The Specialist gradually began choking up, as memories of seeing his best friend with an arrow through his chest and his body bleeding and crushed from the rubble, began to flash through the young man’s mind.

****

Suddenly, two arms wrapped around him, and brought him out of his thoughts as a soft pair of lips crashed into his own. He and Winter stood there, lips locked, for what seemed like hours. Eventually, the two separated, ragged gasps coming from both specialists. After they both recovered, Winter looked Daniel in the eyes, her expression serious.

****

“Daniel. Jaune is fine, and it’s not your fault he got hurt.” She said, her tone even but compassionate before turning into a growl of subtle anger. “As for Cinder, don’t worry. Sooner or later, we’ll find her, and I will take great pleasure in tearing that bitch apart after all she’s done, **especially** to **you**.”

****

Daniel was a bit taken aback by the heat in Winter’s tone, and the rage that flashed in her eyes. It was kinda scary...also a little hot. “Um, t-thanks, Snow Angel. It’s nice to know you’re with me through it all.” He said, smiling a little at his partner. Slowly, a smile crept up her face as well, and she grabbed Daniel’s hand and squeezing it lightly.

****

“Of course.” She said, before she turned away slightly, her face flushed. Before he could question her sudden change of attitude, Winter said something that caught him off guard.

****

“I...I love you, Daniel.”

****

Daniel felt his heart practically seize in his chest. His relationship with Winter had always been...open. It was never set in stone, and he never wanted to risk making her uncomfortable, so he never even considered telling Winter how he felt about her. Now, though...she confessed. She...she actually loved him. He leaned forward, and planted a kiss on Winter’s cheek, who let out a gasp of surprise. “I love you too, Winter.”

****

Winter’s eyes widened, and for a split second, Daniel thought that she was upset with him. That was before she lunged at him, her lips hitting his and her tongue slipping into his mouth, exploring almost immediately. The two hit the ground, their passionate kiss still going, before Winter broke of and looked into Daniel’s eyes with an unexpected lust. “Daniel, did you lock the door when you came in?”

****

“Um, m-maybe?”

****

“Hmm…” Winter hummed, before smirking and shrugging as her hands drifted lower on Daniel’s body. “Well then, I suppose we’ll have to work fast.”

****

With that, Winter’s lips reengaged with Daniel’s, as her hands fiddled with his belt, easily unlocking it before removing her hands, pushing herself off of Daniel slightly, who moaned in confusion.

****

“Uh, w-what are you-” Daniel started, before trailing off as he noticed what she was doing, her tank top landing on the ground next to him, her voluptuous chest now open to him. He felt his cheeks lit up with an unfamiliar warmth, and chuckled nervously. “Oh, w-wow.”

****

“Really? Daniel, you’ve seen me naked before.” Winter said with a chuckle, before the flirty expression that had been on her face beforehand returned. “Still, I suppose that we could try something new, if you’re up to it.” Her eyes flicked down, and her grin wided. “And it certainly seems like a part of you is.”

****

Daniel also glanced down, and noticed that he was now pitching quite the tent, and chuckled nervously. “W-what, uh, what did you have in mind?” Winter smiled, and pulled down Daniel’s pants and boxers, revealing his stiff member beneath them. Her hand wrapped around it, and Daniel let out a shuddering breath of pleasure, shutting his eyes as he did so.

****

_Gods, this is happening. This is actually happening._ He thought to himself, still trying to figure out if this was real. The sex itself wasn’t really what was throwing him, it was the fact that Winter, basically his crush and second best friend for a year and a half, was having sex with him that made his brain feel like it was going to short circuit. Winter’s voice brought him back to reality.

****

“Daniel, are you ready?” She asked, making him open his eyes, and the view before him almost stopped his heart. Winter was laying before him, her breasts cupped around his shaft, an expectant smile on her face. “Well?”

****

Daniel was only able to nod dumbly, which was a good enough answer for her as she began to move her breasts, guiding them up and down Daniel’s shaft as he groaned in pleasure. “G-gods, Winter! Y-you feel a-amazing!” Winter just smiled at the praise, before licking the head of Daniel’s member, prompting another gasp from the still blushing specialist. “WINTER!”

****

Winter decided to increase the pressure by stroking Daniel faster, as well as capturing Daniel’s member in her mouth as she bobbed her head alongside her breasts. Daniel already felt the need to release building, and quickly stuttered out a warning. “W-winter! I’m about t-to..!”

****

Daniel released into his partner’s mouth, who let out a surprised noise before humming in satisfaction and pulling back, swallowing as she did so. Daniel was about to apologise when she smiled at him, crossing her arms in mock annoyance. “You could have warned me a little sooner, you know.” She said, before shifting and pulling off her own pants, smirking at Daniel. “I don’t suppose you have one more round in you?”

****

Daniel flushed again, but still nodded as he stood up, wrapping his arms around Winter’s waist and hefting her up, causing her to squeak in surprise. “I have just what you need, Winter.” He whispered huskily, making her shudder in anticipation. A moment later, Daniel’s shaft slipped into Winter, and she moaned as the initial friction sent waves of pleasure though her body. Daniel paused, making sure she was ok before continuing. He moved his hips in a steady rhythm, gasps and moans emanating from both as they lost themselves to the feeling of each others warmth. All too soon, the pressure for release began to build in both of them. “W-winter, I’m close! D-do you want me to-”

  
Daniel was cut off by Winter’s legs curling around his waist, a determined look in her eyes. Daniel understood her silent answer, and kept thrusting until the pressure became too much. As they both finished, the screamed each others names, voices ridden with lust.

****

“WINTER!”  
  
“DANIEL!”

****

With that,  they both fell to the ground, absoloutly wiped by their intense second round. Daniel slowly sat up, and eyed Winter with slight fear. “Winter, did I just…?”

****

“Don’t...don’t worry, Daniel.” She muttered, shifting so she could face him. “I’m on the pill.”

  
Daniel raised his eyebrows in question, and followed Winter’s gaze over to her water bottle, which lay next to a bag she’d brought with her when she was sparing. Next to the bag was a small bottle of pills. Daniel’s eyes flicked between the bottle and Winter, before he cracked his typical idiotic smile. “You carry around birth control pills at all times? Why?!”

Winter blushed, and shrugged weakly. “I-I don’t know! Just in case either of us ever felt particularly...spontaneous…” She explained meekly, her blush deepening slightly. Daniel cackled at her admission, resulting in a glare from the white-haired specialist. “Gods, I hate you.”

****

“Love you too, Winter.” He hummed happily, grabbing her hand and beaming at her. Despite his teasing, Winter couldn’t help but smile back. The two lay there, and let the world pass them by. A gunslinger and a swordwielder, against the world.


	42. Recovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coco finally convinces Jaune to join her and Velvet in the bedroom, and Cinder's team begin to have doubts about their loyalties.

“Finally… feels good to be out of that place.” Jaune admitted, as the boy exited the Medical Ward. The final scans came back clean, so the nurses and doctors who had treated him had given him official approval to leave.

****

It felt good to get the opportunity to stretch his legs, after three days in the hospital they’d grown rather stiff from disuse, so he was eager to get rid of that tingly feeling he got when he moved them.

****

He’d barely walked for a minute before he heard a loud, energetic voice call out to him.

****

“Hey Jaune! Wait up!”

****

The boy turned at the sound, surprised to see Neon approaching him on her rollerblades.

****

“Oh, hey Neo-ooff!” His greeting was cut off with a sharp gasp as Neon literally _jumped onto him,_ sending him stumbling at the sudden weight increase, though he was able to remain upright and keep Neon steady as well.

****

“N-Neon, what are you doing!?” Jaune cried, partly out of shock at the girl’s sudden invasion of his personal space. The Faunus girl was quite friendly and open, but never _this_ affectionate. His shock was only amplified when Neon disengaged from him, only to hit him in the shoulder. “Ow! What was that for!?”

****

“You jerk!” Neon huffed, pouting and crossing her arms as her orange tail curled around her body. “You were in the hospital for _three days_ after Beacon was attacked, and you didn’t even call me once!?” She cried out.

****

“Hey, I wasn’t even conscious until this morning!” Jaune replied hastily. Unfortunately, this just caused Neon to react even more negatively.

****

“What!? Why weren’t you conscious? W-was it really that bad?! I-I mean, team NDGO told me that y-you got shot with an arrow or something, but that’s not true, right!?” Neon begged, a few small tears in the skater girl’s eyes as she spoke.

****

“Well…. Yeah, it is. But I’m alright now, I promise! No lasting damage or anything!” Jaune hurried to assure her, though Neon still glared at him a little.

****

“You’re not just saying that to stop me worrying, right?” The girl eyed him, her pupils slitting dangerously as her tail uncoiled and began to swish from side to side.

****

“No… I’m not just saying that to stop you worrying.” Jaune confirmed, with another disarming grin.

****

“Fine. Well… I’m glad you’re okay.” Neon admitted, only for the cat Faunus to squeak in surprise as Jaune pulled her in for another hug. The rollerblader quickly melted into the embrace and returned it eagerly.

****

‘ _Purrrr, purrrr, purrrr, purrrr…’_ Was the noise that began to reach Jaune’s ears as the hug continued. Glancing over as best he could, Jaune confirmed that the sound was indeed coming from Neon herself, whose tail was lazily wiggling around in contented motions.

****

_Wow… she’s really enjoying this._

****

“ _Must be your way with women, hhmmm?”_ Came Summer’s teasing voice, the Huntress being in a happy and jovial mood since Jaune had been visited by Ruby and Yang.

****

_Har har har._ Was his curt reply, though he still released Neon soon afterward.

****

“Thanks for worrying about me.” Jaune smiled at the cat girl once more, who blushed slightly.

****

“Oh! W-well it’s no problem, uh… I have to go find my team now!” Neon cried out, before zooming away on her roller blades before Jaune could even say goodbye.

****

_“I think you flustered her with that hug.”_

****

_Whatever you say, I was just being nice… though it looks like everyone was worried about me while I was in the hospital. I should pay them a visit, let them know I’m okay._

****

_“That sounds like a lovely idea.”_

****

With this in mind, Jaune decided to make his way to the student dorms, which first required crossing the west courtyard. The first thing that Jaune noticed was that the students who usually milled around were standing to the sides, which confused him.

****

The reason for this soon became apparent, as a reporter and camera crew were standing the courtyard’s center. Jaune was able to pick up some of what the woman was saying, as she gestured toward the still-damaged Emerald Tower behind her.

****

“....has yet to be repaired. This is the first time in the history of the Hunter System that one of the four major academies has been attacked directly by the Creatures of Grimm, leading many to theorize as to what could have caused this unprecedented event. Fortunately, the attack was repelled thanks to the valiant efforts of several student teams.” The woman paused for a moment, before sweeping her lavender hair behind her ear.

****

“There are those among the populace, however, who believe that…” Her voice trailed off as the reporter spotted Jaune. Eyes widening, she signaled her cameraman to follow her as she set a brisque pace toward the Knight.

****

“Jaune Arc! Mr Arc!”

****

Jaune, for his part, was unaware of the reporter currently bearing down on him. Thus, when he heard her voice again, this time much closer than before, he rather predictably jumped to face her with a look of shock on his face.

****

“Gyaah! Um… who are you and how do you know my name?” Jaune asked, after recovering from his small fright.

****

“Lisa Lavender, Vale News Network.” The woman introduced herself, offering her hand, which Jaune shook. “I was hoping for a short interview with you about the attack on Beacon Academy a few days ago.”

****

“Oh! Why me?” Jaune asked, honestly a little confused. Couldn’t she go interview Ozpin or one of the other teachers?

****

“Well… some of the other students I spoke with informed that you played a key role in helping repel the Grimm invasion.” Lisa explained, while offering her microphone to the boy. “Do you mind a moment of your time?”

****

Jaune took a moment to consider it.

****

“Well, alright…”

****

Lisa smiled at him in reply, while motioning to her cameraman.

****

“Wonderful. Now then…”

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

It was an hour later when Lisa’s interview ended, and Jaune was pretty wiped. He had planned on walking around the campus some more, but at this point he was fairly tired, so he decided to head for the mess hall instead. After he grabbed some food and a water bottle, he heard someone call his name from the far side of the cafeteria. “Jaune! Over here!”

****

Jaune turned around to see Velvet and Coco waving at him from their table. He returned the wave, and made his way over to them. “Hey, girls. How’s your day been?” He asked, receiving a shrug from Coco and a head tilt from Velvet.

****

“Not bad, just a little dull.” Velvet answered, biting into a carrot she had grabbed from her meal tray. Coco smirked, and shifted closer to Jaune, tilting her shades to look him in the eyes.

****

“Well, I think we've found the cure to our boredom, Bun-Bun.” She hummed, winking at Jaune flirtatiously. “You up for some “devil’s tango”, stud?”

****

Velvet’s face immediately went red, but she noticeably stayed silent instead of admonishing her leader like she usually would. Jaune blushed as well, but considered Coco’s offer. He didn’t have any plans until tomorrow, and he could always link up with the others later…

****

“I mean, if you really want to…”

****

Coco’s eyes widened, and her smirk grew. “Oh? You finally up for our little three-way?”

****

“Well, you said it yourself, Coco. You wanted some one-on-one time, and I’m happy to oblige.” Jaune answered, before turning to Velvet, who was till beet red. “Are...are you ok with this, Velvet?”

****

Again, instead of protesting like he expected, Velvet instead nodded, smiling shyly at the blonde knight across from her. “Y-yes, I-I want to do it.”

****

“I think you mean, “I want to do HIM.”, Bun.” Coco quipped, finally coaxing an embarrassed “EEP!” from her faunus partner. After laughing at her reaction, Coco stood up, offering Jaune a hand. “You ready for the time of your life, stud?”

****

Jaune gulped at the hungry expression on Coco’s face, but took her hand regardless, as well as grabbing Velvet’s, who had also stood up. “I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”

****

With that, the three set off to CVFY’s dorm, ready for one hell of a good time.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

The halls of Beacon were reasonably quiet and peaceful as the trio made their way back to CVFY’s dorm, Coco had assured Jaune that Fox and Yatsuhashi had gone out for a 'day of fun'(mostly because she’d basically ordered them to, but she wasn’t about to tell him that) so they had the dorm to themselves for the day.

****

The not-so-subtle wink she sent his way made it quite clear what she hoped they’d use the freedom to do. Jaune did _not_ miss that fact, nor the way Coco swung her luscious hips back and forth. ‘Jaune Junior’ was very appreciative, as Jaune himself tried to cover up. He thanked God that Summer had retreated into her 'section' of the mindscape, though not before commenting that he should drink plenty of fluids so that he wouldn't get de-hydrated from all the 'activity' he was going to be doing.

****

“No need to cover that up, stud. We’re gonna be seeing it soon anyway, right?” Coco teased, raising an eyebrow. “I know Bun here’s been waiting an awful long time to find your sword a ‘proper sheath.’” Before Velvet could even protest, Coco swatted the bunny girl’s behind, earning a shocked squeal from the Faunus.

****

As they arrived at CVFY’s door, Coco whirled around to place a hand on Jaune’s chest.

****

“Nuh uh uh. You stay outside till we call for you… Vel and I gotta get ready for you, stud.” Coco insisted, her voice husky and dripping with barely contained arousal. Jaune just nodded dumbly, too focused on trying to calm the tightness in his trousers to care. Coco unlocked the door and herded Velvet into the dorm, though not before one last smack on the ass in front of Jaune.

****

For at least 10 minutes, Jaune stood outside team CVFY’s dorm room, waiting for Velvet and Coco to call him in. He only caught hushed whispers and some sounds from the room, but not enough to know what was going on, though a few harshly whispered exclamations of ‘Coco!’ told Jaune that it might be rather risqué.

****

Eventually, there was a call of “come in stud, we’re ready!”. Taking a breath, Jaune opened the CVFY door, which was helpfully left slightly ajar for him to open freely, and stepped inside.

****

And promptly lost his breath.

****

It was not Velvet and Coco’s nudity that was the most shocking, and indeed arousing, thing about the scene in front of him. It was their quite passionate kissing that _really_ excited him.

****

Both girls’ hands were cupping the other’s cheeks and they pressed their lips and tongues together in quite an animated exchange. The sight was only made even more titillating for the young knight when he noticed how their busts squished against each other, each bosom rubbing and bouncing as the girls continued making out.

****

As if finally noticing him, the CVFY girls broke away from each other, Velvet blushing and Coco smirking as their turned their gazes to Jaune.

****

“Oh hey there stud… we were just getting comfy with each other, weren’t we Bun-Bun?” Coco gave her teammate’s firm, peach-shaped rear an equally firm squeeze, causing Velvet to whimper a little and nod. “Now… wanna take off all those clothes and get comfy with us, hmm?” The fashionista asked, with a sultry wink and a ‘come hither’ gesture for good measure.

****

Jaune didn’t need to be told twice, stripping out of his clothes, though placing them in a neat pile nonetheless, and making his way slowly over to the girls. By now, his repeated encounters with the others had robbed the knight of any nervousness or anxiety that had plagued him on his earlier dates. Instead, he found a smirk making its way onto his face as he took measures strides towards them, not even bothering to cover up his ‘family jewels’.

****

“Wow Bun, look at that second sword… looks like a nice juicy claymore to me, maybe even a zweihander, what d’you think Vel?” Coco asked breathily, licking her lips and not bothering to hide how impressed she was. “How d’you think it’ll feel when he uses that on us, Bun…?” The leader whispered to her teammate, breathing on her rabbit ears for good measure. Velvet’s face became increasingly red and her breathing shallow and quick, the heaving motions causing her _deliciously_ shapely chest to bounce up and down, mesmerizing Jaune.

****

“Want to find out?” Jaune found the words leaving his mouth before his brain could catch up. Coco, on the other hand, simply grinned perversely and beckoned him forward again, while disentangling herself from Velvet and moving to stand in front of the bed they had been sitting on while making out.

****

“Yeah, I would.” The fashionista affirmed, before reaching up and pulling Jaune toward her.

****

Their lips met roughly, tongues pushing into each other’s mouths as the teens pressed against each other. Jaune’s soft grunts were mixed with Coco’s sighs of pleasure and they rubbed up and down. The girl made sure to press her bosom against the knight's abdominals as much as she could, loving the feeling of the muscles against her hardened nipples.

****

All too soon, they separated for air, both panting and flushed with excitement and desire. Coco didn’t stop rubbing slightly against Jaune, moving and gyrating her hips and waist against his to ensure he stayed as aroused as she wanted him to be.

****

“Heh… you like that, stud?” Coco grinned up and the blonde.

****

“Yeah, I did. How, how about we get comfy?” With that Jaune swept Coco up in his arms, earning a surprised cry from the fashionista, the knight carrying the brunette over to the nearby bed and laying her down. He decided that he’d try something different this time.

****

“That kiss tasted pretty chocolatey, I wonder if you taste like chocolate anywhere _else…”_ The boy mused loudly, grinning down at the girl beneath him, who replied with one of her own.

****

“Well… get down here and find out.” The proposition was a blunt one, Coco spreading her legs invitingly to reveal her moist lower lips. Jaune almost grunted as he felt himself harden even more that he thought possible, the sight was just too tantalizing.

****

Jaune knelt down and positioned himself between the girl’s things, gazing at her sex for a while before giving it a short, experimental lick. Ignoring Coco’s gasp, Jaune simply took a longer one, just to see what it tasted like.

****

“Heh… really does taste like chocolate.” The boy confirmed, before lowering his head to begin licking in earnest, placing his hands on both Coco’s shapely and fairly muscular thighs to steady himself. The fashionista  cried out in earnest this time, arching her back and moaning loudly in pleasure.

****

Eventually, she couldn’t take it anymore, wrapping her thighs around Jaune’s head (while leaving him room enough to breathe through his nose), tangling her hands in his blonde locks and beginning to buck her hips into his face to give him a proper taste of her flower.

****

“Oh my go… oh damn it, damn it Jaune!” The girl babbled as her body was wracked with spasms of pleasure. Jaune really _did_ have a way with women, it seemed, even in the bedroom. That was fine with her.

****

“You like that?” The knight lifted his head a little to ask, before going back to licking at her flower.

****

“Y-yeah! W-where’d yo-gaahhh!!” Coco’s question was interrupted with a cry as Jaune pushed his tongue inside her sex, causing her to buck her hips even harder into his face, desperate for him to continue until she reached her climax.

****

Velvet watched all of this with an intrigued and rather desperate look on her face, her rabbit ears twitching all the while as she watched her team leader in the throes of passion along with Jaune. Though she was still a little hesitant and nervous, her growing arousal and desires were steadily overpowering her shy nature.

****

She really… really… **really** wanted to see Jaune’s ‘sword’ for herself, maybe even touch it… or even have it inside her. The bunny girl shivered as she imagined what it would feel like to be ‘stabbed’ by it… over and over and _over_ again…

****

She barely restrained herself from salivating at the prospect.

****

A flat-out _scream_ brought her attention back to the other two people in the room, Coco was lying on the bed, panting and red-faced as she came down from her climax. Jaune, meanwhile, was licking his lips with lidded eyes as he stood up and approached the fashionista again. He leant over her prone form, both hands resting on either side of her head, his still-firm manhood now rubbing against her lower lips.

****

“Ready for more?” He asked, huskily.

****

“You bet I am.” Coco smirked up at him, some of her old sass and brazen personality returning. “Think you’ve got it in you to pin me against that wall over there and have your way with me, stud?” She challenged in a breathy voice.

****

Jaune didn’t reply verbally, instead picking her up once more and carrying her to the dorm wall, he leaned her against the wall while pressing himself tightly against her so Coco didn’t fall. The minigunner responded with her legs around his waist to hold herself up, while her arms found his shoulders.

****

“Make me scream, stud.” The girl challenged, a hungry and wanting smile on her face.

****

Jaune simply aligned himself with her, before giving her a quick kiss on the lips and a cocky smirk

****

“You asked for it.” He growled, before thrusting inside her with one push. Coco cried out, tightening her hold on the knight in reply as he began to set a steady rhythm. His sexual encounters with the others had given him more confidence in the bedroom, and he didn’t hesitate to give Coco exactly what she wanted.

****

“Hah! Hah! Haaahh…. Oh my god, keep going Jaune!” Coco kept moaning loudly, holding nothing back in between practically _ordering_ Jaune to keep it up _._

****

All too soon, both felt the pressure building in their lions, they would climax soon. Coco instinctively tightened her grip even further around the knight, ensuring that he couldn’t pull out.

****

“Gah… C-Coco, I’m close…” Jaune grunted, both hands now gripping and squeezing her backside firmly to hold the girl up. The knight began to put his all into the last few thrusts, hilting inside with each push as a result. Coco swore she could feel a _bulge_ in her stomach at this, which only made her feel even more euphoric.

****

“Inside, stud! Don’t you dare pull out!” She cried.

****

Both of them hit their peak a moment later, their bodies convulsing as Jaune emptied himself inside Coco’s needy sex. The teens pressed together and smashed their lips against each other, kissing hungrily for almost half a minute, which was how long it took for Jaune to stop cumming inside the _very_ satisfied fashionista.

****

They stood there for a good while, Jaune having released his hold on Coco to let her stand on her own, though her legs were rather wobbly so she still held onto Jaune as support. Both were flushed and breathing hard, large contented smiles on their faces.

****

“Wow…” Coco breathed, hugged Jaune a little, the knight happily returning the affection.

****

“So, good enough for you?” Jaune smirked down at her, though he was still unsure where half this new confidence was coming from, especially when it bordered on cockiness.

****

“Oh yeah… we are _so_ doing that all over again sometime. But right now…” Coco turned Jaune’s head to look over at the fashionista’s bed. “There’s someone else who needs your attention more than me, right Bun-Bun?”

****

Velvet was still lying on Coco’s bed, her thighs rubbing together even as she stared at her leader and boyfriend. Her cheeks were red and her body was soaked in a thin layer of sweat, one hand was between her legs and the other was rubbing and squeezing her breasts. Despite the new attention she didn’t stop, staring wide-eyed at the room’s other two occupants while still pleasuring herself.

****

“Enjoying yourself Bun?” Coco’s grin could’ve split her face, while Jaune stared wide eyed at Velvet, especially her chest… h-how did she _walk_ with those things without at least _some_ difficulty? Velvet must be stronger than he thought.

****

Velvet merely whimpered and nodded in reply. Coco then began pushing Jaune toward the bed, having recovered enough to stand.

****

“Now, I’m gonna go take a shower, that way you and Jauney can get to know each other while I’m gone. Of course, by that I mean you guys should bang.” Coco explained, ignoring Velvet’s reddened cheeks and Jaune’s eyeroll at her bluntness. The fashionista sashayed over to the bathroom, taking a moment to smack her behind one more time for Jaune to see before heading inside.

****

Now that they were alone, Velvet decided to speak up.

****

“J-Jaune… c-can we…?” She began, a little meekly. Jaune was happy to oblige.

****

“Of course we can.” He clambered onto the bed and positioned himself above her, looking down and smiling reassuringly. “Do you want to… start right now? Or we could just kiss a little, if you want?” He offered.

****

Velvet opened her arms in response, a smile of her own on the bunny girl’s face. She shuffled a little before answering.

****

“Can we kiss a little?”

****

“‘Course we can Vel.” Jaune caressed the Faunus’ cheek as he spoke, earning another soft whimper and squeak from her. “You’re really cute, you know that?” He whispered into her nearest rabbit ear, while blowing a short puff of air onto it. Velvet whined and huffed at the pleasurable feeling.

****

“P-please kiss me Jaune. I-I can’t wait anymore.” She stuttered out, desperate for the knight to just _start_ already. She’d seen, and _heard,_ how much Coco had been enjoying herself during her own sex with Jaune, she wanted that for herself right now. Her heart was racing and her body was tingling with heat all over, _especially_ between her thighs, she needed Jaune touching her, she needed it _now._

****

Jaune obliged, lowering himself down gently to press his lips to Velvet’s in a soft and sweet, yet still searching and hungry, kiss with the bunny girl. He let his body press against hers, revelling in the feeling of her chest and legs against his.

****

Where Coco had more arm muscle (likely from lugging her minigun around), Velvet was broader in the legs and hips, the telltale sign of muscle was present in her arms as well, though not to the same extent. Neither girl was bulging with muscle, but Velvet was more shapely that Coco, her curves more noticeable, yet she was still deliciously firm to the touch.

****

Coco’s body had been very enticing, but Velvet… Velvet was _irresistible._ Jaune had been at half-mast after having sex with the fashionista, but the mere feel of Velvet’s gorgeus, firm and voluptous body managed to have him completely erect once more. Even _looking_ at her up close had been enough to begin arousing him, but touching her… _kissing_ her?

****

There was no way he could stop his member from imitating a flagpole. _God_ , he wanted to badly to just… take Velvet right now, he wanted to thrust inside her until they both came, but he was waiting for her to make the first move, he wasn’t about to violate her like that.

****

Velvet, for her part, was in ecstasy too. Jaune felt… _right_ , pressed against her like this. That firm and fairly muscled chest, those strong and comfortable arms around her… she felt so loved and safe. Then there was his… _second sword,_ it was just resting there, right between her thighs. She could _feel_ the heat radiating from it’s thick girth as it pressed firmly against her own sex, it was almost too much for the bunny girl to bear.

****

There was a part of her mind that was worried about how much it might hurt for Jaune to thrust inside her too hard with a… ‘weapon’ like that, that she might not be able to take it all. Usually, she might have listened to that part, with how shy she was.

****

But kissing Jaune, feeling him against her, having him _finally_ in bed with her so they could make love? It was awakening something within the Faunus, some of her more… _primal_ instincts. Especially the instinct to mate…

****

Of the many stereotypes about rabbit Faunus, there was one that rang true; They were much more fertile than other ‘breeds’, a carryover from the animal species they shared some DNA with. Of course, with this trait came quite the appetite for sex… a rabbit Faunus could be quite needy and hard to satisfy at the best of times, that wasn’t even counting their periodic heat cycles…

****

Right now, Jaune was about to discover exactly how needy an aroused Faunus was, especially one with Aura-enhanced stamina and endurance.

****

“Mwah… Jaune.” Velvet whispered as the pair broke apart, her arms on his shoulders, his arms around her slim waist. “C-can I… be on top?”

****

The request was quite surprising to Jaune, be he complied nonetheless. It was what Velvet wanted, and he wanted to make sure she enjoyed herself. Gripping her by the waist, Jaune rolled quickly over, his own body hitting the bed roughly while Velvet was flipped upright. She clung to him the whole time with a cry of shock, and the sensation of those… mountainous orbs and hardened nipples  pressing very tightly against his chest was almost enough to make him cum on the spot.

****

“Better?” He asked, as Velvet pushed herself up to straddle him, resting herself comfortably on his waist. Despite the slight muscle, as well as the weight of her more… _curvy assets,_ Velvet was rather light and he didn’t really feel much pressure from her presence. Well, he _did,_ but that pressure was centred firmly between his legs, the result of having a beautiful, endearingly cute and irresistibly curvy rabbit Faunus straddling him.

****

“Mhm!” Velvet replied with a cute bob of her head, before she reached out, took Jaune’s broader and larger hands in her own slender and softer ones and then placed them right on her breasts. “Do you… do you like these, Jaune?” She blushed a little as she spoke, hoping that he’d approve.

****

Jaune, meanwhile, was trying REALLY hard not to just blow his load right there, it taking all his self-control just to stave off his orgasm for a bit longer. Her breasts were… well, _perfect_ might be a little bit of an exaggeration, but they were damn close! Firm, rounded, more than a handful each, practically gravity-defying… yeah, they ticked all the boxes alright. God, Velvet must’ve built up quite a lot of upper-body and back strength just from the delicious mounds on her chest.

****

“I… I think they’re a little too small…” Velvet admitted quietly, though Jaune still heard her.

****

“A-are you k-kidding?” Jaune spluttered, off Velvet’s confused and shocked look, he continued. “They’re… t-they’re _huge_ , Vel.” God, even Pyr and Marcie weren’t as big as her! What the hell was she eating to give her a rack like this!?

****

“R-really?” Velvet squeaked, shuffling a little in slight excitement at Jaune’s opinion, though his caused the knight to moan in arousal before replying.

****

“W-were you always this… t-this _m-massive?”_ He rasped out, his throat dry from how aroused he was, there were really no other words to describe them.

****

“I-I am a year older than the others… I-I’ve had more time to grow.” Velvet admitted, which seemed to mollify Jaune. He realised that they’d been getting off topic, so he squeezed her juicy mounds again,earning another moan, before gently rocking his hips upward invitingly.

****

“Why don’t we get back to what we were going to do?” He suggested, Velvet nodding eagerly in reply. “So… do you want to…?”

****

“Yes!” She cried out excitedly, only to squeak out a much more subdued “um… yes” a moment later. Jaune chuckled a little at how cute she was once more.

****

“Whenever you’re ready Vel.” The trainee-Huntsman smiled up at the trainee-Huntress on his lap, inviting her to take the lead. Velvet began to lever herself upward, positioning herself above Jaune’s firm and erect shaft. With one last nod of encouragement, she lowered herself slowly downward.

****

Both of them gasped out, with Velvet squealing a little in surprise and pain as Jaune’s shaft pushed into her sex. Encountering a little resistance, Jaune instinctively thrust through it, only to stop as Velvet cried out again, a few small tears blurring her brown eyes as her bunny ears flopped down, Jaune realised what that obstruction was.

****

“I’m sorry!” He assured her, removing his hands from her bust and holding her own to comfort her. “Sorry… I just didn’t thi-” He was cut off when Velvet pressed a finger to his lips, a shaky smile on her face.

****

“I-it’s okay Jaune, it… doesn’t hurt too much.” The Faunus whispered, cupping the knight’s cheek. “Besides… I-I wanted you to take my virginity Jaune. It’s okay.”

****

With that, Jaune took Velvet’s hips in his hands, and began a steady rhythm, like he did with Coco. He was rewarded with Velvet’s squeaks and gasps of pleasure as she began to rock her hips together with his, the friction quickly causing them to moan in glee. Velvet’s warm and soft sex was tight around Jaune’s member, squeezing it with each thrust.

****

“Vel… god. Y-you’re so tight!” Jaune gasped out, the bunny girl above him nodding along, her ears flopping and breasts bouncing with the Jaune’s upward thrusts.

****

“Ah! Y-yeah.. D-do you-”

****

“Yes. God yes! I love it.” Jaune interrupted with a groan, throwing his head back as the pleasure began to build inside. Velvet felt it too, and squealed happily as she realised that Jaune was going to release inside her at last. Though she had forgotten about the birth control she’d taken with Coco before inviting him inside, it didn’t matter at this point, all that mattered was Jaune cumming inside, filling her womb with his seed. The thought made her giddy.

****

After about twenty full minutes of thrusting and rocking each other, though it felt much shorter to the participants, both students cried out in ecstasy as they hit their peaks. Jaune gripping Velvet’s luscious hips tight as his shaft pulsed, send spurts of his thick seed into the Faunus’ sex. Velvet rode the whole thing out, one hand pressed on Jaune’s chest as she rocked her body back and forth, the other came to rest on her stomach so she could feel it churning with his seed. It was lovely to feel him filling her up like, it made Velvet euphoric.

****

It also broke most of the mental barriers between her rational mind and her baser, primal instincts.

****

Jaune was lying on the bed, body coated in sweat, panting from the exertion of making love to Velvet. His eyes were shut, so he didn’t see Velvet’s once-floppy ears shift straight up, or her brown eyes widen and dilate almost impossibly wide. Her breathing deepened as arousal and desire flooded her curvy body, her needy gaze settling on the boy below her, the fact that his length was hilted inside her only multiplied the natural arousal tenfold.

****

She needed more. More, more, _more,_ **more.** More from Jaune. More of his seed inside her. It was the only thing that could slake her thirst now.

****

Jaune’s eyes shot open as he felt Velvet’s hands wrap around his wrists, pinning him to the bed. She was much, _much_ stronger than she looked. Looking up at his current partner, he could see Velvet’s frazzled look and dilated eyes.

****

“S-sorry Jaune, but I need more…” The huntress whispered. She began thrusting her hips downward, impaling herself on Jaune over and over again as he grunted and gasped in pleasure, still keeping hold of his wrists. Jaune bucked his hips upward as much as he could, but he was rather tired from the previous two rounds.

****

“Just relax Jaune.” Velvet cooed. “Let me take care of you for now. You can give me l-lots of little bunnies as a… a thank you.”

****

As Velvet kept up her pace, the bathroom door creaked open to reveal a grinning Coco.

****

“Wow, you really got her riled up didn’t you, stud? She must be _really thirsty_ if she’s doing this.” Coco commented, a tired and satisfied grin on her face as she approached. “Enjoying yourself Bun?” She asked the panting brunette.

****

“Y-yes! It feels so good! I don’t ever want to stop!” Velvet practically _shrieked_ , startling Jaune with how loud she was. “Please Jaune! G-give me a litter, give me lots of cute little rabbit children! Pleeaaasee!” She wailed out, her animal instincts almost overwhelming her rational thought.

****

“Well, let’s see if I can help.” With that, Coco pulled Velvet into another kiss, exchanging saliva with her teammate for a bit as Jaune watched, open-mouthed. After she pulled back, Coco smirked and then shoved Velvet down on top of the knight, pressing their bodies together fully. Both young lovers gasped at the sensations of skin rubbing against skin. The fashionista leant down to whisper in Jaune’s ear.

****

“Go on stud, she’s all yours, give it to her _real good_ this time. Make the thirsty little bunny scream for your milk, stud.” Coco breathed, her own arousal leaking through in her husky encouragement. CVFY’s leader stood up and gave Velvet another slap on the butt. “Go on Vel, you want Jauney’s milk so bad? Take it from him, _milk him._ ”

****

Neither teen needed telling twice, Velvet and Jaune both thrusting forward into each other, timing and synching them so that Jaune hilted funny inside the beautiful Faunus. Velvet’s gasps and squeaks were cut off when she cupped Jaune’s cheeks and pulled him in for another passionate kiss. Jaune responded eagerly, while also gripping the girl’s rear to pull her down onto his shaft even more firmly.

****

_God… what does she do with herself, even her butt’s as firm as anything else! It’s as squeezable as her breasts are… god she’s so inviting and attractive._

****

The blonde knight’s mind had begun to spiral out into praising Velvet’s beauty, even as his body continued pleasuring the Faunus with repeated and powerful thrusts upward. Jaune decided that a girl like Velvet needed a better finish, so he decided to try something ludicrous.

****

Jaune focused Aura, drawing on the energy from his soul, before channelling it downward, to a _very_ specific point… when his next and final thrust pushed into Velvet, the stored Aura released itself, along with copious amounts of his seed.

****

Poor Velvet didn’t stand a chance.

  
“JAUNE!! AAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!” The bunny girl _screamed_ to the heavens as she threw her head back, the pleasure so overwhelming so could barely see from the stars in her eyes.

****

“God!! VELVET!!” Jaune cried out with her as his own orgasm hit him again. The warmth and wetness in their nethers was very comforting for both teens as they rode the waves of pleasure that came from their frenzied lovemaking.

****

They cuddled up, unable to resist rubbing their bodies together even as they came down from their pleasure waves. Jaune pulled Velvet back down on top of him, drawing some of the bedsheets across her slender and curvy frame to cover them up.

****

“Wow…” Jaune whispered, he’d never have imagined that _Velvet_ of all people would like being the dominant partner. Not that it was a bad thing, he didn’t mind letting someone else take the lead for a change.

****

“That was amazing Jaune, t-thank you for… for m-making my first time so lovely.” Velvet cooed, some of her old shyness returning as she snuggled closer to Juane, her rabbit ears flopping down gently and brushing against Jaune’s face.

****

“Ahem.” Both the nude teens turned their heads to see an equally bare Coco, standing with her hands on hips and looking a little put out.

****

“So you two loverbirds can share a bed and get all handsy and spoon each other tonight, but I have to stay on my own? What if I want another go?” Coco questioned, raising an eyebrow.

****

“Well that’s just tough, because he’s mine tonight.” Velvet asserted, with surprising steel in her voice as she cuddled closer to Jaune. “You’ve been teasing him all the time, I’ve never done that, so I should get to spend tonight with him.” Both were rather surprised at Velvet’s burst of possessiveness, but Jaune rubbed one of her rabbit ears as he addressed them both.

****

“C’mon Vel… Coco’s got a point. Look… we can all share this bed, okay?” He offered.

****

“Now _that’s_ what I’m talking about!” Coco’s look shifted from disappointed to gleeful in about 2 seconds, the senior huntress student hopping into bed with the duo, taking the free space next to Jaune and snuggling up to him.

****

“Fine… but d-don’t go trying to get him to pleasure you all night!” Velvet cried out, still a little heated from her and Jaune’s passionate intercourse, her cheeks flushed and her ears twitching.

****

“Who says it’ll be him I want pleasure from?” Was Coco’s teasing reply, even as she snaked a hand across to swat Velvet across the rear once more. “Damn… look at those! I knew there was a reason your nickname was Bun-Bun!”

****

“Because I’m a rabbit Faunus?” Velvet questioned.

****

“Because you’ve got the firmest, best shaped, most grabbable and slappable ass I’ve ever seen, you could bounce stones off those perfect buns.” Coco asserted, unrepentant in the face of Velvet’s shocked and mortified squawk.

****

Jaune sighed, wrapping an arm around each girl to pull them close inside their blanket cocoon, both snuggled up again, quite eager to be near him.

****

“Night girls… love you.”

****

“Love you too, stud.”

****

“Goodnight Jaune… I-I love you too.”

****

With that, the contented trio drifted off into a pleasant slumber.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

The warehouse was crap, it was cold, it was boring. It was terrible. It wasn’t nearly as comfortable as their dorm at Beacon.

****

Marcie hated it, she hated it a lot. Even if it was necessary.

****

After all, their boss’ plan had been a spectacular fuck-up. Old Man Ozpin was still ticking, the Relic was nowhere to be found and the Maiden powers were out of reach. The authorities would likely start looking for them soon, if they hadn’t started already.

****

Hell, General James Ironwood had been on-site during the attack as well, those other two that Cinder’s mysterious ‘employer’ had sent had the misfortune of running into both him _and_ Ozpin’s Deputy. It was inevitable that the men and women of the Atlas expeditionary fleet would be frothing at the mouth to find the people who attacked their commanding officer. If the hand of fate was feeling especially sadistic, Atlas might even send another fleet to help out in the search, plus the other Kingdoms might pitch in too.

****

Marcie felt like speaking her mind right now.

****

“Well. This is shit.” Marcie summed up.

****

“Oh, no way Marc. What gave you that idea!?” Emerald snarked back, though after everything that happened three days ago, the grey-haired girl was in no mood for her shitty attitude, snark or bullshit.

****

“Well, I mean it could be the fact that we’re in this warehouse and not our dorm at Beacon, it could be the fact that Beacon’s still standing, it might be the fact that there’s probably a citywide manhunt out for us at this point.” Marcie snarked back. Emerald made to respond, only to shut her mouth as the other girl’s face twisted into an expression of hatred when she continued speaking.

****

“Or, it could be the fact that I _watched our boss_ **kill the first fucking person outside of my mum that ever GAVE A SHIT ABOUT ME**!!” Marcie snarled at Emerald, her voice increasing in volume as she kept speaking, until she was practically roaring in her partner’s face.

****

Emerald recoiled at the bile and hate in the other girl’s voice. She’d never seen Marcie this enraged over anything, with the possible exception of her story about the child molesters she had killed a year ago, and the memories of her ‘training’ with Marcus.

****

A sniffle caught the green haired girl’s attention. Looking over, she saw that Marcie had dipped her head, to the point it was obscured by her greyish hair. What it didn’t obscure, however, were the dripping tears that fell from her face and pooled on the floor.

****

“Marc…?” Emerald asked, shocked at seeing her partner _cry_. In all the time they’d been working together, Marcie always seemed to have a snarky comment ready for everything, even when she grumbled or moaned she usually mixed it with insults or snark. To see her actually crying… it was shocking.

****

“D-does this world just fucking hate me, Em?” Marcie whispered, her voice was quiet and choked with emotion. “First my m-mum dies, then my dad makes the n-next 10 or so years of my life hell with f-fucking t-torture he calls ‘training’”. The bitterness in her voice was not only clear, it was almost suffocating.

****

“Even when I kill the old bastard it doesn’t stop. Killing’s all I know, so I try and kill people who deserve it, try and put my skills to some semblance of good use… then that bitch comes along with you and makes me join her in being a terrorist… so that fucks up the rest of my life.” Marcie continued, levelling a glare at Emerald before looking down, her eyes burned with anger, yet the tears didn’t stop. Thankfully, she seemed to have stopped choking on her words, thanks to ruthlessly blowing her nose in between speaking.

****

“You know when it was that I stopped despairing… and started thinking that maybe, _maybe_ , I _might_ just get the chance for a normal life, even after all the shit I’ve been through?”

****

“No… when?” Emerald asked quietly, a little afraid to try her usual sass or sarcasm in case Marcie got angry and started shouting, or even worse, got _violent._

****

“It was when I met Jaune.” Marcie admitted, lifting her head to look at Emerald directly. Her eyes were finally dry, but still red-rimmed.

****

“S-seriously? All it took was meeting a boy, Marc?” Emerald asked, a little incredulous.

****

“It’s not because he’s a fucking _boy,_ Em!” Marcie growled, glaring at the dark-skinned girl again. “He’s because he was kind!”

****

“Kind, seriously?” Emerald repeated.

****

“You don’t get it Em… you just don’t fucking get it, do you…?” Marcie shook her head, before resuming eye contact with her partner.

****

“All my life, whenever anyone sees my legs, everyone’s looked at me one of two ways.” Marcie started, making sure the green-haired boot-licker was listening before continuing. “Either they start getting _scared_ , or they start looking _interested_ , there was no middle ground. If they look scared, it’s because they think I’m some robotic freak to be avoided and mocked. And they get interested… well, it’s because they’ve realised what I can do, and they think they can get some use out of me.”

****

All my life, I’ve been treated as a freak to be scared of, or a weapon to be used to get rid of someone. That’s IT. Even when they try and be polite, even when they act all nice and complimentary, I know what they _really_ want from me. If someone tells me, ‘hey babe, nice legs’ what they’re really saying is ‘I want you to kill someone for me’”. Marcie couldn’t keep the bitterness and anger out of her voice as she related her tale.

****

“It was all false kindness, just some mask they put on to impress me or butter me up so that I’ll want to work for them. It was never sincere, Em, **never**. Even on the rare occasions they DO like my prosthetics, the only reason they do is cause they think I look like some pissy, campy fucking comicbook cyborg or something.The only person who gave a shit about me as a girl, as a person was my mum… my mum who’s been dead for about 11 years.”

****

“Until I met him.”

****

“Who… oh, you mean, met Jaune?” Emerald asked. Marcie nodded, a small smile on her face.

****

“Yeah… on that joint mission we had a while back, before the attack. Before even the Vytal Festival. He was just… a dork, you know? At least he’s got good taste in comics.” She snorted a little. “But that wasn’t what I liked about him. We were just sharing stories, and I showed him my legs. Want to know what his reaction was?”

****

“What was it?”

****

“Nothing. No fear, no excitement, no interest. Nothing. He just… accepted it. He said they were cool, but that was it.”

****

“So, what makes him different from all those others? The ones who just flattered you to try and use you?” Emerald asked.

****

“Because he _meant it._ ” Marcie stated. “The dork was like an open book, I could read him so easily, he was honest to a fault. When he said that he liked my legs, he meant it. It wasn’t trying to flatter me or like to me… he really liked my legs… and me. That was why I liked him, Em, because he liked me for _me._ I could just banter and snark with him and he didn’t mind. I could just… be myself, you know? Be Marcie.”

****

There was a small, yet sad smile across Marcie’s face as the girl spoke, the girl’s eyes beginning to mist over.

****

“For the first time… I’d made an actual friend. A friend that I could count on. A friend who’d listen to me whine and bitch about my issues all day without fucking off. A friend who could… c-could hug me if I n-needed it.” Her voice began to waver as the girl began to choke up again, once more shocking Emerald with just how much emotion she was displaying

****

“Even if… if I couldn’t be a-anything more, then I could still be his friend, be that q-quirky and dirty-mouthed friend who could j-just… just be n-normal around him.” Marcie lowered her head and wrapped her arms around herself, the tears once more beginning to run down her cheeks.

****

“At least, I-I thought I could… then our smug… m-monstrous… **bitch** of a boss s-shot him with a fucking arrow and buried him under all that fucking rubble.” Marcie snarled out, finally finishing her rant.

****

“I… I’m sorry.” Emerald admitted. There was nothing else she could say.

****

“Don’t say that unless you mean it, Em.” Marcie snapped, her dismissive tone angering the green-haired illusionist.

“I do mean it Marc.” Emerald snapped back, challenging. “You’re not the only one who misses Jaune, you know.” When her partner responded with a round of bitter and harsh laughter at her assertion, she couldn’t hold back a question.

****

“What’s the laughter for?! Is something funny to you?” She asked sarcastically, with a hint of aggression in her voice.

****

“Yeah. You telling me that you care, that’s the joke here Em, ‘cause you clearly don’t.” Her partner replied, the anger and bile returning as the assassin’s eyes locked with the illusionist’s.

****

“What…” Emerald growled, Marcie dismissal of her concern for Jaune stoking her own anger.

****

“You don’t care about him, Em. You don’t give a shit about him. The only thing you care about is toadying up to that cunt that got us into this mess!” Marcie met Emerald’s glare with one of her own, eyes flashing with rage, before turning away. “You can tell me that you cared about him all you like, but you’ll need to stop deluding yourself eventually, the only thing you care about is licking Cinder’s-”

****

WHAM.

****

Marcie was cut off as one of Emerald’s Kusarigamas struck her in the head. Her Aura absorbed most of the blow, but it still sent her stumbling a little. When the girl whipped around, hate and anger blazing in her eyes, she was surprised to meet the equally angry eyes of her partner. Emerald had her weapons out, her crimson eyes glowing faintly as she stared daggers at her partner, though Marcie could make out the faintest tears brewing in the corners.

****

“Shit… you really did care about Jaune… didn’t you?” She asked, finally understanding that Emerald’s concern was quite real.

****

“Yes. Like you said… he was nice. Nice to me. To you. To Neo too. W-why wouldn’t I care?” Emerald’s stutter on the last part didn’t go unnoticed.

****

“His hugs were nice, weren’t they?” Marcie really didn’t know why she brought that up, but it was true, she felt… safe when Jaune hugged her. Protected. Cared about.

****

“Y-yeah… they were really nice.” Her partner affirmed, finally lowering and re-holstering her guns. “I only ever got one… I wanted another one.” She whispered, finally letting her eyes fill with tears.

****

“You got lots of hugs from him, did it make you feel happy, Marc? Warm inside? Like… like you’d finally found someone you could rely on to help you and protect you and… a-and l-love you?” The illusionist’s questions came quickly, even as she began choking up and weeping.

****

“Y-yeah, they really did.” Marcie began to tear up as well, Emerald’s questions prompting her to reflect on just how it felt to have been hugged by Jaune, how it made her feel all those things Emerald described… only for her to realise that she’d never get to feel them again.

****

Suddenly, the exit of the warehouse swung open, and a familiar face entered, a small smile on her face. Neo practically skipped into the room, before noticing her colleagues appearances and pausing, tilting her head in confusion and...asking.

****

“What’s wrong with you two?”

****

Marcie blinked, and turned to her green-haired partner, who looked just as surprised as her. Neo...could speak. Yeah, ok. Whatever. “Nothing, we just...we just miss Jaune.” She muttered, feeling another set of tears threaten to fall from the edge of her eyes.

****

Neo tilted her head a little, before asking another question.

****

“So… why not go visit him then? That might cheer you up.”

****

Both Marcie and Emerald flinched back at the casual tone of her voice, Marcie especially began to advance on Neo with the rage in her eyes re-ignited.

****

“Is that some sick fucking joke, you psychotic little bitch!?” She snarled out, with Neo flinching this time for the sheer hate in her words, while also stepping backward to try and keep away from her. “What, you think we’ll feel better about missing him by visiting his fucking grave!? **Is that what gets you off!?!** ” The girl bellowed angrily.

****

Before Neo could react, one of Marcie’s legs shot out to pin the girl to the wall, the bracer clicking a few times as the inbuilt guns armed themselves, right in her face.

****

Neo’s eyes flashed milky white.

****

“Fifteen seconds.” The enraged girl whispered. “Fifteen seconds to explain what the fuck you’re on about, before I paint this wall with the inside of your head. Fuck the plan, fuck the bitch in the dress. I don’t care anymore. So, what’s your-

****

“Jaune’s not dead.” Neo answered, struggling a little from the pressure on her throat.

****

“... what?” The disbelief in her voice was audible, but Marcie’s eyes lit up a little, a faint flicker of hope appearing.

****

“I said he’s not dead. The arrow didn’t kill him, neither did the rubble, I was there. He’s been in the Medical Ward for three days.” Neo explained, her eyes still milky white.

****

Only to gasp out as Marcie released her, the short enforcer dropped to the floor and began sucking in air greedily. Marcie folded her arms and glared down at her.

****

“You could be lyi-” Was as far as she got before Neo jumped up to interrupt her, irritation brimming in her now  pink and brown eyes.

****

“Please… why would I lie to you about this? I care about Jaune too… I like him too. I’ve liked him longer than you as well. So why would I try to lie about something that we’re all happy about?” The enforcer questioned, to which the assassin raised an eyebrow again, while also shrugging.

****

“Marceline? Is there a problem?” Another voice called out, making all three criminals turn around and gawk at the sight before them.

****

Cinder had exited the back section of the warehouse, which she had claimed for herself, and was now standing in front of them. Her appearance was...different than normal. Instead of her flowing red dress, or her brown leather jacket with her green trousers, she was wearing grey sweatpants and an orange t-shirt, a far cry from her normal attire. Strangest of all, however, was what she wore on her face.

****

A smile.

****

No, not the condescending “I’m better than everyone in this room” smile, it was a normal smile. Marcie stuttered out an answer, still bewildered by Neo’s news and Cinder’s appearance.

****

“Uh, n-nothing boss. Personal dispute.” Cinder raised an eyebrow, but shrugged and resumed walking to the other side of the warehouse, where they had set up a makeshift kitchen. Marcie turned to Emerald with an arched eyebrow, who frowned in return.

****

“What?”

  
“Well...have you ever seen her like this? You’ve been with her the longest, Em.” Marcie whispered, only receiving a shrug in return.

****

“Honestly, not really. I mean, she’s been pleased before, but never like this.” The thief said, glancing over to her boss, who was now returning from the kitchen with a drink in her hand. “S-should we ask, or..?”

****

Before Marcie could answer, Cinder did it for her.

****

“Assuming that you’re all wonder why I’m in such a pleasant mood, we’ve been given another opportunity to complete our mission.” She hummed, smiling once again at her associates. “And now, with Jaune Arc out of the way, it will be much easier than before. That little worm cannot stand in my way this time”

****

Marcie fought the urge to cock an eyebrow at Cinder’s statement, but pasted on a smile and nodded in agreement.

****

“That’s great news, boss!” She said, turning her head to see Neo and Emerald agreeing with forced enthusiasm. Cinder nodded, clearly pleased with this response.

****

“Well, I will inform you of the specifics when they come up. Until then, we continue to lay low.” She said, once again receiving a chorus of agreements. “Excellent. I’ll be in my quarters.” And with that, Cinder returned to her room, and Marcie allowed herself to breathe again. She looked at her teammates, who also looked relieved.

****

“Well, at least she’s hap-”

  
Marcie’s statement was cut off by the sound of shattering glass coming from Cinder’s room. The three glanced at each other, before sprinting across the room to check on their leader. Marcie shoved the door open, and looked inside.

****

On the far wall, a projected image from a scroll lit up the mostly dark room. The image itself was Jaune, talking to a reporter about the attack on Beacon. He had that usual, dorky smile on his face, and seemed like he was in good health.

****

**“Marceline.”** Cinder growled calmly from the far end of the room, standing directly in front of the picture, her hands now glowing a sinister orange as fire began to lick the edges of her outline. “ **Would you shut the door,** **_please?”_ **

****

Marcie did as she was told, hurriedly slamming the door shut and waving her cohorts back, the three backing away in fear. For the next thirty minutes, the warehouse was filled with the muffled echoes of angry screams, items being broken, and controlled explosions, all while Marcie, Emerald, and Neo sat outside, trying to avoid the wrath of the enraged half-maiden.


	43. Homecoming P1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby and Yang return to Patch, with Jaune in tow. They reunite with their father, and visit their mother's grave.

“So… we all set?” Yang asked, looking over to her sister.

****

“Yep!” Ruby called back, her voice thrumming with excitement as she spoke. The younger girl was busy closing up her suitcase of clothes and accessories (mostly maintenance gear for Crescent Rose), while Yang had was already packed. “Got everything all packed up! Oooh, this is gonna be awesome! We’ll get to see dad and Zwei again! I feel like we’ve not seen them in ages and ages!”

****

“Heh… well it’s not been THAT long Rubes, but it’ll be nice to see pops and Zwei again.” The blonde admitted, a happy smile growing on her face as she thought about seeing her family again. Taiyang Xiao-Long was… a dork, really. Kinda like her boyfriend, in fact. “And he’ll get to meet Jaune too.”

****

“Yeah…” Ruby wilted a little at that, causing Yang to frown and place a hand on her younger sibling’s shoulder.

****

“Hey, what’s wrong sis?”

****

“It’s just… I know dad said it was okay, but… what if he doesn’t like Jaune? What if he… reacts like Uncle Qrow?” Ruby whispered, deepening Yang’s frown as she pulled Ruby in for a hug.

****

“C’mon Rubes, dad’s not like that. He’ll love Jaune, they’re both blonde and dorky, of course they’ll hit it off!” Yang exclaimed encouragingly, causing Ruby to giggle a little. “If he does react like Qrow did… well, that’s too bad.” She muttered, missing Ruby’s small scowl.

****

It might have been almost a week since the… ‘incident’ at the docks with Qrow, Ruby, Yang and Jaune. The siblings still had yet to forgive their uncle, who had given them a wide berth since then. Who could blame him, though? Yang gave him glares whenever she caught him nearby when Jaune was present, and Ruby would always fold her arms and give Qrow the classic ‘I’m disappointed in you’ look.

****

Qrow had apologized numerous times since then, but the sisters were still a little wary of having him around Jaune. Still, they weren’t about to let those sour thoughts ruin Jaune meeting their dad. Yang secretly worried that her dad might react similarly to Qrow, but for her sister’s sake she stayed strong and pushed her worries aside.

****

“C’mon sis, let’s go. If nothing else, you’ll get to see Zwei and pops again.” Yang ruffled her sibling’s hair again, the younger girl brightening up again as she sped out of the room, crying out “Come on Yang what are we waiting for let’s go go go!!” all in one breath. Yang, for her part, simply laughed, picked up their suitcases and followed along at a leisurely pace.

****

When Yang finally reached the docks, she scanned the area for her hyperactive sister or a blonde dork knight, hopefully looking for both. After a short moment, she heard the unmistakable voice of Ruby from the crowd.

****

“Yang! YANG! Where are you, you’re gonna be late!!” The younger girl called. Yang just rolled her eyes a little, knowing they were perfectly on schedule, and began making her way toward the source. Before she could get there, she saw Ruby simply… stand  _ above _ the crowd, hand over her eyes to look out for her, though it wasn’t long before their eyes locked.

****

“Hey! Over here you slowpoke sis!” She called. “Hey Jaune, I found Yang!” 

****

As Yang finally reached them, she realized how it was that the normally-short Ruby was able to tower over the crowd, though in hindsight the answer should’ve been obvious.

****

She was sitting on Jaune’s shoulders. Though she dismounted her ‘steed’ and rushed toward Yang as she approached, attempting one of her speed-boosted tackle-hugs.

****

Yang, however, had experience with dealing with Ruby’s hugs. It was a natural response to having grown up with her, thus being subjected to them more often that she could remember. After setting down their suitcases the brawler stepped to the side, then shot her arm out to snag Ruby’s incoming form, letting herself be twirled around with the momentum while she wrapped her sister in a tight hug of her own.

****

“Aaaww! Did my lil sis miss me?” The blonde cooed, ‘affectionately’ noogeing the younger girl’s head in the process as a little payback for Ruby’s attempted tackle. No matter how much the girl squirmed and tried to wriggle free, Yang was much stronger and held her easily.

****

“Yang! Let me go!” Ruby squealed, though Yang did no such thing. She did, however, stiffen a little as another pair of arms wrapped themselves around her own body and pulled her into a hug from behind. Looking back, she found Jaune standing there, the knight having ditched his armor and weapons for his plain hoodie and jeans.

****

“Well, hey there Lover Boy.” Yang greeted.

****

“Hey yourself, thought you could use a hug yourself, doesn’t seem fair for Ruby to get all the hugs now, does it?

****

“Mmm hmm.” Yang agreed, snuggling into the warm embrace, almost forgetting about Ruby still being in her iron grip in the process.  Yang was tempted to let the hug carry on, but knew that they’d be late if she did that, so she reluctantly tapped Jaune on the shoulder.

****

“Well… we should get going, we can continue this on the journey if you like?” She offered, a sly wink up at the knight suggesting that hugging was not  _ all _ the blonde had in mind for their journey. With that, she disengaged from the knight, released her sister, picked up the luggage again and turned to board the Bullhead.

****

Ruby and Jaune quickly followed her up the ramp, the latter carrying his own suitcase with his gear inside. They took seats near the back, though Jaune insisted they stay away from him in case his motion sickness began to act up again. This sisters complied, though reluctantly, with Ruby handing Jaune some tissues just in case.

****

As the Bullhead began to take off, Yang hoped that Jaune would be able to hold it in. After all, she did want him to make a good impression on her father, and showing up having just thrown up on the transport was probably not the best introduction he could make.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

The Bullhead finally touched down at the docks on the island of Patch. The journey hadn’t been too long, and thankfully Jaune hadn’t succumbed to his motion sickness on the way over. The boy had made a valiant effort to restrain himself the whole way, probably to avoid ruining his first meeting with the father of two of his girlfriends.

****

Yang and Ruby we’re both off the Bullhead first, stepping out onto the island they grew up on and taking a nostalgic sniff of the air.

****

“Aaahhh… fresh as a daisy. Sure is good to be home, right Rubes?” Yang asked.

****

“Yep, it sure is!” The red-and-black haired girl was so excited she was quite literally  _ bouncing _ alongside her sister. “But I thought dad would meet us here already! Do you think he’s late or someth-”

****

She’d barely finished a sentence before a loud call of “kids!” sounded through the docks. Before either girl could react, both of them were scooped up into the strong arms of their father, Taiyang Xiao-Long, who hugged them tightly. 

****

Ruby wriggled a little, reminded too much of Yang’s own brand of hugs, while the blonde brawler in question simply returned the hug, both nonetheless laughing happily at seeing their father again. After setting them down, the older man smiled widely.

****

“Well, look at you both! You’ve done some growing up while I was away, I can’t believe it took you this long to come visit your old man again!” Tai placed his hands on his hips. “What? Afraid I’ll embarrass you?” 

****

“Yeah, totally.” Yang replied, though the cheeky grin on her face showed that she wasn’t too serious. “Sorry pops, but no matter how many times you insist otherwise, you’re never gonna be cool. That’s just a fact of life. Kids like us can be cool, but grownups just can’t.”

****

The man actually pouted,  _ pouted _ , at this news, sighing softly as he ran a hand through his hair.

****

“Fine… well, I brought someone else along with me.” With that said, Tai whistled loudly, leaving the girls slightly confused for a moment, at least until loud barking was heard and a black-white blur slammed into Ruby at full pelt, knocking the girl over even as she flung her arms around the object.

****

“Zwei!!” She cheered happily, as the corgi began enthusiastically licking her face in between happy yaps, the canine excited to see his masters again. “Look at you boy! Has dad been feeding and walking you properly?” She asked, with a slight stare up at the man in question as she spoke.

****

“‘Course I am.” Tai replied. “The little guy and I take a walk through the forests every day, works like a charm to keep us both fit and healthy, and it keeps the local pest population down at the same time. Got to keep the old skills sharp after all!” The father puffed his chest out and flexed his right arm with a grin, causing the girls to giggle a little.

****

“You’re such a dork pops.” Yang chuckled, the younger brawler shaking her head, she couldn’t help but be reminded of another blonde dork right now…

****

“Yeah, you’re like an adult Jaune!” Ruby giggled, continuing to nuzzle Zwei.

****

“Jaune, huh? This the boy you want me to meet?” Tai raised an eyebrow. Off the girls’ nods, the man continued. “The boy that… saved your life?” He looked to Ruby this time, his gaze hardening a little as the addressed the younger girl.

****

“Ruby, what exactly happened that this… Jaune needed to save you from?” He asked, his tone hardening in unison with his expression.

****

“Oh! Um, it was nothing dad…” Ruby began.

****

“It’s clearly not nothing if you needed someone to save your life, Ruby. Please… what happened?” The man asked again, looking both concerned for his younger daughter and angry at the thought of her being hurt. Both Ruby and Yang took a subtle step away from their father at this, while he could be a dork most of the time, Taiyang Xiao-Long was also a well-built man and a former Hunter, one who didn’t take kindly to people attacking his family.

****

Ruby gulped a little, clearly hesitant before answering.

****

“I… we were on our way to Professor Ozpin’s office when Beacon was attacked, to see if he was okay! But then the tower exploded and I… I got some shrapnel in my leg.” Ruby winced at the memory, but continued on. “The rubble was falling toward me and… and Jaune held it up, all of it! He held it so I could get out of the way.” The young girl closed her eyes at the memory.

****

“I… I  **see** .” Tai snarled out, barely-restrained rage in the man’s voice as he thought about his daughter being harmed by the same people who attacked her school, his knuckles cracking as he squeezed them. “When I get my hands on the people who did this…” While his voice trailed off, faint embers began manifesting around him as he tapped into his aura, at least until Yang put a hand on his shoulder.

****

“Hey, calm down pops! Honestly, Ruby’s fine now.” The younger blonde assured her father, if only to calm his anger before he made a scene. “If anything… Jaune’s the one you should be worried about, he… he got hurt dad, he got hurt real bad…” Yang admitted, sniffling a little, while Ruby began tearing up at the memory of Jaune’s horrifically injured body, with that arrow sticking out…

****

Both girls immediately found themselves swept into another hug from their concerned father, all anger gone from his face, to be replaced with naught but love and concern for his little girls. Both siblings flung themselves into the hug this time, needing a shoulder to cry on. They’d thought they’d gotten over this after their heart-to-heart with Jaune in Beacon’s medical ward, but apparently they still had more tears to shed.

****

Thankfully, most of the people at the docks had cleared out or reunited with their own families, allowing the trio some privacy as the father comforted his daughters.

****

“There, there, Petal. There, there, Sunflower.” Tai soothed, simply holding the girls as they wept quietly into his shoulders. “It’s alright now… no one’s in danger anymore, you don’t have to worry anymore. It’s okay.”

****

The girls soon disentangled themselves from their father, eyes red but no longer crying. Zwei, who had been dropped by Ruby as she’d hugged her dad, now dashed off, having smelled another scent clinging to his masters that he was eager to explore.

****

“Th-thanks pops.” Yang said, the blonde smiling a shaky smile.

****

“Well… now who’s uncool?” Tai joked, coaxing a small laugh out of both girls.

****

“Jerk!” Yang threw a soft and half-hearted punch at his shoulder, which the man barely felt, though she kept smiling all the same. The family shared another short hug.

****

As Ruby and Yang were having their heart-to-heart with their father, Jaune was still recovering from staving off his motion sickness for the whole trip. Currently, he was bent over a nearby bin and was vomiting profusely into it. After he was finished, he used the tissues to wipe his mouth and clean up as best he could. Fortunately, he still had some remaining fruit drink to wash down the aftertaste.

****

_ “There, there, Jaune. Just let it out, that can’t have been easy keeping all that under wraps for the whole trip.”  _ Summer soothed, her voice quiet and concerned instead of the usual teasing and carefree. She didn’t belittle him for his motion sickness, rather being kind and supportive the whole way.

****

_ Thanks… I just didn’t want to ruin Ruby and Yang’s trip by throwing up on the way here. _

****

_ “See… this is why you’re excellent boyfriend material for my little girls. Every day you prove you care about them, even in the smallest of ways.”  _ Summer praised, Jaune practically hearing the smile in the mother’s voice as she continued. “ _ Don’t worry, Tai won’t have a problem with you once he gets to know you. He absolutely doted on the kids when they were little, he loves them so much. Once he understands that you love and care about them too, he’ll welcome you to the family with open arms.” _

****

_ Thanks for the encouragement, Sunny. _

****

_ “N-no problem, Jaune.”  _ Jaune swore that Summer sounded a little… embarrassed?

****

Before he could dwell on that, however, he heard a series of increasingly louder barks approaching him, before he was tackled by a surprisingly strong blur and flung to the ground. Looking up, he saw a small corgi standing on his chest, yapping at him.

****

“What the-!? Oh… hey there boy!” Jaune greeted the corgi, reaching out to pet him by the ears, which the dog leaned into eagerly. “Huh… wonder where you came fr-”

****

He was cut off by the sound of an  _ incredibly  _ loud squeal erupting in his head, which caused him to stick his fingers in his ears in a futile attempt to block out Summer.

****

_ “O-oh my god, it’s Zwei!!”  _ The woman began hurriedly babbling inside the knight’s head. “ _ Look at how big you’ve gotten, boy! Last time I saw you was when you were an itty bitty puppy!! Look at you!! You’re just so big and strong now, yes you are! You are you are you are!!”  _ That was about all Jaune could pick up before she once more degenerated into the unintelligible noises and cooing sounds that usually came with proximity to babies, or other cute things.

****

Jaune forcibly re-established the barrier between their minds, muting Summer’s tirade until she calmed down. It’d be rather difficult for him to focus with her loudly squealing in his head all the time. Hopefully, she’d get it out of her system soon.

****

“Well… hey there… Zwei?” Jaune managed an awkward greeting, only for the small corgi to yap at him in affirmation. “Huh… you understand me?” He’d asked joking, but Zwei replied by nuzzling Jaune’s head with his own and licking his cheek. “Well…fancy that.” Was his only reply.

****

_ “Zwei’s always been an intelligent little pup, haven’t you boy?”  _ Summer chimed in once more, now sounding far more composed, with her speech devoid of nonsensical baby-talk.  _ If Zwei’s here though, then that means…” _

****

“Hey Jaune!” The knight looked up to see Yang and Ruby approaching, with an older blonde man in tow behind them, carrying the girls’ luggage for them.

****

_ That must be Tai then, right? _ He asked.

****

_ “Oh yes, that’s him alright!”  _ Summer insisted.  _ “Well, he looks as if he’s kept himself in good health since I’ve… been gone. I was worried that he’d have let himself go or not been able to cope… I’m glad he seems to be doing okay.”  _ The woman admitted, relief in her voice. 

****

By this time, the trio had reached Jaune, with Yang offering him a hand up. He took it and let the brawler pull him to his feet.

****

“So… see you’ve worked your charm on Zwei already, Lover Boy.” Yang winked at him. “Maybe we should leave you two alone for a bit…? Dogs are man’s best friend after all.”

****

“Yang! Don’t try to make it weird! Jaune and Zwei are just making friends, aren’t you Juane?” Ruby admonished her elder sibling before questioning Juane, her big eyes turning to the knight.

****

“Yeah… actually the little guy pretty much tackled me to the ground. Guess he was eager to meet me, huh?” Jaune replied.

****

“Really!? That’s great! That means he really likes you if he gives you tackle-hugs! He thinks you’re part of the family already, isn’t that great!” Ruby gushed, her eyes lighting up as the younger girl began bouncing up and down in excitement, once again prompting some more cooing from Summer about how cute her ‘little Petal’ was.

****

“Well, it's nice to finally meet you Jaune.” Taiyang greeted, with a nod. “I’d shake your hand, but, well…” he indicated the bags in his hands.

****

“I can carry one of those for you, sir.” Jaune offered, only for Tai to laugh a little and shake his head.

****

“Please, just call me Tai, we’re not that formal round here. Besides, I owe you a lot for saving my little girl’s life, the least I can do is carry your bags for you.” The blond father insisted. “Now shall we head back?”

****

Ruby and Yang cheered at this, with Ruby scooping up Zwei and leading the way, Yang followed along, leaving Jaune and Tai to pick up the rear. All the while, Jaune had Summer’s running commentary on Ruby and Zwei’s cuteness, or Tai’s current state, to keep him entertained.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

It took at least half an hour to reach the sisters’ house on the outskirts of Patch. It was surrounded by trees on all sides, with some fairly pleasant gardens out front full of various flower species, and even some herbs. Tai had explained that he used them when he cooked, and Ruby and Yang had started making warning gestures at him behind their dad’s back, with Yang in particular slashing across her throat with her thumb frantically.

****

It would later be clarified by Ruby that, while their father’s cooking was by no means bad, he DID have the unfortunate tendency to drastically overestimate exactly how much seasoning the food needed, particularly spices.

****

The end result? Well… Ruby had insisted there was a reason they kept a bag of ice cubes on hand when they ate the spicier things Tai cooked, it made for a good receptacle for their burning mouths.

****

“Don’t listen to them, Jaune.” Tai had called back, when he’d overheard Ruby’s little talk with the knight. “They’re just trying to convince you to side with them when they ask to go to that Valean-themed restaurant they like for dinner.”

****

“Daaad!” Ruby whined, stomping her foot. “That’s not it at all! We just don’t want you to scare off Jaune by burning his mouth with your cooking!” The young girl pouted up and her father, even throwing some watery eyes and lip wobbling for effect. Instead of crumbling into a mess of pleading, as she hoped he would, Tai simply laughed and ruffled her hair.

****

“Sorry Petal, that’s not going to work anymore. Sunflower perfected those faces when she was little, and I’ve had a lot of time to get used to it from her.” The father laughed a little, causing Ruby to pout even  _ harder _ at that.

****

Jaune laughed along, at least until Ruby turned that pout on  _ him _ instead, those cutely shimmering silver orbs… that wobbling lip… the tiniest little sniffle… it was all aimed directly at him.

****

_ Must. Resist. Cuteness! _

****

_ “Ooohhh! Isn’t my little Petal just so adorable when she does that!?”  _ Summer unhelpfully squealed, the mother gushing over her daughter once again.

****

_ You’re… not… helping! _

****

_ “Oooohh I can’t help it Jaune! Just look at how endearing she is with that face!” _

****

_ Oh my God you’re hopeless… _

****

Luckily, Jaune was spared from his fate of ‘death by cute-induced heart attack’ when Tai gently pulled Ruby’s hood over her face, prompting a squeal of “dad!” from the outraged girl. She thrashed around and even tried pawing at her father, even as Tai nonchalantly placed just two fingers on her forehead to hold her back.

****

“Sorry Ruby, no manipulating your friend over there by acting cute, you try that enough with me as it is.”

****

“What about me, hmm? Can I try manipulating Jauney like that?” Another, more mature voice whispered in Jaune’s ear, while a pair of arms snaked their way around the boy’s chest to pull him back, right into two large and firm mounds that pressed against his back. “What do you think Lover Boy? Will you let me convince you?”

****

“Oh, hi Yang.” Jaune greeted the brawler nonchalantly, he was used to this kind of flirting from her, and after repeated exposure to the raw, unfiltered, full-force advances of one Coco Adel, he could safely say that Yang’s flirting seemed rather mild in comparison.

****

“What, that’s all you’ve got for me? No special greeting for your good old pal, Jauney?” Yang pouted a little, she was honestly hoping that she could’ve flustered him, it was really cute when the dork was flustered. For him to just… greet her like that? So casually? Well… it didn’t sit right with her. “I thought us blondes needed to stick together… we have more fun together, after all.” She injected some of her pent-up desire into that sentence, just for effect.

****

“I swear… it was bad enough watching you flirt with the boys in town.” Tai growled, pinching his nose a little. “You’re not going to flirt with this boy too, are you?”

****

“C’mon pops… what’s wrong with a little harmless flirting between blondes, hmm?” Yang asked, tightening her grip on Jaune a little and pulling him further against her bust.

****

“In the four years since you discovered boys, it has  _ never _ been innocent with you, Sunflower.” Tai stated, folding his arms. “You like making them flustered, and I know that because I’ve seen you do it.” The father strode over and pried Jaune gently from Yang’s grip. “The last thing this boy needs is you distracting him on this trip.” 

****

“Spoilsport…” Yang grumbled, the younger brawler pouting and folding her arms, glowering up at the older man for ruining her flirting. It wasn’t as if Jaune minded, after all, she was his girlfriend and he was her boyfriend now! A little flirting was  _ fine. _

****

“Now…” Tai’s expression turned a little more somber. “Jaune’s met Zwei and I, but there’s someone else I think might like to meet him too.” 

****

Both sisters nodded, suddenly seeming a little sadder than before.

****

“Oh, yeah. I’m sure she’d like to meet him too…” Ruby admitted. “C’mon Yang, let’s get ready. You just stay here with dad and we’ll come get you, okay Jaune?” She asked the knight, who nodded. The siblings began making their way upstairs as Jaune thought about what they’d said.

****

_ Wait, another family member… are they- _

****

“Jaune? Can we talk in private for a minute?” Taiyang asked him, the older man’s question interrupted the younger Huntsman’s thoughts, and he nodded in reply. Both made their way to the front porch so that the girls wouldn’t overhear them.

****

“So, what did you want to talk to me about si… er, Tai.” Jaune caught himself, thought Tai shrugged it off.

****

“Just a question… what exactly is your relationship with my daughters.” Before Jaune could reply, Tai held up a hand. “Look, please don’t give me any of that ‘we’re just friends’ talk. I’ve seen how they look at you, and how you look at them. I’ve seen those looks before, those are the looks of kids with a deeper connection than friendship.” The man explained, gazing directly at Jaune.

****

“So… what are Yang and Ruby to you?” He repeated.

****

Jaune ran through various scenarios in his head, before deciding that in this case, honesty was probably the best policy.

****

“They’re… they’re my girlfriends. Both of them.” Jaune admitted, trying his best to look Tai in the eyes through the whole thing, even if inwardly he was now freaking out at how the older man would react to this admission.

****

“... both of them? You’re… dating both of them?” Tai asked.

****

“Yes, yes I am. They’re… your daughters are both wonderful girls, and I want to try and make them happy, because they deserve to be happy. If I can give them some of that happiness… then I’ll try my damn best to keep them that way, and that’s an Arc promise.”

****

Tai didn’t say anything for a while, simply blowing out a breath and sighing. After this had passed, the older man walked slowly toward the young knight, who had to restrain himself for making a run for it, especially when the man’s hand landed on his shoulder.

****

“You promise that you’ll keep them safe? That you’ll do everything in your power to look after them? That if it comes down to it, you’ll be willing to lay down your life for theirs?” Taiyang asked, his face set in a stern and serious mask.

****

“Yes, sir. I swear I will.” Jaune promised, looking the father dead in the face as he did so.

****

Tai stared at Jaune. Jaune stared at Tai. Neither moved for a few moments.

****

Until Tai smiled and stepped back.

****

“Well… thank you.”

****

“R-really? T-that’s it?” Jaune couldn’t keep the tremor from his voice.

****

“That’s it.” Tai confirmed. “Jaune… I don’t really care if you’re dating both of them at the same time. All I care about is that they’re happy and looked after, and they are. They’re both happy to be around you, and you clearly care about them if you were willing to get yourself as injured as you did protecting Ruby. With that said…” 

****

The man stepped forward again, this time offering his hand.

****

“Welcome to the family, Jaune.”

****

As Jaune took the older man’s hand in a firm grip, the front door slammed open, revealing Ruby and Yang. Both of them had their weapons with them, just in case.

****

“There you are!” The younger sister exclaimed. “We’ve been looking all over for-” She noticed what was going on, how her dad was shaking Jaune’s hand. “Did… did we miss anything?”

****

“Nothing Rubes, just some guy talk.” Jaune answered her.

****

“Tch, boys.” Yang rolled her eyes with a smirk. “So, ready to go Lover Boy?”

****

“Yeah.”

****

“Well, c’mon then.” Yang and Ruby both wrapped their arms around one of Jaune’s own, Yang hugging Jaune’s arm against her body, while Ruby began pulling his arm with her as she took the lead.

****

“Bye dad!” She called.

****

“Bye pops!” Yang threw in.

****

“Bye girls!” Tai called back. “Remember to be back in time for dinner!”

****

As the girls led Jaune up the path into the forest and out of sight, Tai let his hand, and smile, drop as he looked down.

****

“Take care of my little girls, Jaune.” He whispered, a small tear in his eye.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

“So… where are we headed?” Jaune decided to ask, about two-thirds of the way into the journey.

****

“We’re taking you to visit another member of the family.” Yang answered, Ruby was quite far ahead, having taken the lead awhile ago. “After all, you’re here meeting the family, right? So you gotta meet all of them.”

****

“Okay…” Jaune demurred, though he had a shrewd idea that he knew who they were talking about, especially since the presence in his head had gone silent some time ago, and remained that way despite his attempts at conversation.

****

After a little more walking, they arrived at the cliff’s edge. Jaune had figured out that they’d be heading up a cliff as the path had gotten slightly steeper as they’d progressed. By now, he was a little out of breath, but pushed forward anyway. Yang led him over to where Ruby was standing, as he approached, he could make out a headstone near the edge.

****

“Hey sis.” Yang greeted as she approached.

****

“Oh, hey Yang. Hey Jaune.” Ruby replied, sounded more subdued than the knight was used to, a sad smile on her face. The young girl reached out to pull Jaune gently forward, moving so that they could all stand in front of the grave together.

****

“Well Jaune… meet Summer, our mum.”

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

Jaune almost jumped out of his skin when he heard her speak up again.

****

“ _ You… you’d better say something, though this is… rather awkward I suppose.”  _ Though she attempted to sound calm and even a little jovial, Jaune could sense the emotion and sadness in her voice.

****

_ Are you… okay, Summer? _

****

_ “We’re standing at my gravestone, watching my children pay their respects to my dead body. No… I-I’m not okay, Jaune.”  _ A light sniffle accompanied her words this time. “ _ I-I’ll be fine… you’d better say something.” _ Even Jaune was unconvinced by her that time, but he spoke up anyway.

****

“Er… hello there.” He waved his arm awkwardly. “I… I’m Jaune, Ruby and Yang’s, well… Ruby and Yang’s boyfriend.”

****

“Yeah, he’s dating both of us at the same time.” Yang spoke up. “I mean, you always taught us that sisters share everything, right mum? But you… probably didn’t mean boys as well. Dad was always telling us you were the good girl like that.”

****

_ If only she knew that this was your idea.  _ Jaune muttered.

****

_ “Yes… I daresay that I’d become a little more of a bad-girl in her eyes… especially if she found out about Raven, Tai and I at Beacon…”  _ Summer admitted.

****

_ What happened with them…? _

****

_ “Another time, Jaune. Please.” _

****

_ Sure thing Sunny. _

****

“Don’t worry though!” Ruby spoke up. “I think you’d really like him… he’s blonde and blue eyed, and he’s also a total dork as well, he’s like dad!” The young girl seemed to have recovered her composure, as she stepped forward.

****

“ _ Don’t worry, little Petal, I do like him, otherwise I wouldn’t have pushed him to get together with you and Yang.” _ Summer assured her, though her daughter couldn’t hear her voice, only Jaune had that privilege. 

****

“Anyway… how’ve you been mum? I’ve… I was pretty badly hurt a few days ago, the Academy was attacked and I got injured… but Jaune protected me, he even saved my life.” Ruby continued quietly, taking Jaune’s hand in her own and giving a soft squeeze, which Jaune returned with a smile.

****

_ “Well, after that stunt you pulled, I nearly had a heart attack! Don’t you dare pull things like that again young lady!”  _ Summer scolded in Juane’s mind, her admonishing words inaudible to the intended recipient, who continued.

****

“Aside from that though, things have been going really well! Yang and I are on the same team, and we found two awesome teammates too! Weiss used to be really crabby, but she’s much better now! She’s Nice Weiss!” Ruby exclaimed, brightening up a bit.

****

“Yeah… Lover Boy here really melted Ice Princess’ heart with his dorky ways.” Yang interjected, taking Jaune’s other hand in hers. “Hey mum… I’m here too, just thought we’d bring Jaune to visit you since he’s met dad already.”

****

_ “I know my little Sunflower, I know. Thank you… I’m really glad Tai likes him. I know I do. More than he knows…” _ That last fragment was inaudible to Jaune, however, Summer having lowered her voice so that he wouldn’t hear it over Ruby talking again.

****

“Anyway… there’s been some trouble at Beacon, but we’ve gotten through it, our team and Jaune’s team together… we’re like a little family of our own, isn’t that neat?”

****

_ “It’s wonderful… I-I’m so glad that you’ve come out of your shell and made friends. And that you’re such a wonderful young lady, you and Yang both. At least Tai and Qrow managed to raise you properly after I was gone.”  _ There was a distinct melancholy that accompanied the affection as the spirit spoke, Jaune wanted to comfort her, but didn’t have time as Yang spoke up again.

****

“Anyway, we’d uh… we’d better be getting back, wouldn’t want dad to start worrying about us would we?” The brawler insisted. When Ruby remained where she was, Yang cocked her head. “Ruby, you alright?”

****

“Hey Jaune?” Ruby asked quietly, the younger Rose glancing up and Jaune, the knight gazing back curiously. “If… if mum was here now… what do you think she would say? Do you… do you think s-she be p-proud of us?” The shaking and trembling in the young girl’s voice broke both the hearts in the knight’s body. Yang didn’t fare any better, crossing over and sweeping her sister into another gentle hug.

****

Jaune, however, saw an opportunity.

****

_ “Oh Petal… I know exactly what I’d say. I’m happy with you, I’m proud of you, I promise.”  _ Summer lamented in his mind, when Jaune spoke up.

****

_ So… why not tell them that? _

****

_ “W-what?” _

****

_ Tell them. I’ll give you control of my body, Ruby’s asked me what I’d think you’d say to them, and you’d be using my body, so…  _

****

_ “R-really Jaune? Y-you really let me?”  _ The shock and disbelief was palpable in the Huntress’ tone.

****

_ Of course I would. I care about the girls, but I also care about you too. This is a chance for you, Ruby and Yang to all get some closure. Even if… even if the don’t know it’s you, it’s better than nothing, right? _

****

_ “T-thank you Jaune… th-th-thank you so much…”  _ Jaune could hear the happy tears emotion in Summer’s voice, and he merely smiled back.

****

Then he fell.

****

It was a lighter fall this time, his ‘landing’ softer as Summer took control. Probably because there wasn’t an angry drunk bearing down on them this time, he supposed. He sat back as Summer turned to Ruby.

****

“Well… do you really want to know what I think your mother would say, if she could see you now?” Summer asked, gazing at her younger daughter through the eyes of her host.

****

“Yeah.” Ruby insisted, the sisters having separated to look at Jaune (well, his body, anyway) directly, though they still had one arm around each other for support.

****

“I… I think that, first of all, she’d tell you that she misses you.” Summer began, smiling at her unknowing daughters as she continued on. “And that even though she’s not here anymore… that she still loves you, and always will.”

****

Ruby and Yang were already beginning to tear up a little, the brawler keeping herself controlled with more success than her junior sister, the reaper squeezing her eyes shut to try and stop the oncoming tears.

****

“R-really?” Ruby asked, softly.

****

“Yes, of course she loves you, she’s your mother.” Summer managed a shaky smile of her own. “But also, she’d be proud of the strong, confident young ladies that you’re growing into. She’d be proud of your determination, your drive, your desire to protect people by becoming Huntresses. That’s… a very noble goal. She’d be proud, so proud.” This time, her own eyes began to water up.

****

“Are you really proud of us mummy?” Ruby asked, almost inaudibly. By now, she and Yang no longer cared that (they thought) it wasn’t actually their mother telling them all this, they just wanted to hear it.

****

If only they knew that it really was their mother speaking to them, just through the mouth of their boyfriend.

****

“Of course I am, Petal, of course I am.” By now, even though Summer was making almost no effort to conceal her identity, Ruby and Yang’s highly emotional state lead them to conclude Jaune’s knowledge of their mother’s nicknames for them came from his talk with Tai. 

****

“R-really? Y-you… you still l-love us, mom?” This time it was Yang who spoke, the brawler had tears of her own stinging her eyes as she trembled and stuttered with the emotion.

****

“You’re both my daughters, my precious little girls, I’ll… I’ll always love you, you’ll always be in my heart, as will your father and your uncle. Please take care of them for me, okay? I know that they might be doing okay, but I still want you to look after them. Just remember that no matter where you are, your mother will always be with you, I’ll always be proud of you and I’ll always love you. I’ll always love my beautiful little flowers.”

****

With eyes brimming with tears, Summer opened her arms wide, allowing Ruby and Yang to fling themselves right at her, the three embracing in a strong hug as they all cried their hearts out.

****

Eventually, Jaune found himself pushing back into control as Summer’s presence receded into her section of his mindscape. He noted how red his eyes were and how clogged with phlegm his nose was, a side of effect of the spirit in his head using his body for an emotional, tear-filled pseudo reunion with her daughters.

****

He didn’t mind though, they needed it. He maintained the grip on the two crying girls in his arms as they clung to him, and each other, as if he were a piece of driftwood at sea and their last lifeline.

****

After a good minute and a half, the girls untangled themselves and pulled back, both blowing their noses on tissues they’d brought with them.

****

“H-hell of a thing, Lover Boy.” Yang admitted, her smile was shaky and lilac eyes bleeding into faint red, even her hair was glowing a little brighter from the intense emotion. “T-that… I mean, I-I know we asked you what mum would say but… it was almost like… l-like you were actually mum for a second, with what you said.” She sniffled again, eyes tearing up even as she tried to blink them back.

****

“Sorry. Guess I… got a little lost in character, is all.” Jaune admitted. Technically, he had.

****

“No, no don’t… don’t apologise. We needed that, both of us.” Yang leaned forward to give Jaune a smooch on the lips. “Thank you Jaune… for giving us some closure.”

****

Jaune was about to reply, before his face was grabbed by two smaller hands and pulled down into a surprisingly firm and intense kiss from Ruby, the younger Rose pressing her mouth against Jaune’s for a good ten seconds before she pulled away, leaving the knight a little stunned.

****

“Jeez Rubes… I know you’re happy, but did you really have to try and tongue-hockey him to death?” Yang joked, having recovered most of her composure at this point. Ruby, who had been smiling with happy tears on her face, now pulled up her hood to cover red reddening cheeks.

****

“Y-Yang!” I-I just wanted to t-thank Jaune, like you did!” She stuttered out, still slightly emotional from the last few minutes.

****

“Heh… sure you did.” Yang smirked, though her light crimson eyes and oh-so-slight glow from her golden mane indicated that the brawler herself was still on an emotional high too. “Well… much as I’d love to continue this more… dad’s waiting for us back at the house with dinner, we don’t wanna keep him waiting do we? He’ll probably have made our favourite…”

****

“Really!?” Ruby cried out, excitement gradually replacing her other emotions. “Well… c’mon! Let’s go!” Before she rejoined the other two, she zipped over to Summer’s grave. 

****

“Bye mom… I love you.” Ruby whispered.

****

“Love you too, mum, see you later.” Yang added, letting Ruby rejoin them before they began to make their way back. This time, both girl wrapped their arms around his own, leaning into the knight as they journeyed back.

****

_ “Jaune?”  _ Summer spoke up, though Jaune could tell she was still a little emotional.

****

_ Yeah Summer? _

****

_ “Thank you Jaune, for letting me do that. I… it was just so nice to be able to talk to them again, to talk to my little girls like that. To tell them how… h-how proud I was of them, a-and h-how much I l-love them…”  _ Summer began to trail off again, overcome with emotion once more, Jaune simply smiled to himself and reassured her.

****

_ No problem Summer, it sounded like you really needed it. _

****

_ “I may not h-have said this before… b-but I’m really glad I met you Jaune.” _ The spirit sniffled again, though with genuine warmth and appreciation in her voice.

****

_ I’m glad I met you too, Summer. _

_ \-------------- _

Line Break

\--------------

As the three children departed, they were too engrossed in their own turmoils are feelings to notice the large, black bird that soared overhead.

****

The bird waited until the gravesite was clear before landing. It landed much more carefully and slowly than usual.

****

After all, it didn’t want the bouquet of roses clutched between its claws to be damaged.

****

As the bird touched the ground, it resolved itself into a female form in the blink of an eye. Picking up the bouquet, the figure made her way over to the grave. 

****

Kneeling in front of the gravestone, she placed the roses gently against the headstone, before pressing her forehead against it shortly afterward, even planting a short kiss on the stone.

****

“I’m sorry.” She whispered. “I’m so sorry.” 

****

Standing up, the woman pulled her nodachi from its scabbard and slashed at the air, ripping open a reddish-black swirling vortex in front of her.

****

Taking one last look at the grave, a single stray tear rolling down her cheek and a saddened smile on her face, Raven Branwen stepped through the portal and vanished from sight.


	44. Homecoming P2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summer faces the dark truth of the effects her death have had on her family, as well as her growing feelings for Jaune.

It was the middle of the night when Jaune rose from his slumber.

****

“Urrggh.” The groggy young man pushed himself up from his bed in the Xiao-Long household, scratching at throat and coughing a little, though making sure to keep it quiet, lest he wake anyone else.

****

_I need a drink._

****

The young knight quietly began to make his way downstairs in hopes of getting a glass of water, tip-toeing so as not to cause too much noise. He took special care when he reached the stairs, just hoping that they wouldn’t creak too loudly. Much to his delight, Tai apparently kept his house well maintained, the stairs didn’t creak _at all._

****

_“Jaune? What’s going on?”_ Summer’s whisper, however, caught him by surprise, such that he barely restrained himself from yelling out in shock.

****

_Ah! S-sorry Sunny, just… wanted to get a glass of water, couldn’t sleep and my throat itches._

****

_“Oh, okay… anything I can help with, was it a bad dream?”_ The woman asked, her voice soft and gentle, soothing. He liked that about her voice, about her. She was so sweet and gentle, Ruby and Yang were lucky to have had her for a mother.

****

_No… just restless I suppose, but thanks for the offer._ Jaune assured her.

****

_“You’re welcome Jaune, anything to help you.”_ She offered, sweetly.

****

Jaune smiled to himself at how helpful and supportive Summer had been, before reaching the kitchen and finding a glass. Filling it with a respectable level of water from the tap, he made to return to his room, when a shuffling from the main room caught his attention.

****

Moving cautiously, the trainee Huntsman found Tai, sitting alone on the sofa in the center of the main room, he was holding a can of beer in his hand, taking slow and small sips every so often.

****

_“Tai? What’s he doing up like this?”_ Summer questioned.

****

“Mr Xiao-Long?” Jaune asked, though he tried to be quiet about it, Tai still jumped a little and swiveled to face the other blonde. Jaune could make out a photo in his other hand, but the older man hid it before he could get a good look.

****

“Jaune?” The father questioned in a harsh whisper. “What are you doing up like this?”

****

“I… just couldn’t sleep, I came to get a glass of water.” The boy admitted. “What… what are you doing up? N-not that you need to tell me it's just-”

****

“Jaune.” Tai interrupted, a small smile on his face. “It’s fine. But, can we talk about this outside? I’d prefer not to wake the girls.”

****

Jaune nodded, to which Tai replied with a nod of his own before he led the younger man out of the house, being careful and quiet in opening the front door, then shutting it behind them and locking it, just in case. The two males took a seat on the front porch and looked up at the stars in the sky, Patch’s lack of artificial light making for a beautifully unobstructed view of the night sky.

****

For a while, neither Jaune nor Tai said anything, both simply enjoying the cool night air and the celestial patterns, even the strange shapes of the debris from Remnant’s shattered moon.

****

Eventually, it was Tai who spoke first.

****

“So… I’m guessing you want to know why I’m here in the middle of the night, why I wanted to talk to you out here alone, and what this is?” On that last one, the man held up the object in his left hand. Upon closer inspection, Juane could make out that it was a photograph depicting four people.

****

“Um… yes si- I mean, yes Tai.” Jaune answered. The older man smiled sadly at the younger blonde, before passing the picture over to him.

****

“Just… reliving old memories. Old memories of… better times.” He answered, before looking over at Jaune again. “Take a look at that picture Jaune, see anyone you recognize?” Off his prompt, Jaune took another look at the picture, it took him a while, but he soon recognized almost everyone in there.

****

Mostly because one of them had been in his head for almost two to three weeks now.

****

“Wait… this is you… and your old team, right?” Jaune asked.

****

_“Oh… Tai. I can’t believe you kept this.”_ Summer whispered. “ _What are you doing to yourself…?”_

****

“Yep. That’s them. Blonde one’s me, the cocky asshole in the button shirt’s Qrow, the red-and-black girl in the middle’s Raven, and finally… the girl in white hood is Summer, Summer Rose.” Tai pointed out all the people in the photo, one-by-one.

****

“So… this is your old team, and the girls on this team are…”

****

“Also the mothers of my children, in addition to being my teammates? Yes. Yes they are.” Tai finished for him, his smile now more melancholy.

****

“Um, no offense but… why are you telling me this?” Jaune questioned.

****

“Well, you came here to meet the family, so it makes sense that I tell you about it. And.. there are things that Ruby and Yang won’t tell you, especially about their mothers. If you’re going to be their boyfriend, then I think you need to know everything, because you’ve already proven you’re trustworthy and a good man at heart.” Tai explained.

****

_“What things?” Summer asked, in his mind, the mother’s tone growing nervous and frantic as she spoke. “What things does he mean, Jaune? What’s this about my little girls!?”_

****

_Summer! Calm down. Just let me ask him and he’ll tell me._ Jaune soothed her, before she could get even more riled up. Luckily, she receded back into the periphery, calming herself.

****

“What… what sort of things?” He asked.

****

“Well… Ruby and Yang have probably told you about their mum, Summer, by now. Legendary Huntress and Super-Mother, ‘Baker of Cookies and Slayer of Giant Monsters’, that’s how they described her, right?” He questioned, and off Jaune’s nod, continued. “Well, what they probably haven’t told you is… what happened after she died, to us, to all of us.”

****

Jaune felt Summer flinch in his mind at hearing that, the Huntress recoiling in shock and dread. He still pressed on, for this was something they both needed to hear.

****

“What happened to you?”

****

“Well, before I tell you about that, I need to tell you about Yang’s mother, her biological mother I mean, the other woman in that photo. Raven Branwen.”

****

Tai sighed, taking another sip of his beer as Jaune waited patiently. Taking a glance up at the shattered moon, he continued.

****

“She was my girlfriend in the final years of Beacon… and so was Summer.”

****

“W-wait, what!?” Jaune cried out in a harsh whisper, directed as much to the spirit in his head and it was to the man in front of him.

****

“Yeah… that’s the other reason I’ve been so accepting of you dating both my daughters, Jaune. I dated both their mothers at the same time. I… cared about both of them, and they both cared about me. At least… I _thought_ both of them cared about me.” He muttered that last part, but Jaune still picked up on it.

****

_“Tai… we did care, we did love you.”_ Summer insisted, a note of desperation in her voice, though her pleas went unheard.

****

“I’ve been where you are, Jaune. I’ve dated two women at the same time, because I couldn’t bear to make either one of them unhappy, they accepted it, and it worked. At least, for a while. Until Raven and I… grew closer.” He admitted, small tears in the blonde father’s eyes as he recalled the memories.

****

“Summer was… she was amazing about it. She… she stepped aside, said that Raven and I should get the chance to be happy on our own. She was just so compassionate about it, like she always was with everything. For a while, it worked, and we were happy. Until…” At this he trailed off, but Jaune knew what came next.

****

“Until she got pregnant.” He finished, not so much a question, but a statement.

****

“Yep.” Tai agreed, popping the ‘p’ as he swigged from his can again. “She started acting… distant, colder. I thought it was just side effects of the pregnancy, mood-swings and all that, but in hindsight… that was it. That was when she started pulling away. She… left, only a few months after Yang was born. No note. No goodbye. No nothing. Just… gone.” The bitterness seeped through as the man went on relating his tale.

****

_“Oh Tai, I’m sorry she did that… I’m sorry.”_

****

“I’m… I’m sorry.” Jaune echoed Summer’s apology to her husband, though Tai waved it off.

****

“Don’t bother, it’s in the past anyway, nothing you can do. In fact, there was nothing anyone could do to pull me out of that… that _pit_ I’d fallen into after Raven left. I was… I was a mess. I was drowning, and no one could pull me up for air.” Tai admitted, only causing further pleas from the spirit attached to the Knight.

****

“At least, until Summer saved me.” At this, both Jaune and the soul in question perked up, the latter’s presence pushing further forward in Jaune’s mind, as if trying to get physically closer to her former husband.

****

“Yeah… she picked up, set me straight. Gave my sorry hide a kick in the teeth. She said I needed to be there for Yang, she refused to let me fall back into that depression and alcoholism, not while I had a baby girl to care for. She was right, of course. So I cleaned up my act, I made sure I’d be the best father I can be, and Summer was right there with me, helping me and watching out to make sure I didn’t fall into… bad habits.”

****

Tai paused again, both males taking yet another sip from their respective drinks.

****

“I’m sure you can guess what happened next.”

****

“Marriage?” Jaune half-joked with a lopsided smile. He was rewarded with a small laugh from Tai.

****

“No, not yet. That came later. It started out small, really. We just spent so much time together with raising Yang that… it became the new norm, us… being together all the time. It felt _right_ for me, _she_ felt right to me. I realized that _everything_ was better when I was doing it with her.”

****

Summer’s sudden blush in Jaune’s mind clued the knight in to what exactly Tai meant by that, but he chose to ignore it and press on.

****

“So… you got together?”

****

“Yeah, yeah we did… we wanted our own shot at being happy together, and we were. I was happier with her than with Raven… and eventually, Ruby came along. It was unexpected, but it wasn’t unwelcome, mostly because… it felt like we were a proper family now. A happy family.” Tai smiled at this, his smile for once not weighted down by melancholy or loss, it the first genuine smile he’d had since the conversation had started.

****

“But it didn’t last. If it had, I wouldn’t be out here with you. At 1 AM in the morning, drinking my sorrows away.” Tai abruptly blurted out, the warm smile turned frigid and melancholy once more.

****

_“Oh, Tai…”_ Summer sounded close to tears. “ _I… I’m sorry.”_

****

“It was on a mission, you know. They said that it would be an easy one for her, that it’d take a few days at best. ‘A simple extermination job’ was what they called it. Well, the fact that it took my wife’s life says otherwise, doesn’t it?” Taiyang’s hands began to crush the can in his grip, before he breathed out and forced himself to relax.

****

“It was Raven all over again… no, it was WORSE. At least with Raven I had some faint hope that she was still out there, somewhere. With Summer… well, they brought back her body. How much more proof could I have that my wife was dead, and never coming back?” He spat out, his face contorting into something… _unpleasant._

****

“I was worse too, worse than when Raven left. Both Qrow and I were, actually. Summer… she was always the heart and soul of our team. She kept us together, she kept us strong and stable, held our vices in check and made us… made us _better_ people than we’d be otherwise. After she died… we just collapsed.”

****

Tai grit his teeth and clenched both fists again, crushing the can completely. Jaune was too worried and a little scared to stop or interrupt, even as Summer’s pleas grew louder. She was almost begging Tai to forgive her at this point, heedless of the futility of pleading with a man who couldn’t even perceive her.

****

“I was a neglectful parent, Jaune. I neglected my little girls for months, _months._ What sort of decent father does that? Luckily… Qrow was there , he… he tried to snap me out of it. Said that one of us needed to be ‘the responsible one’ here. It still didn’t stick, though. I was too busy wallowing in my self-pity to give a shit.”

****

Both Jaune and Summer flinched at hearing the normally kind man swear. Tai just looked Jaune directly in the eyes.

****

“Do you know what it took to get me off my ass and to be a good father again, Jaune?” He asked, there was anger in his voice, but it was directed solely inward.

****

“... n-no, w-what?” Jaune couldn’t keep the tremor out of his own voice, regardless of how much his rational mind told him that the older man’s anger was not meant for him.

****

“It took my little girls almost being eaten by Grimm. That’s what it took.”

****

Jaune was speechless, while Summer…

****

_“W-w-what? What… h-how could- how could that happen!? What happened to my babies!?”_ She practically demanded hysterically in Jaune’s mindscape, her ‘section’ was now flooded with a downpour, representing her horrified and saddened state of mind.

****

“Yang was eight. Ruby was six. Summer had been gone for about 3 months by this point, I was still useless as a parent… so Yang went to find another one, find her other parent.”

****

“You.. mean Raven?” Jaune asked, while Summer let out a loud screech of ‘ _What!? She went to find Raven ALL BY HERSELF!?! O-oh my gosh… m-my little girl…’_ before she trailed off into distraught muttering.

****

“Yeah. She took Ruby with her too, in a little cart. They went all the way through Patch’s woods to find her. By the time they got to where Yang thought Raven was, she was injured and exhausted, easy prey for the nearby Grimm.” Tai’s mouth was set in a firm line, his face still angry. “Fortunately, Qrow was following them, and he jumped in to pick them off. That was the kick in the teeth I needed to stop laying around. After all, my little girls had run off and almost _died_ while I was just moping around like some fucking idiot.”

****

Taiyang took raised the can to his lips once more, remembered that it was crushed beyond use, then chucked it onto the floor heedlessly before continuing on.

****

“I’d never felt so scared in all my life, Jaune. My little girls could’ve **died** because I was too busy feeling sorry for myself. They’re… they’re all I have left of Summer and Raven now, I-I couldn’t leave them like that again.”

****

Tai squeezed his eyes shut, even as a stray tear slipped out, though this prompted a fresh round of upset cries and pleading from the distraught Summer.

****

“Thank god for Qrow, if he’d not been there… I don't want to think about what might’ve happened. You know, I was half-surprised he could actually follow them all that way, considering how smashed he was… and still is.” Another not of bitterness crept into his voice.

****

“So… he drinks?” Jaune asked again, finding his voice once more.

****

“No, Jaune… Qrow doesn’t drink. He drinks _a lot,_ **all the damn time.** ” Tai snarled out, his anger no longer hidden. “Even does it in front of Ruby, damn him. She looks up to him you know, modelled her weapon after his and he taught her the fighting style he uses. He KNOWS that my little girl, his NEICE, looks up to him and yet he STILL DRINKS.”

****

It took a few deep breaths for the blonde father to calm down enough to continue.

****

“Then again… it’s not really his fault, not really… it’s just how he copes with it, with… losing Summer.”

****

“What?” Jaune breathed, in unison with the spirit’s own horrified gasp of “ _It… it’s MY FAULT he drinks…? Oh… oh my gosh no… no no no no… I-I’m sorry Tai, I’m sorry!”_

****

“Yeah… he never recovered after she passed, then again, neither did I. I just found a healthier coping mechanism than him. I devote my every second to making sure my little girls have at least one parent they can rely on, but him? He drinks. That’s all he ever does. And he stays away… even if he does visit he doesn't stay for long. He’s just a loner now. Sometimes… I wonder why Ruby looks up to him so much.” The father admitted.

****

The two were silent after that, Jaune sipping his water, Tai gazing up at the sky. After a while, Tai broke the silence once more.

****

“Jaune… do you want to know something else? Something else I did… I’m not proud of it, not by a long shot, but I just… I just need to tell someone. Can i trust you?”

****

“Of course, Arc’s promise.” Jaune replied.

****

“Thank you.” Tai took a deep breath and closed his eyes preparing to speak once more.

****

Hopefully it wouldn’t be too bad, hopefully after everything he just told Jaune, all the tragedies and heartbreak, whatever else he did would be nothing but a minor-

****

“I hated Summer.”

****

_What?_

****

_“W-w-w-what…?”_ If Summer had been distraught before, she sounded heartbroken right about now, Jaune couldn’t blame her, not after what Tai just said.

****

“What..?” Jaune queried, in the smallest, least confident voice he ever sunk to.

****

“I hated her, Jaune.” Tai croaked out, the man himself had lowered his head, tears dripping from his eyes.

****

“I blamed her… f-for leaving. For taking that mission. For thinking more about other people before her family. For abandoning us, just like… just like Raven. Except I thought it was… it was worse, that _she_ was worse than Raven.”

****

Jaune leaned in closer, partly because Taiyang had lowered his voice, but party because he needed to hear better over Summer’s steadily worsening sniffling and cries in his mind.

****

_“H-he... h-hated me? Oh T-Tai… I-I’m s-so sorry!”_ She whimpered out, her incorporeal voice still sounding as if it was coated with tears and phlegm as she stuttered out a desperate apology through her tears and hiccups.

****

Jaune would’ve comforted her, but he was too busy listening to Tai as he resumed talking.

****

“At least when Raven left… she’d not given us false hope, she’d not pretended that she was coming back, that she’d be there for us again… she’d just cut off contact with us and never looked back. I… I blamed Summer for leading us on like that… for putting herself in danger over and over and abandoning her family for complete strangers. It was… stupid, it was so incredibly stupid of me to think that way, now that I reflect on it, but back then… I needed someone to blame… and she was an easy target.”

****

“I’ve been… carrying this around for… so long. It’s the biggest shame I have… thank you for listening Jaune. You… you won’t tell Yang or Ruby, will you?” Taiyang asked, though he sounded so small and vulnerable when he did.

****

“No… I gave my word, and an Arc always keeps his word.” Jaune swore solemnly.

****

“Thank you… would… would you mind giving me some privacy now?”

****

“Okay.” Jaune handed the older man, whose eyes were still leaking tears, his glass of water, still half-full. “Here… you need this more than I do.”

****

The father took the water gladly, with Jaune leaving him alone on the porch as he returned inside, while also leaving the photo next to Tai as well. He closed the door quietly behind him, leaving the man alone with his memories.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

Now that he was alone, Jaune turned his attention inward, to someone else who needed his help.

****

_Summer, are you there?_

****

Silence.

****

_Summer… please, just talk to me._

****

_“.... Jaune?”_ The mother’s voice, usually so full of life and emotion, sounded dead and devoid of feeling, so much that it _hurt_ Jaune to hear her like this.

****

_Are you okay?_

****

Silence.

****

_Summer?_

****

_“............... I’m a terrible mother.”_ Her frank and blunt assertion stunned Jaune, especially when he realized what it was the woman was saying.

****

_What? No, you’re not!_

****

_“Yes… yes I am. I cared more about my job than my own family. That’s not what a loving and kind mother does, Jaune. I left my family at home while I gallivanting around the continent.”_

****

_But that was you job!_

****

_“Yes… and I hid behind that, I used that as an excuse to justify my neglect of my family to have adventures. Tai was right… I AM worse than Raven. At least she never pretended to care, at least she abandoned them all in one go instead of giving them false hope and doing it gradually to make it hurt more, which is what I did, like the selfish bit-”_

****

_Okay just STOP IT!_ Jaune yelled out mentally, interrupting the woman before he could listen to her insult herself any more. _Just STOP! You are NOT a terrible person! And you’re certainly not worse than Raven, for god’s sake!_

****

_“Yes I am, Jaune.”_ Summer replied, and while her voice was no longer devoid of emotion, instead it now dripping with self-loathing and despair.

****

_“You heard what Tai said about me… I drove Qrow to drink the way he does, I drove him to destroy himself like that, drove him to become a man who destroys Atlas property, picks a fight with its Specialists and tries to assault students when they stand up to him… even assaulting HIS OWN NIECES when they try to stop him. He wouldn’t be like that if I was still around.”_

****

_Hey, if he chooses to kill himself with alcohol, that’s hardly yo-_

****

_“Then, there’s what I did to Tai.”_ Summer spat. “ _I destroyed him again, turned him into an apathetic mess who neglected his own daughters to the point that it took them nearly DYING for him to get up off his ass, stop feeling sorry for himself and actually start being a good father again! If I’d still been here, he wouldn’t have done that, he’d be fine, he’d still be the excellent and fully loving father he was when I was alive.”_

****

_And he still is! It might’ve taken him a while, but at least he’s still-_ He didn’t get to finish before Summer interrupted him again, the pain and self-hatred in her voice plain and raw.

****

_“And THEN there’s what happened to my little girls!_ ” She snarled out. “ _Thanks to me putting strangers ahead of my family and wanting some cheap thrills, Yang loses her second mother and Ruby loses her ACTUAL mother! Then, Yang endangers BOTH OF THEM just in the vain hope that she can have at least one living and concerned parent! They’ve had to grow up without a mother, their father traumatized and their Uncle a useless and chaotic drunk who never visits! Even then, Ruby still looks up to him and wants to be like him, because she’s got no one else to look up to! All because of me! Because I put being a Huntress ahead of being a mother! Just like Raven put her tribe ahead of being a mother! Don’t you understand Jaune, we’re the same. We’re EXACTLY the same, which means we both deserve the same miserable fate for what we’ve done!!”_

****

By the time she’d finished, Summer was practically screaming in his head. It made the boy glad he’d given Taiyang his glass of water, since he’d have dropped it when clapping his hands over his ears, in a futile attempt the mute the enraged mother’s rant.

****

_“Leave me alone, Jaune.”_ When Summer spoke up again, she sounded… drained… tired… lifeless.

****

_What?_

****

_“Just leave me alone, go on with your life… continue training to be a Huntsman… you don’t need this selfish waste of space dragging you down anymore.”_ She sounded so lost… defeated… broken and despairing. It was horrible for him to hear.

****

_What!? No, that’s just bullshit, of course I need you! You’re not a waste!_ He cried out, hoping that she’d just STOP demeaning herself like this.

****

_“Don’t worry Jaune… I won’t bother you anymore, or anyone else for that matter… goodbye.”_ As one last glimpse of her broken smile and tear-filled face flashed through his mind’s eye, Jaune felt Summer’s presence recede once more…

****

Except instead of resting at the periphery of his conscious mind, or even deep within his subconscious… he couldn’t feel her presence anymore, at all.

****

She was gone. Completely. He couldn’t sense her anywhere.

****

_What! Summer wait! SUMMER!_ Jaune called out, desperate for a reply.

****

But there was nothing. There was only silence.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

It was chaos.

****

When Jaune had fallen asleep that night, he had resolved to enter Summer’s portion of the mindscape directly once more. If she wouldn’t respond to him in the waking world, then at least he could make her respond in his dreams, she wouldn’t be able to seal herself off again.

****

The first problem with that was… well, she had _already_ sealed herself off this time. It took Jaune a long, _long_ time to break down the barriers separating them, and he was rather exhausted by the time he’d made an opening.

****

He’d never thought it possible that a dream-world manifestation of you could get tired or feel fatigued, well… not before now, that is.

****

Actually getting _into_ Summer’s mindscape was the easy part, as Jaune had soon discovered, the much harder part would be getting _through_ it to find her. That was where the aforementioned ‘chaos’ came into play.

****

Jaune had learned by now that since the mindscape was… well, a landscape formed from your mind, it tended to reflect the creator’s current emotional state. He’d noticed it in the rain that appeared whenever Summer had been sad, the light and warmth that had shone through whenever she’d been happy and the thunder and lighting that raked the land whenever she was angry.

****

However, at this point, almost all of those were happening at once. Except for the warmth and light, that is.

****

Thunder and lightning crackled overhead, the only illumination that lit up the otherwise pitch-black sky. Frequently, and far too often for Jaune’s liking or comfort, the lightning would lance down and scar the landscape in a white arc, leaving deep gashes in the already tortured ground. Rain was pouring down, turning the soil into a muddy conflagration that was almost impossible to get through.

****

The weather changed frequently as well, but it only ever flicked between torrential rain and thunderstorms, with the occasional hailstorm or tornado mixed in, as if the otherwise gale-force winds weren’t bad enough.

****

Honestly, after how Summer had sounded before she had retreated into her… his… _their_ mind, Jaune would’ve been far more shocked if her mindscape reflected anything less than utter chaos and turmoil, along with the pitch-darkness that presumably represented her growing despair at her ex-husband’s seeming (to her) rejection and admission of his (former) animosity toward her.

****

Jaune had tried to call out to her, lord knows he tried, telling her that Tai’s bitterness and animosity was both stupid and in the past now, hell even the man himself had admitted such in their talk! But Summer either wasn’t listening or didn’t care. To her, the knowledge that the man she’d given her heart to so long ago had hated her, even if it was irrational and short-lived and during a very stressful period in his life, was too much for the grief-stricken and despairing Huntress to bear.

****

So he pushed on, no matter how winding or chaotic the path got, or how many obstacles sprung up to bar his path, the young knight pressed forward. He’s since learnt that, even if this was Summer’s mindscape, since it was a part of _his_ mind overall, he could still have limited effect on it if he willed hard enough. The first thing he did was summon up a lantern fueled by fire dust and a strong raincoat to protect himself from the downpour.

****

Summer must have finally twigged that he was trying to reach her, since the elements began to batter him harder than before, and as he pushed further whole sections of the landscape began to collapse. Jaune could swear that the howling wind occasionally seemed to quite _literally_ howl at him, usually tell him to get out.

****

Either this was a conscious effort on Summer’s part, or she believed so hard that she deserved to be alone that her mindscape was taking steps to make sure she was, to make sure he stayed away.

****

Either way, all this was doing was convincing Jaune even more that she needed his help.

****

That was easier said than done, however, when he was impeded at every turn by the very environment. While the ravaged landscape meant that he had no idea where he was actually going, he quickly worked out that he’d be going in the right direction if the storm and obstructions blocking him began to increase in intensity.

****

Eventually, a full on tempest was trying to bar his path, the rain and miniature icicles from the hailstorms tearing at his raincoat. His lantern was first snuffed out, then torn from his grip by the winds that would’ve lifted him off his feet and thrown him head-on into the maelstrom, had he not replaced his shoes with hiking boots. Of course, the tempest’s presence simply gave him an easy destination to reach.

****

After all, every storm, every tempest, no matter how violent had an eye in the center. A calm safe haven and refuge surrounded on all sides by destructive and violent winds.

****

Jaune was willing to bet that he’d find Summer somewhere in that eye. So he set off, no matter how long it took or the obstacles he’d face, he’d find her.

****

By the time he’d reached the epicenter, he’d long since lost his raincoat, his clothes were drenched and freezing, he felt like he’d contracted hypothermia with how bitingly cold it was. He was also covered in tears and small cuts from the icicles slashing at his face, body and clothes. He’d nearly been struck by a lightning bolt at one point, so his hair was stuck up at all angles.

****

Still, it was worth it when he finally passed through the inner wall of the storm, which was so intense and concentrated it looked (and practically _felt_ ) utterly solid, and found himself in a small clearing.

****

The wind… the rain… the hail… the icicles… the lightning… it was all gone. Even the pitch darkness had been replaced by nothing but calm, with the exception of a thin grey fog surrounding the area.

****

Jaune glanced around the clearing for a few moments, until he found her, a mass of white huddled in the center of the clearing.

****

As he drew closer, Jaune heard sniffling, and could make out the fact that Summer was kneeling in front of a gravestone. It was likely her own, and Jaune did NOT like what that meant.

****

“I should’ve never come back… I should’ve just stayed dead.” She whispered in between sniffles. At this point, Jaune knew he had to step in.

****

“Summer?”

****

The woman jumped with shock, before spinning around, standing up and facing him.

****

“Jaune… w-what are you doing here?” She looked confused at his presence, even as she stuttered through her tears.

****

“Isn’t it obvious? I’m here for you.” He stated.

****

“Why?” Was her reply. “Why come all this way for someone like me?”

****

“Because you’ve been there for me with advice or reassurance whenever I needed it… let me return the favour.” Jaune insisted, smiling a little, in spite of his soaked clothing.

****

“I don’t deserve it. Don’t deserve this.” The woman lowered her head sadly. “I’m a terrible person, a terrible mother and…”

****

“Stop. Just _stop.”_ Jaune’s firm tone halted Summer’s self-deprecation in its tracks.

****

“J-Jaune?”

****

“Summer… this _has_ to stop. I’ve had to listen to you talk down to yourself all this time, and I’m sick of it. Because it isn’t. _True.”_ Jaune had been walking towards her while he’d been talking, and after finishing his sentence he pulled the startled spirit into a tight hug.

****

“Look… maybe you don’t believe me, maybe you still think you’re worthless, but I don’t. I think that you’re an amazing Huntress, and a loving mother, you did the best you could with your family. It’s never wrong to help people and protect others if you can… if it’s anyone’s fault, it’s the fault of whatever it is that killed you. THAT’S what destroyed your family, not you.” The boy tightened his grip on the spirit as he spoke. “It’s not your fault… it’s not your fault.”

****

Summer lasted about 10 seconds before her resolve broke.

****

Jaune found himself tackled to the floor by the Huntress, her own arms scooping him into an even stronger hug than the ones he was used to getting from Nora, the mother burying her face into his shoulder as she cried nonstop. Her tears soaked into his shirt, mixing with the water than had already seeped through the cotton, but that hardly mattered.

****

Jaune just held Summer tight as she cried, until she finally began to calm down and her cries grew softer and softer. That was when he spoke up again.

****

“It isn’t your fault. Tai even told me that he was irrational, that it was stupid of him to hate you. He just… was lashing out, looking for someone to blame, so he blamed you. But he doesn’t anymore, he misses you, I promise.”

****

Summer sniffled a little, but let him continue.

****

“And Ruby and Yang, you think they hate you? No. You saw how they reacted at your grave… they miss you, they still love you, because you’re their mother and you loved and cared about them too. It’s not your fault, _please._ You’re _not_ Raven, you _never were._ She abandoned her family, you always came back to them after every mission, she left, but you stayed.” Jaune hoped that his explanation would satisfy her, that she’d stop beating herself up so harshly.

****

For a long while, neither person spoke, until Summer disengaged from the hug and pulled back, standing up in front of him. Jaune did the same, and upon coming face to face with her, he was quite shocked to see an actual smile on her face, even if it was shaky.

****

“Jaune… those are some of the sweetest things anyone’s ever said to me.” Summer admitted. “You… you really came all this way, just for me…?”

****

“Of course I did.” He affirmed.

****

“Am I really so important to you…?”

****

“Of course you are.” He repeated, smiling softly.

****

Her smile only widened at this.

****

“Thank you Jaune…” She sounded a little choked up once more, though in a good way this time.

****

As they talked, the fog and darkness began to lift, the maelstrom surrounding the clearing faded away as warm sunlight began to break through. Soon enough, the landscape was bathed in it, while also healing from its scarred and twisted form into peaceful and lush fields as Jaune watched.

****

“So… I take you’re better now?” He asked.

****

“Yes… yes I am. You’re right… I was being hasty and stupid.” Summer let out a short giggle. “Usually I’m the one telling you off when you do hasty things.”

****

“Ha! That’s a way of putting it.” Jaune laughed along with her. They continued until the white-hooded woman’s laugh trailed off, leaving her scuffing the floor with her boots and looking rather shy once more.

****

“Jaune… all those things you said to me, all that support and encouragement…. Were you just trying to get me out of a funk or… did you really mean them? Do you really… believe in me and care about that much?”

****

“Why wouldn’t I?” Jaune asked rhetorically and rather absentmindedly, since he was currently distracted with the beautiful landscape. This meant he didn’t catch the expression of the woman opposite him morph into shock, then elation, mixed with… _something else._

****

Jaune was simply absorbed in the sights around him, the lush grass and rolling fields of flowers… until Summer tapped him on the shoulder.

****

_She probably just wants to say tha-_

****

That was where his train of thought ended, before it took a dive off a tall mountain and crashed into a mangled heap at the bottom.

****

After all, it had been difficult for the boy to focus on anything after Summer’s lips pressed against his own.

****

Jaune found himself locked into a sweet but firm kiss from the older woman, whose slender hands were cupping his cheeks as her body pressed against his. The only thing he could think to do was hold her gently at her hips, while trying not to get too aroused by the feel of her very, _very_ curvaceous figure that fit almost perfectly against him. God… even Velvet didn’t have a figure this well sculpted and endowed when she’d been against him…

****

_Well, at least I’ll know that Ruby will look even sexier than Yang when she grows up, I’ve never seen a woman this stacked and thick, god what I wouldn’t give for-_ The more primal part of his mind began, clearly very much enjoying kissing the older woman.

****

_No! No! NO! STOP IT! What the hell are you doing!? Stop kissing your girlfriend’s dead mum’s spirit, you filthy pervert!_ The more rational side of his mind interrupted.

****

Before Jaune could think about pulling back, Summer did so for him. Her face was flushed and her eyes were wide, she looked a little shocked and mortified about what she’d just done.

****

“Uh, Summer… what wa-” He began.

****

Only to be cut off by the entire landscape being torn away from him as he was forcibly _flung_ away, into the bright light ahead of him.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

Jaune awoke with a moan the following morning.

****

The groggy boy sat up in bed, blinking the sleep away from his eyes.

****

_What happened last night?_

****

Oh yeah. Summer had sealed herself in his mind and he’d gone in there to get her to come out again. Well, at least he’d managed to cheer her up.

****

Jaune pulled himself out of bed, stretching a little to remove the knots in his back, before heading downstairs, following the smell of cooking.

****

“Morning Lover Boy!” Yang called out when he entered the kitchen, throwing a wink his way, the girl looking surprisingly chipper for 10 in the morning. “Rough night?”

****

“Uuuhhh… sure.” Jaune yawned, still not fully awake yet.

****

“You know… if you slept badly, you could’ve come bunked with me. I’d have made sure you were comfy last night…” Yang winked at him again.

****

“Yang… at least wait until we’re all awake to try and flirt with Jaune.” Ruby pouted at her older sister, who merely smirked and raised an eyebrow in response.

****

“Aw Rubes… jealous are you? I’m sure Jaune would’ve gladly let you be his little spoon if you’d just asked. Imagine… his strong arms around you, body pressing against your back…” The brawler took great pleasure in watching her sibling’s face light up.

****

“Eeep!” Ruby squeaked out, covering her face with her hood. “Y-Yang! Don’t say things like that! Dad, make her stop!” The elder blonde simply gave his eldest daughter a look.

****

“Yang, no antagonizing your sister at the table.” The father of two chided, before returning to his morning coffee quite casually.

****

“That’s okay pops. I’m sure Jauney and I can find something else to do instead…” Jaune only just now noticed that Yang had shuffled her seat right beside his, the brawler leaning softly against the knight’s side.

****

“No flirting with boys at the table Yang.” Tai didn’t even look up from his scroll this time.

****

“Aw c’mon pops!” It was Yang who pouted this time. “That’s fine, we’re going back to Beacon in a few hours, so I can just flirt with him on the ride home instead.” The pout was now replaced with a victorious grin.

****

“Ha! No you won’t!” Ruby cried out, a single finger stabbing toward her elder sister. “Jaune has motion sickness, remember! He’ll be too busy trying not to throw up for you to flirt with him, so I win!” Her own grin in place as Yang narrowed her eyes at the little traitor.

****

“No gloating at the table Ruby.” Tai was still otherwise engrossing in the morning news. Ruby, on the other hand, deflated in mere seconds at the admonishment, while still bristling at Yang’s now smug grin.

****

Jaune, however, simply grinned giddily at the simple family arguments taking place. It reminded him of his own home, where arguments at the table were incredibly common, parental discipline even more so. Juniper Arc was no stranger to handing out punishments to keep her kids in line. With 8 children, being stern with disobedience was often the only option.

****

After breakfast was finished, the packing came. Fortunately, all of them brought precious few essentials with them, since they only stayed a single night, so packing was easy and took barely 20 minutes.

****

The trip to the docks for the waiting Bullhead was uneventful, Tai once more carried their bags for them, but still gave his daughters a sentimental sendoff, much to their embarrassment. That still didn’t stop the father, however, if anything it only encouraged him.

****

“I can only embarrass you so much until you get too old for it, I need to take the chance now whenever I can.” He’d explained, his own cheeky grin on his face. Well, now he knew where Yang got it from.

****

Before he’d boarded the Bullhead with the girls, Tai had taken him aside one more time, asking him to look out for his daughters at Beacon. Jaune had given him the same promise he’d given him yesterday in reply.

****

Once on board, Jaune settled down near the far end, Ruby and Yang taking seats away from him in case his motion sickness acted up during the flight back to Vale.

****

As the transport began to lift off, Jaune was left to wonder what Summer was up to. She’d been quiet all morning, hopefully she’d not relapsed back into the dark place she’d been in when he’d found her.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

She couldn’t stop thinking about it.

****

It had been plaguing her ever since it had happened, ever since she’d forcibly thrown Jaune out of her section of the mindscape. She’d not even been able to fully focus on the admittedly adorable breakfast interactions between her husband and daughters, she was so distracted.

****

Now, she’d been emotional last night, highly and unstably so. Especially when Jaune had said everything he had, when he braved the obstacles her thrashing and tormented mind had conjured up to stop him, just to try and help her out.

****

But even so, the question remained…

****

“Why did I kiss him on the lips!?” She practically shrieked out, slapping herself upside the forehead for about the hundredth time.

****

“I mean… I wanted to thank him, f-for being there for me when I needed someone, but I-I just meant to kiss him on the cheek, t-that was all! Oooohh!! Stupid Summer, bad Summer! You can’t just kiss your little girl’s boyfriend like that!!”

****

_“Even if it felt really nice for you…”_ A more treacherous and amorous part of her responded, it’s own voice speaking to her rational side directly.

****

_What!? But it d-didn’t feel nice at all! I was kissing my daughter’s boyfriend for pete’s sake!_

****

_“Fufufufufufu… that doesn’t mean you didn’t enjoy it. Come on, that strong, handsome body against yours? You’ve already admitted that he reminds you of Taiyang in personality… want to find out if that resemblance is physical too…?”_ The amorous voice teased her.

****

_No! No no NO! I can’t do that!_ Summer insisted.

****

_“Why not? Don’t you deserve happiness too? It isn’t like you and Tai can give it another go right now… but you and Jaune, on the other hand… well, you’re already in his head.”_ The voice continued, turning curious at the first part.

****

_But it would be wrong, it’d be indecent of me!_

****

_“Why? Age isn’t really an issue here, is it? You’re DEAD, after all. You can make yourself younger in here if you want to, young enough for him at least. Besides, it’s not like Ruby has to know what you two get up to in the comfort of your own mind, now is it…?”_ The voice made one last try to convince her.

****

_Enough! Stop trying to tempt me! I’m not seducing my daughter’s boyfriend, and that’s that!_

****

_“Ooohh you’re no fun… but think about it, think about him… you’ll come around in the end.”_ After it had said it’s piece, the voice of the amorous part of her mind faded away, leaving only the more rational part of her alone again.

****

Summer took a deep breath, exhaling to try and calm herself. Truth be told, despite her objections, the more lustful side of her _had_ raised a good point.

****

Didn’t she deserve to be happy too? Even as a disembodied spirit?

****

Summer had to admit, she’d found that over the time they’d been bonded, she had found herself caring for Jaune more and more deeply.

****

Perhaps it was that he resembled Tai so closely when he was younger, in both appearance and personality. Perhaps it was that he never hesitated to throw himself into danger to protect others. Perhaps it was his willingness to open his heart to so many girls, wanting each and every one of them to be happy. Perhaps it was even the fact that two of those girls were her own daughters…

****

Whatever the reason, Summer had found herself attached to the knight, in more than just the metaphysical and spiritual sense.

****

It was from there that it had begun to creep up on her, so gradually that she’d not even realized it had been happening until a few days ago.

****

The jealousy.

****

She’d been concerned for him before when his life was at stake, like Cinder shooting him with an arrow or his diving into a pool to save that Emerald girl. She’d been happy for him before, when he’d pulled off that victory against Cinder in the tournament, or when he’d managed to convince the girls that he cared for all of them enough to get them to share, or even when he’d let her have that long overdue talk with her daughters at her grave yesterday.

****

But never would have imagined that she’d be jealous because of him.

****

But jealous she was, of all those other girls, even her own children.

****

After all, Jaune would lavish them with romantic attention and affection, he’d take them out on dates, he’d even… get intimate with them, if they so wished. He did all of that with them happily. But never with her, his constant mental companion through it all.

****

Granted she’d not technically been ‘with him’ as long as they had, but considering time passed far more quickly in the mindscape, coupled with their frequent all-night chats to pass the time as Jaune slumbered, as far as Summer was concerned she’d spent more time with him than any of them.

****

Oh, Jaune would be attentive to her, he’d comfort her when she was down, he’d make her laugh with his cheesy pickup lines and his silly family stories… he’d even call her that nickname of hers, ‘Sunny’. That made her smile… and blush a little.

****

But it was only platonic, never romantic. When Jaune did those things, he was acting as her friend, not… not as something more.

****

Not what she wanted him to be.

****

_Oh… oh my…_ Summer thought, with wide eyes, as the full reality of what had happened to her, of her feelings for her host, finally began to sink in.

****

_I’m… I’m in love with Jaune._


	45. The Epiphany, The Idea, The Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Detective Orion receives his brief from his new employers.   
> Cinder deals with the resurgence of a part of herself long thought buried.   
> Jaune and Penny come up with a new solution to Pyrrha and the Fall Maiden's predicaments, while Summer meets some new faces in a new mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here we are folks.
> 
> We're at chapter 45 and this story has over two-hundred thousand words. Wow. I'd have never imagined I'd help create something like this.
> 
> Thanks for sticking with us through all this, readers. Hope you enjoy this new chapter, featuring another divergence from canon, the introduction of some new faces and the return of an old one.
> 
> Reviews and comments are welcome, as always.
> 
> Jack.

Despite having a good sleep on the Bullhead, Jaune was still a little fatigued and sluggish when he stepped out onto the docks back at Beacon. 

****

It didn’t help that he hadn’t seen Summer while he slept, though he couldn’t for the life of him remember why… some part of him insisted it had something to do with a kiss, but that was just crazy.

****

When Jaune HAD been awoken on the Bullhead, it was by the flash of Yang’s scroll camera, and he’d opened his eyes to a cheeky grin from the brawler. After Yang indicated that he ‘look to his left, he saw why.

****

Namely, Ruby had decided that the knight’s shoulder and left side were a lovely place to curl up and sleep, so she had burrowed into his left side to claim it for herself. She must’ve done it while he was asleep. It didn’t help that she looked adorable when sleeping on Jaune’s shoulder like that, which is why Yang had decided to take lots of pictures while she had the chance.

****

“I need to do the right thing as the big sister here, Lover Boy.” Yang had explained, before winking slyly. “And the right thing to do here is to get some prime blackmail material for later on!” 

****

As the older brother for 2 of his sisters, Jaune could relate to that feeling. Not that Ruby saw their point of view, as she tried to snatch the scroll from Yang’s hands, though the older girl had simply held it out of reach, grinning like an idiot as Ruby tried to leap for it.

****

This simple sibling squabbling was what finally roused Summer from her slumber, or whatever it was she’d been doing, since Jaune heard the familiar and telltale coos and gushing that often accompanied Summer talking about her daughters. This was especially true if she was relating a tale from their infanthood.

****

The trio made their way back to their respective dorm rooms, chatting all the way. When they reached the hall, though, they found a certain Spartan waiting for them.

****

“Oh, Jaune! Welcome back! How was your trip with Ruby and Yang?” Pyrrha asked, though looking a little distracted.

****

“Oh, well… I think it went well.” Jaune replied, a small smile on his face.

****

“Yeah!” Ruby cried out, more enthusiastically and with a bigger smile than Jaune had managed. “Dad said he really liked meeting Jaune, said he was a ‘nice, reliable young man’ and said we could bring him back anytime!” The younger girl was hopping up and down as she spoke.

****

“Yeah, Lover Boy really made quite the impression on him, hopefully he can make a similar impression on me soon enough…” The golden dragon winked at the knight, her smile distinctly telling.

****

“Yang!” Ruby cried, the reaper stomping her foot. “Don’t ruin the moment by talking about… about s-sex!”

****

“What? C’mon Rubes, P-Money here’s already had a nice time with Jauney, he’s already rocked her world, what’s wrong with wanting him to rock mine as well?” Yang questioned, folding her arms and gazing down at her sister.

****

“Maybe not right now…” Jaune admitted, though he adopted a smirk of his own, feeling a little bold. “But how about something to tide you over?”

****

The dragoness gasped in surprise as the knight pulled her in for a kiss, especially when one of his hands gave her backside a good squeeze when he pulled back.

****

“Heh… almost as juicy as Blake’s ‘Bellabooty’, I’d say.” Jaune whispered in her ear, causing the girl to blush a little in shock at the blonde dork doing something so audacious. Meanwhile, Jaune looked to Ruby next, whose shock and slowly morphed into a slightly pleading look.

****

“You want one too?” He asked.

****

“Yes!” She cried out, before her already visible blush intensified even more. “Um… I-I mean yes.” She repeated, much more subdued and embarrassed this time.

****

“All you needed to do was ask.” With that, Jaune leaned down to offer the younger girl her own kiss, more gentle and subdued than Yang’s had been. Ruby melted into the affection, their hands intertwining sweetly for the majority of the kiss, in a manner that had Yang cooing over the ‘cute dorks’. Even Pyrrha, who couldn’t suppress the irrational yet small flare of jealousy at the action, had to ‘awww’ at how sweet it was.

****

After a moment of gentle lip-locking, the pair pulled back, both flushed with excitement and smiling like idiots. It wasn’t until Pyrrha cleared her throat that they turned to face the other two girls in the hall, Yang had a shit-eating grin on her face while Pyrrha was standing and politely waiting for them to finish.

****

“I’d not want to impose.” Pyrrha began. “But I was wondering if I could perhaps borrow Jaune for a while? There’s… something I need his help with.” The champion looked a little nervous at that, which concerned Jaune. What was it that had her like this?

****

“Sure, he’s all yours P-Money.” Yang replied, taking Ruby and pulling her towards their dorm. “C’mon sis, let’s go unpack. Take care of yourself Lover Boy!”

****

“Bye Jaune! Thanks for meeting our dad!” Ruby waved a little back at the other two teens, at least until Yang unlocked their door and pulled her younger sister inside. Jaune and Pyrrha were now the only two in the hallway.

****

“So… what did you need my help with Pyr?” Jaune asked, placing a supportive hand on Pyrrha’s shoulder, not missing the way her cheeks pinked a little at the contact.

****

“Do you… remember my opportunity?” She asked, quietly.

****

Oh. That was what this was about. Pyrrha being approached to take on vast magical powers from a comatose woman at the possible cost of her personality. Right.

****

“Yeah… I remember.” Jaune replied, his throat suddenly tight.

****

“Well… there’s a new meeting with the Headmaster today to discuss… the next step.” Pyrrha revealed, her voice small and quiet.

****

“Okay then…? But, why do you need me there, Pyr?”

****

“I convinced Headmaster Ozpin to let me… share the secret with you already, Jaune. Will you come with me, for support if nothing else?” The spartan almost begged.

****

Well, when she put it like that, the decision was a no-brainer.

****

“Course I will Pyr, ‘course I will.” Jaune affirmed, taking her hand in his own. “Whenever you’re ready.”

****

Pyrrha took a moment to collect herself, taking a few breaths and squeezing Jaune’s hand a few times to reassure herself. He couldn’t blame her, he’d think  _ anyone _ in her situation would react similarly. Finally, the girl smiled shakily at Jaune.

****

“Thank you Jaune.”

****

“You’re welcome Pyr.”

****

With that, the two teens set off for the Emerald Tower. It might’ve still been damaged, but the repair work that had been going on ensured that only a few small holes remained in the architecture and the internal mechanisms were still functioning.

****

Jaune had a long, hard think during their short trip to the tower. What would happen now that Cinder had attacked Beacon? Would Pyrrha be asked to take up Amber’s powers immediately? Would he even get a say in this? Pyrrha had vouched for him and asked him to be brought into the loop, but that didn’t mean everyone would just listen to him.

****

As the pair reached the tower and entered the lift, the only thing on both of the teens’ minds was dread, dread at what was to come.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

At the same time, the Emerald Tower was hosting an important discussion.

****

“So, let me see if I’ve got this right.” The man leaned back in his chair. “You want me to help track down the most dangerous terrorist we’ve had in quite some time, who’s supported by at least 5 other people as dangerous as she is, if not more so. That right?”

****

“That is correct.” Ozpin confirmed, the man sitting straight in his chair, gazing at his current visitor impassively.

****

Detective Orion leant back, slouching a little, before putting a hand to his head.

****

“Right… just… just making sure is all.” He sighed. “This is gonna be a suicide mission.” He whispered to himself.

****

“Hardly, Mr Orion.” Ozpin replied, causing the P.I to jump a little in place, the guy had heard that even at whispering volume?!

****

One of the other men in the room, none other than General James Ironwood himself, leaning forward, arms folded as he addressed the detective.

****

“You, Mr Orion, will NOT be investigating Cinder Fall directly, the Altas Military will be supplying it’s own Specialist Task Force for that duty. Your assignment is to investigate the Vale branch of the White Fang.” The man revealed.

****

“So… I’m not supposed to investigate a terrorist, I’m supposed to investigate DOZENS of terrorists instead? This doesn’t exactly reassure me, General.” Joe admitted.

****

“Mr Orion, Cinder Fall had both an unlocked Aura and Huntress-level training, as do her direct associates. The White Fang lack many direct Aura users, which means that as an Aura user yourself, the danger to you will be minimal should you need to engage in combat with them. I assume you remember you Vale Police Academy training well enough?” Ironwood continued, raising an eyebrow at that last bit.

****

“Yes sir, of course I do.”

****

“Excellent.” Ozpin began. “You will be working with both the Vale Counter Terrorism Unit and the Atlas military for this investigation, Mr Orion. There are two particular Specialists with whom we would like you to liaise directly. A Mr Daniel Wilson and Miss Winter Schnee.”

****

Orion blinked a little at that, he was going to be assisting the General’s second in command herself? Well… that was certainly a step up from his academy days.

****

“One more thing, Mr Orion.” Ironwood looked him dead in the eyes this time. “If, at any point, you come into direct contact with Miss Fall, or observe her meeting with her White Fang contacts, you are not to engage her at all. Contact Specialists Schnee and Wilson as soon as you are able. This woman has killed both trainees and full-fledged Hunters before, she is  **not** to be taken lightly. Is that understood?”

****

“Crystal clear, sir.” Orion replied.

****

“Very well.” Ozpin picked up the conversation again. “If you’ll excuse us, we have another meeting scheduled soon.”

****

“Of course.” The detective stood up from his chair and began making his way to the lift doors, before stopping and turning around. “Ah, one more thing.”

****

“Yes, Mr Orion?”

****

“I understand that the suspect spent some time here as an undercover students, since any information about her or her habits would be helpful to my investigation, I’d like to interview any student that she might have talked to for an extended period of time. Would that be possible?”

****

Ozpin considered this, before replying.

****

“There was one of our students who might have some insight into her… Mr Jaune Arc. As I understand it, he and Miss Fall have spoken multiple times, they also seemed to develop a rather antagonists relationship before her true colours were revealed.”

****

By this point, Orion had taken out his notepad and was scribbling down notes. “Right… spoke a few times… didn’t like each other… anything else you can tell me, Headmaster?”

****

“Well, Mr Arc did argue with her when he went to visit her team after the team rounds for the Vytal Tournament, a disagreement in philosophy, apparently. I can provide the relevant security footage from the hallway camera.”

****

“Please do, anything that gives me insight into this woman will help.” The detective stated. “Well, I’ve taken up too much of your time already, I’ll return to the office to brief my team, then get to work as soon as possible.”

****

“Thank you Mr Orion, we look forward to reports on your progress.” Ozpin stated, nodding in return. Ironwood offered a salute while Glynda shook the detective’s hand as he headed for the lift.

****

Then the doors opened.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

The lift ride up to Ozpin’s office was chokingly tense for both of them.

****

Neither Pyrrha for Jaune dared to say anything, for they had no idea what would await them. Pyrrha was trying to calm herself down by squeezing Jaune’s hand for comfort, while the knight also used the contact to stop himself from hyperventilating as the lift approached the office.

****

He desperately hoped that Pyrrha wouldn’t have to take these powers right now, that they could find a better way to resolve this, but he didn’t have much hope. After all, with Cinder still on the loose after having already attacked Beacon once, the Maiden… Amber, was under active threat.

****

Which was why the knight was currently racking his brain, hoping that he’d find something else,  _ anything _ else, just so that PYrrha would’ve have to risk throwing away her personality and identity like this.

****

All too soon for the teens’ liking, the lift chimed and the doors opened, the familiar view of Headmaster Ozpin’s office greeting them. Or at least, the part that wasn’t blocked by the man standing directly in front of the lift doors.

****

“Oh! Excuse me, let me get out of your way.” The man moved aside to let Jaune and Pyrrha pass, before stepping into the lift and hitting the ‘down’ button. The doors closed on him before Jaune could get a proper look, though Ozpin clearing his throat brought the Arc’s attention back to the matter at hand.

****

“Welcome Miss Nikos, Mr Arc. I assume you both know why you’re here?” Though before Jaune or Pyrrha could reply, Ironwood spoke up.

****

“I can understand Miss Nikos’ presence, Ozpin, but not Mr Arc’s. Why is he here?” The General turned an inquisitive eye toward the knight in question.

****

It was Goodwitch who answered his question.

****

“Miss Nikos has insisted that Mr Arc be made a… confidant of sorts. And frankly, we agreed, so he will be accompanying us today.”

****

Ironwood frowned a little, but nodded and said nothing else.

****

“Accompanying you? To where?” Jaune asked, himself a little perplexed.

****

“You will be accompanying us to the vault below. It was been reinforced against further attacks, with additional security in place.” Glynda explained. “We are simply waiting for Atlas’ tech specialist.” The lift dinged again. “Ah, this should be them now.”

****

Jaune sighed a little as the adults all looked toward the lfit. Maybe it would be Daniel or something, but he wasn’t very tech savvy. He turned as well, hoping that he might recognise-

****

“Friend Jaune!” An exuberant voice called out as the doors slid open, revealing a mop of ginger curls and a pair of bright green eyes.

****

That was all he saw before he was thrown to the floor by the object slamming into him in a tackle-hug, hard enough to dent his Aura.

****

_ Penny? _

****

_ “Oh! That’s the android girl that Atlas built, isn’t it? She was a real sweetheart nonetheless.”  _ Summer cooed in his mind, after being silent for most of the time while the Ozpin and the others talked.

****

“Oh my! Are you alright Jaune?!” Pyrrha frantic voice brought him back to reality.

****

The reality that a rather heavy girl was currently lying on top of him with her arms around his waist, in quite a painful hug.

****

“Y...yeah. Penny? You think you can maybe let me up?” He asked, the girl smiling down at him response.

****

“Oh, of course friend Jaune! Here, allow me to help you!” Penny sprung up to a stand, then hauled him up with her mechanically augmented strength, surprising Pyrrha and yet bringing an amused smile to both Ozpin and Ironwood’s faces. Even Goodwitch was shaking her head rather half-heartedly.

****

“So, who is this Jaune?” His partner was glancing at the android rather curiously.

****

“Oh! This is Penny, a friend and one of the transfer students from Atlas.” Jaune explained, even as Penny reached out to shake the champion’s offered hand.

****

“What a pleasure to meet a friend of friend Jaune’s! I hope we can also be friends!” Penny practically  _ yelled _ , even more excited than her usual cheer.

****

“Wow, that’s… quite a strong grip you have.” The champion noted, after Penny’s handshake was done. “So… how do you know this… Penny, Jaune?” Pyrrha asked, glancing at the other girl again while looking to Jaune.

****

“Ah, well… we sorta spent some time at the amusement park for a while.” Jaune admitted.

****

“Indeed! Friend Jaune was excellent company for the fair, he even won me a stuffed animal as a prize! It was a simply sensational experience!” Penny continued, her green eyes sparkling.

****

“While I’m glad that Mr Arc was able to entertain you adequately, Miss Polendina.” Ironwood interrupted, the General stepping forward to regard the three children. “Is everything prepared?”

****

“Yes Mister Ironwood sir! The device has been fully assembled and is ready for use!” Penny trilled, that same enthused smile on her face as always. “The subject has been prepared, we are simply waiting for the recipient!”

****

Ironwood sighed and gave Penny a small smile, holding up a hand to the synthetic girl.

****

“That won’t be necessary Penny. That will come later, we are simply inspecting her wellbeing today.”

****

“Understood Mister Ironwood!” Penny turned to Jaune. “Will you be joining us, friend Jaune?”

****

“Yeah… I guess I must be.” The knight admitted, scratching his head.

****

“Wonderful, allow me to escort you!” Penny grabbed a shocked Jaune by the wrist and pulled him into the lift, with Pyrrha following along not too long after. Ozpin, Glynda and Ironwood all filed into the lift afterward. Ozpin leaned over, tapping his cane against the unmarked button. A short green burst lit up the previously invisible sigil surrounding the button, and the lift was rumbling down.

****

They emerged into a wide and spacious vault, lit faintly with green lights. Jaune looked up, marvelling at the sheer  _ scale  _ of the place, especially considering it was all underneath the very academy they attended. He did wince a little though, as he saw the various small cracks in the ceiling. Ozpin noticed his nerves and follow his gaze.

****

“Ah. Apologies for the damage to the vault, Mr Arc. There was an… uninvited guest I had to deal with recently. Rest assured, the vault is quite structurally sound.”

****

The phrase ‘uninvited guest’ struck a chord within Jaune. He instinctively recalled the invasion of the academy about 5 or 6 days ago, and the information from Roman that Cinder was targeting Ozpin. Did that mean that… 

****

“Headmaster, did Cinder try and get down here? Was she looking for… for the Maiden?” He asked, before he could stop himself.

****

Goodwitch and Ironwood stiffened, Penny tilted her head curiously, Pyrrha gazed at him in shock, while Ozpin simply smiled and lowered his glasses to look at Jaune.

****

“A very astute observation, Mr Arc. You are correct, that is exactly why we need to proceed quickly. I’m afraid that, even with Miss Fall on the run or in hiding, Amber’s security has been compromised.” Ozpin turned to Penny. “Miss Polendina, please determine the status of the patient.”

****

“Yes, Mr Ozpin!” Penny called, skipping over to the device at the far end of the vault and beginning to fiddle with some consoles, the others followed her over. Ozpin, Ironwood and Goodwitch stood to the side to talk by themselves, with Pyrrha being called over shortly afterward, probably to discuss her options. Meanwhile, Jaune approached Penny, the synthetic was engrossed in the readings.

****

“Penny?” Jaune asked, causing her to jump a little.

****

“Ah! Yes friend Jaune?” She replied, her bright green eyes focusing on him.

****

“So… how is she?” The knight gestured to the occupied pod, though the heavy metal covering was unsealed, so he could see the young woman within. She was darker skinned, more so than the tanned Neptune and Sun, with brown hair and… very,  _ very _ ample yet still gentle features. Those features were slight eroded, however, by the scars that marred the left side of her face, especially around her eye.

****

_ What happened to her? _

****

“She seems to be as healthy as can be, considering her injuries.” Penny reported. “Her Aura levels are rather concerning, it is almost completely depleted and will not regenerate. Her injuries do not appear to be healing.” The android considered this. “What do you make of this, friend Jaune?”

****

“Well… I’d guess that her Aura’s trying to… heal some wounds that just won’t heal.” Jaune theorised. 

****

Since Pyrrha had told him the Maiden powers usually fused directly to the soul itself, perhaps… that was the issue here. When some of her power was taken by whoever did this to her, it must have taken a piece of her soul too, or at the very least fractured it, at least that was Jaune’s idea. THAT was the injury her Aura trying to heal, but it wasn’t nearly strong enough to heal a damaged soul on it’s own.

****

Could that be done? Could a soul really be split…  _ fractured _ like that? If it could, then that sounded… horrible. He couldn’t imagine the pain Amber was in right now, he didn’t think he wanted to.

****

“That is an idea, friend Jaune. I am sure Mr Ironwood and Mr Ozpin will continue to monitor her vital signs for any change” Penny said. She was silent for a moment, before speaking up again. “I must say… it is nice that you have been allowed to join me on this project friend Jaune. I was… saddened to hear that you declined to participate in Mr Ironwood’s project.”

****

“Sorry about that Penny.” Jaune placed a hand on the synthetic girl’s shoulder, smiling a reassuring smile. “It just wasn’t for me, I’ve got too much to worry about with schoolwork and training to be a Hunter.”

****

“I… I understand, friend Jaune.” Penny still looked a little down, given that she was almost always filled with either childlike wonder or an endearing cheer, this was quite concerning for the knight.

****

“Hey, Penny.” Jaune took the synth girl’s head in his hands. “Look… I’m still your friend, okay? Just because I didn’t want to test that new tech you came up with doesn’t mean I’ll stop being your friend, right?”

****

“Thank you, friend Jaune.” Penny replied, voice quiet but with some of her cheer returning. It was then that Jaune realised both how close they were, and that he was still holding her head. He quickly released Penny and moved back, coughing a little as he did so.

****

“A-anyway, I’m that, if you need a guinea pig for your, um…” He trailed off in embarrassment, as he realised he couldn’t remember what her new invention was called, or what it did, recent concerns and events had meant that the information had ‘taken a backseat’ so to speak.

****

Which was to say that Jaune completely forgot and was just covering his arse.

****

“The Apollo Reactor, a device meant to generate Aura artificially.” Penny helpfully supplied.

****

“Yeah, that. Even if you still need a guinea pig, I’m sure that you’ll be able to find someone… else… to…” The knight’s voice trailed off, as he was hit with an epiphany.

****

Looking between Penny and the woman opposite him a few times as his idea began to take shape, the knight blinked rapidly as he thought things through, before turning to Penny and grabbing her shoulders.

****

“F-friend Jaune?” Penny asked with a slight stutter, being so close to Jaune was causing that… that  _ warmth _ in her central reactor once again, what  _ was  _ this? She would need to ask Mr Ironwood or her father the next time she saw him.

****

“Penny, you said that your device can generate Aura, right?”

****

“Y-yes.” Another stutter, and more heat, was she malfunctioning again?

****

Jaune now gestured to Amber’s comatose form. “And you just said that she needed more Aura, right? Because hers isn’t regenerating or healing her injuries naturally, right?” He asked once more, a slight intensity to her voice.

****

“T-that seems to be the primary p-problem, y-yes.” Why was she still stuttering!? Was her vocal unit malfunctioning alongside her primary power plant?!

****

Oblivious to Penny’s internal distress, Jaune looked between her and Amber once more.

****

“Well, and I know this sounds like a crazy idea… but, couldn’t you just… hook her up to that Apollo Reactor of yours, and have THAT fix up her Aura instead?” Jaune suggested. Penny gave him an odd look at that, before understanding dawned in her eyes, as well as a spark of excitement.

****

“I… I had not considered this possibility, but this is… this is sensational, friend Jaune!” The android perked right up at this, all her worries about possible malfunctions banished as she focused all her processing power on this new possibility. “This will be an excellent opportunity to test the Apollo Reactor and to hopefully restore the subject to full health as well!”

****

“Wait, really!?” Jaune gasped. “You… you’re saying you can do it?” He’d not expected his rather nutty idea to be accepted by the synthetic girl so fast or so easily.

****

“I may need to run many calculations and simulated tests within controlled laboratory conditions with my father first, but… I believe it can be done!” Penny replied, her usual excited smile now blossoming across her face once more.

****

“T-that’s great! Thank you so much, Pen!” Before he could stop himself, Jaune scooped up the stunned synthetic into a hug. 

****

Penny shivered a little as she felt the warmth in her central reactor grow again, this time significantly hotter than before, to the point where she was honestly afraid that she was having a core meltdown. When Jaune released her, however, the warmth receded.

****

“Y-you are quite w-welcome, friend Jaune.” She whispered quietly, gazing rather bashfully and cutely up at the blonde knight, who could only think of one thing.

****

_ Gods, she’s about as adorable as Ruby.  _

****

_ “Hey! No one’s cuter than MY little girl! Except maybe Zwei…” _

****

“Jaune, what’s going on?” Jaune and Penny turned to see Pyrrha, followed by the three adults, making her way over, a curious tilt to her head. It seemed that they’d finally finished their conversation.

****

Before Jaune could speak, Penny rushed forward to stop in front of a surprised Ironwood.

****

“Mr Ironwood sir, I was speaking with friend Jaune, and we came up with a sensational new solution to the current problem!” Penny was enthusiastic at least, even if Ironwood seemed a little skeptical.

****

“A new solution…? Well, let’s hear it, then.” Ironwood nodded.

****

Ozpin and Glynda looked similarly interested.

****

“The primary problem appears to be that the subject’s Aura will not regenerate on it’s own, and thus her injuries will not heal and she is trapped in her current state of incapacitation.” Penny began. “However, friend Jaune suggested that we make use of the Apollo Reactor to artificially regenerate her Aura, and thus allow it heal her injuries! It would be an excellent opportunity to field test our newest technological breakthrough!”

****

The three adults considered this, while Jaune held his breath and Pyrrha was visibly shaking with both nerves and a bit of excitement. If they accepted the idea… then she wouldn’t need to take on Amber’s powers anymore! She wouldn’t be at risk of losing herself! She could stay with her team, with Jaune!

****

“Well, we’d need to run simulations and tests, along with all sorts of calculations first…” Ironwood began.

****

“That is no issue, Mr Ironwood, my father and I are more than ready to help!” Penny volunteered, the charming grin on her face.

****

“Not to mention the procedure will take much longer than a simple transfer, during which time Miss Autumn will be vulnerable and in need of protection.” The General continued.

****

“I still believe this new solution will be worthwhile, James.” Ozpin replied, a genuine smile on the man’s face. “Your security droids and a few Specialists can supervise for now. When this new device is installed, I will ask Qrow to help keep it safe, I’m sure that a few of your specialists can be spared to help as well.”

****

“Of course. The Atlas military always stands ready.” Ironwood acknowledged, a hint of pride in the man’s voice.

****

“I will be supervising as well.” Goodwitch interjected, the blonde combat instructor lowering her glasses to flick her gaze between Ozpin and Ironwood. “I would rather not trust Miss Autumn safety entirely to a known drunk.” She asserted.

****

“Um, Miss Goodwitch?” The Professor’s gaze flicked to the champion. “What… what will happen to me?”

****

“Nothing, Miss Nikos. Assuming that Miss Polendina’s device is compatible with Miss Autumn’s physiology, that is.” The witch smiled down at the spartan nonetheless. “If it is, then you are free to go, there we be no need for you to inherit Miss Autumn’s abilities.”

****

“Oh! T-that’s wonderful news!” Pyrrha gasped out, her eyes lighting up. “I-I mean, I-I would’ve been honoured to-”

****

“Miss Nik… Pyrrha, I understand your elation.” Goodwitch assured her. “This is… a grave responsibility and mantle to inherit, especially for someone like you, who is already both world famous and desperate to escape that fame. You were clearly reluctant, and I regretted that we needed to ask you to take it on in the first place. I’m thankful that Mr Arc here was able to provide a better solution.”

****

_ “I’m proud of you too, Jaune. Assuming this works, you might have just saved that young woman’s life.”  _ Summer praised him.

****

“As am I.” Ozpin said as he decided to get in on the conversation again. “I had hoped to find another way of preserving Miss Autumn’s life without risking Miss Nikos’ safety and wellbeing with the Aura transfer. I was unsuccessful in finding an alternative, which is why I was forced to go forward with the transfer… I am pleased that Mr Arc proved more successful than I in that capacity.” The headmaster smiled at his student.

****

“Thank you, Mr Arc, for helping to save Miss Autumn’s life.” He bowed his head slightly, his voice sincere.

****

“Oh… well it was no problem really, sir.” Jaune rubbed the back of his neck, a little embarrassed from all the praise.

****

“I disagree.” The man tilted his head at the knight. “Thank you again. This means far more to me than you know.”

****

“Oh… r-right.”

****

“Sir, I would be happy to help protect the Maiden as well.” Pyrrha declared. “Even though I might not need to be her replacement anymore, I still feel indebted to help out however I can.” The Mistrali spartan declared. 

****

“Well… there is still the matter of the Vytal Tournament.” Ozpin admitted. “However, I am sure that we can devise some sort of schedule, and you will not be by yourself…”

****

As the adults, plus Penny and Pyrrha continued to talk, Jaune found himself drawn to the young woman in the pod, Amber. He had to admit that, even with the scars on her face, she was very beautiful. It made him wonder how lovely she’d look without them.

****

_ Gah, no! What are you thinking!? She’s in a coma for god’s sake! _

****

Shaking off the less than pure thoughts, Jaune approached Amber. Sincer her pod was open, he decided that, even if she couldn’t perceive it now, he’d still offer her some kind of comfort.

****

“Hey, I know that you’re probably in pain right now… but hopefully we’ll be able to fix you and you can get back to your life.” Jaune assured the comatose woman, he reached out to give her hand a pat, just to reassure her.

****

_ “Don’t worry Jaune, I’m sure that she’ll be grateful for your idea once she’s up and abo-” _

****

As soon as Jaune’s hand touched Amber’s own, his vision faded into white as Summer cried out in shock.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

“Urrghh…. Where am I?”

****

Blinking, Summer Rose gradually pushed herself up off the grass she was laying on.

****

The Huntress rubbed her temples and groaned a little at the lingering twinge of pain. The last thing she remembered was Jaune holding that Amber woman’s hand, then…

****

Then she was here. But, where  _ was _ here, anyway?

****

It didn’t look like her own mindscape, or even Jaune’s… where was Jaune, anyway?

****

“Jaune… Jaune? Are you there? Are you alright? What happened?” Summer called out, receiving no reply each time.

****

Sighing to herself, the mother decided that she might as well start walking, in the hopes of finding… something,  _ anything _ was better than just waiting here.

****

It didn’t take long for her to start encountering the flowers, all in various species and all colourful. As Summer pressed on further, she encountered them more frequently, and in larger numbers, soon finding herself in a full fledged nature grove. 

****

“What is this?” Summer wondered aloud.

****

“Oh! Hi there! You new here? I’ve not seen you before!” A new, chipper voice called out.

****

Summer whirled around, sinking into a ready stance instinctively, she may not have her weapon, but she could still defend herself. The new woman didn’t  _ look  _ to be armed, only having an orange-white dress, with sandals and multiple woven braids and twists in her blonde hair.

****

“Whoa there! Kinda jumpy aren’t you?” The new woman exclaimed, holding up her hands. “Hey, it’s okay, I don’t mean any harm!”

****

Summer relaxed, but was still wary. “Well… do you know where I am? I… um. I don’t think this is where I’m supposed to be.” The Huntress admitted, looking a little sheepish and confused still.

****

The other woman smiled brightly. “Oh, that’s easy! You’re currently standing in my mindscape! Well, I mean technically it’s  _ Amber’s _ mind but this is my space.”

****

“Wait… Amber? As in the current Fall Maiden? The woman that Jaune wanted to comfort before I ended up here?” Summer questioned, causing the blonde woman to ‘aaahh’ in understanding.

****

“Ooohh, you’re not from around here are you! But yeah, that’s right. Amber’s the current Fall Maiden, we’re just along for the ride, as it were. So… who’s this Jaune? That doesn’t sound like a girl’s name…” Her eyes suddenly widened, and the blonde practically teleported with how fast she zipped up to Summer. “Oh my gosh! You’ve got a male host body! Wow, what’s that like!?”

****

“Wait, wait, wait! You… you  _ know _ about that!?” Summer gaped. “But… how can you know I’m a spirit? How do you know I have a host?” The woman giggled in reply, placing a smooth hand over her mouth.

****

“‘Cause we’re all spirits here, new girl! Except Amber, but she’s our host, you see! We’re all previous Fall Maidens, and when Amber got her powers, we came along for the ride! I’m Alexandria, by the way, but you can call me Alexa if you like.” The woman, Alexa, stuck out her hand, which Summer took and shook.

****

“Oh… I’I’m Summer, Summer Rose.” The Huntress replied.

****

“Nice to meet you, Summer!” Alexa replied, her seemingly omnipresent smile widening even more. “So… maybe you could tell me about this ‘Jaune’ you’re bonded to, hmmm? What’s he-”

****

“Alexa? Where are you? There was a disturbance in your section and I’m here to investigate.” Another, slightly deeper voice, called out. Before long, a short-haired redheaded woman came into view. 

****

The first thing Summer noticed was the orange and gold armor she was clad in, which also seemed to incorporate a sash and arobe, as well as her boots and the gold circlet with a blue crystal on her head. It really was quite the ensemble, the ensemble of a soldier, in fact.

****

The second thing Summer noticed was the sword and large circular shield she carried, both of which looked finely crafted and well-maintained. They would certainly be quite vicious to use in battle.

****

It didn’t take long for the redhead to spot her, her expression twisting into one of confusion and aggression. She shifted into a combat stance immediately.

****

“Who are you!? How did you find your way here?!” She demanded. “Alexa, get away from the intruder!” She instructed, only for the blonde to roll her eyes.

****

“C’mon Mira, it’s fine! She’s just separated from her proper host and she’s found her way here in the meantime, just put the sword down okay? She nice once you get to talking to her!” Alexa assured the other woman, who narrowed her eyes a little, but nonetheless relaxed her stance and sheathed her weapons.

****

“Alright, if Alexa vouches for you, then I’ll reserve my hostility until you do something to provoke me.” The redhead assured Summer. “My name is Mirabelle, I was Captain of the Valean Knights during the Great War, and your name?” She prompted.

****

“Oh… Summer! Summer Rose.” The Huntress shook Mirabelle’s offered hand. “You… you were a soldier in the Great war? That was eighty years ago!”

****

“Yes, it was. I was actually there at Vacuo, when our King decided to take to the field… to end the war.” Mirabelle admitted, seeming a little shaken, but recovering quickly. “I inherited the Mantle of the Fall Maiden after the previous inheritor was slain by Mantle’s forces during the war. I dedicated myself to preserving the peace that came after.”

****

“I see… what about you, Alexa?” The mother asked, now curious.

****

“Oh, right. Well… I was actually the one after little miss soldier over here! It was  _ quite _ a shock for me to have her in my head, and the others as well, but i got used to it.” Alexa reassured the other spirit, seeing her expression of worry. “Well… what about you eh? You know our stories, what about you? How’d you get stuck with this ‘Jaune’ guy?”

****

“Wait… ‘Jaune’, you… have a  _ male _ host?” Mirabelle asked incredulously. Off Summer’s nod, she tilted her head a little in contemplation. “That… that’s rather interesting, I’ve never heard of that happening before.”

****

“Yes, well… I didn’t think it would either, after I died… my soul was preserved as a flower. When Jaune touched that flower while on a mission… my soul merged with his body.” Summer explained.

****

“Mission? He’s a fellow soldier?” Mirabelle questioned, suddenly a little more attentive than before.

****

“Ah… no. He’s a Hunter. Well… in training at least.”

****

“Ah… a Hunter… one of those colourfully clothed people who run around with the strangest and most impractical weapons I have ever seen, all in the name of battling the Grimm?” Mirabelle continued. “I see… well, I am pleased that my liege’s decree, and the academies he helped to build, still hold strong to this day.” The redhead allowed a nostalgic smile to cross her face.

****

Summer found herself smiling with the former soldier. Until she realised something.

****

“Wait… if you’re both here, does that mean Amber’s here as well?” She asked, hoping that the answer was ‘yes’, that way she could tell the woman that they had found a way to help her heal, that she’d be able to wake from her coma.

****

“Oh… Amber. She… doesn’t really come out to talk very much, after a year or so in this coma, I’m afraid she’s given up hope on being revived. All she’s doing now is waiting until she passes, so that she can join us as one of the spirits in the mind of the next Fall Maiden.” Mirabelle explained, somewhat somber along with Alexa at the turn the conversation had taken.

****

“Oh, but that’s just it. You see, before I arrived here, Jaune had helped devise a possible way to help get her out of her coma using one of Atlas’ newest inventions.” Summer explained. “Of course, there’s still calculations and tests they need to run first, but it’s still a possibility!”

****

At this, Mirabelle and Alexa perked up considerably.

****

“Really!?” Alexa cried out. “Wowee, hang on, I can go get her for you! She hides herself away deep down, but if I get the others to chip in we can find her easily! Then you can-”

****

They were interrupted as Summer’s form began to fade and spark.

****

“”Argh! What’s happening?!” The Huntress cried in shock.

****

“Well, if I had to guess, I’d say that whatever link your host forged with Amber that brought you here is fading, you’re being drawn back to him.” Mirabelle observed, surprisingly calm considering what she was witnessing. “Listen, we’ll pass on your message anyway… thanks for the information, and stay safe.”

****

“Bye Summer!” Alexa called out. “Hope you find your way back somehow!”

****

That was the last Summer heard before she was thrown into the twisting white light.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

Juane jolted as he suddenly felt Summer’s presence, which had been absent for a few moments, seemingly  _ crash _ into his own mind, at least that’s what it felt like.

****

_ Hey, Summer! You okay? _ He asked.

****

_ “Ah… I think so, are you alright?” _

****

_ I should be asking you that, Sunny! What the heck happened to you? I just touched Amber’s hand and then BAM! There was this flash of white and you just… vanished from my head for a few moments!  _ Jaune explained, rather frantically.

****

_ “Oh! That explains how I ended up in her mind instead… I must’ve crossed over there somehow…”  _ Summer muttered.

****

_ What? Crossed over where!? What are you on about? _ Jaune queried.

****

_ “Jaune… I crossed over to Amber mind for a moment there. Well… it was a moment out here, it was quite a bit longer in there, I swear I was there for almost an hour!”  _ The Huntress explained. 

****

Jaune could only gape at that.

****

_ W-wait? You actually went into Amber’s mind!? S-seriously?! What happened? Did you find her, is she alright in there? I mean, I know she’s in a coma out here but- _

****

_ “Jaune! Jaune! Calm down. Listen, Amber is… well she’s apparently not very hopeful for her future, she’s just been… waiting to pass on for a while now.”  _ Off Jaune’s shocked gasp, Summer hurriedly continued. “ _ But hopefully Mirabelle and Alexa will pass on my message that we’ve found a way to help her!” _

****

_ Who are Mirabelle and Alexa? _

****

_ “They’re previous Maidens who came along with the Maiden power Jaune. Apparently the minds and souls of all the previous Maidens will fuse with the current host when they receive the Maiden powers. I’ve only met two of them so far, but one of them was a Captain in the Great War on Vale’s side, Jaune! She literally fought alongside the Last King in the final battle! Isn’t that amazing!? These people literally saw history happen, they can tell us so much about the past, if Barty could speak to them he’d have a FIT!” _

****

_ Uh… Summer?  _ Jaune sounded a little weirded out by her extended explanation.

****

_ “Oh, sorry!”  _ The mother apologised. “ _ I… history was a big interest of mine in school, along with weapon maintenance that is. That’s why I got along well with Oobleck, I was even his TA for a while in third year. We both tend to go on for a while when we get excited.” _

****

“Juane?” Pyrrha voice snapped the two out of their discussion. 

****

Blinking, Jaune looked around to see that he was still in the vault. Penny and the adults were still discussing the specifics of their new plan, while Pyrrha had evidently gotten concerned and come over to see if he was okay.

****

“Yeah, Pyr?” He asked.

****

“Well… Headmaster Ozpin says that we’re free to go now, we may not be directly part of this anymore, but he’ll still keep us updated as to their progress, since we are still involved. Of course, we are still to keep everything we know strictly… between us.” Pyrrha explained, the champion looking at her partner intently.

****

“Hmmm, oh sure Pyr. D’you um… d’you maybe want to get some lunch?” He offered. “I don’t know about you, but I’ve not eaten since this morning at Ruby and Yang’s house, so I’m starving!” The blonde knight patted his stomach for emphasis.

****

“Lunch would be lovely.” His partner responded, with her own bright smile.

****

With that, the two students linked arms and began to walk out of the vault, this time in search of a good meal.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

Neo was not scared easily. After her time with Roman in the criminal underworld, the things that most would find horrifying barely even fazed her at this point. 

****

She had seen men beat each other to death, and witnessed the sale of innocent people and fanunus as slaves. However, as she reentered the warehouse, noting the silhouette of her boss among a large pile of debris, she felt a pang of fear that began to grow in her chest. She got as close as ten feet away before Cinder raised her hand, sigling Neo to stop.

****

“Neoplitian.” Cinder spat, turning around to face her subordinate. “Would you like to explain to me… exactly how Jaune Arc is  _ still _ alive?” There was audible ire in her tone, her eyes seemed to flicker briefly, causing the mute girl to flinch a little.

****

“I...I was unable to defeat him, ma’am.” Neo said carefully, maintaining eye contact with the other woman the entire time. “He knocked me out, and when I came to, the tower was falling apart.”

****

Cinder glared at the former mute for a time, a subdued rage still present in her eyes. After a moment of tense silence, Cinder scoffed and nodded. “Yet again, it seems we’ve underestimated him. You are dismissed, Neo.”

****

Neo did as she was told, hurriedly leaving the warehouse and leaving Cinder to her thoughts, which turned swiftly and viciously onto the blonde knight.

****

_ How?  _ Cinder asked herself, resting a hand under her chin.  _ How is it that Jaune Arc, a weak, pathetic, unremarkable BOY has beat us? Beat  _ **_me?!_ **

****

Her hands clenched into fists, but she snuffed out the growing anger, saving it for later. Regardless, her thoughts still spiralled. How  _ was  _ Arc still alive? She had killed four fully trained hunters, and three trainees, not to mention dozens of Atlas soldiers, mercenaries, and fellow criminals who crossed her. And yet somehow, this...this buffoon managed to avoid death, THREE TIMES, and only one was her TRYING to kill him!

****

How on Remnant could one man be lucky enough to survive so many brushes with death, and still walk on as if the world was the same? Cinder scoffed, rolling her eyes at the very thought of Arc, that pathetically cheery smile on his face, celebrating with his “friends”. 

****

_ No matter. I will have my chance to take care of Arc, and when I do, he will be mine alone. His strong body will be putty in my hands. I will make him submit to me, make him scream my name as I...as...I… _

****

An unexpected blush rose on Cinder’s face as she came to the realization that she had not been talking in terms of combat. No, she was thinking far more...intimately. Just like that, a forgotten and long-sealed floodgate in her mind opened, and a wave of inappropriate thoughts hit her all at once. His hands on her waist, her mouth on his neck, their bodies huddled close together, the warmth between them heavy. Cinder felt an unusual warmth flow over her body as the thoughts intensified.

****

_ W-what is this? I...I can’t get him off my mind.  _ _ I can't get off..... but maybe he can get me- no! NO! STOP!! WHAT AM I THINKING!?!  _ She roared mentally, reeling as she shoved the thoughts away.  _ ARC IS THE ENEMY! I WILL NOT LET HIM DISTRACT ME, NOT EVEN WITH THOSE...those gorgeous blue eyes...urgh, NO! Emotion is a  _ **_weakness_ ** _ , and one that I have overcome. These...these feeling must just be...the thrill of finding a worthy opponent! _

****

While this excuse might have been a flimsy one for a rational and normal person, Cinder was delusional enough, and enraged enough, that her mind took the thought and ran away with it.  _ Obviously, only  _ **_I_ ** _ should get to kill Arc! He has escaped my wrath temporarily, but he will never do it again! _

****

Cinder growled angrily, but managed to shut the thoughts off without losing her cool. “I will find Jaune Arc,” She hissed, her knuckles white from how tight she was gripping them. “And I will kill him. Then all this...this  _ emotional _ nonsense will stop.” Yet somewhere, deep within her twisted and warped psyche, a shred of doubt remained. Stemming from the side that she had tried so hard to get rid of.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


	46. A Night on the Town

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yang and Jaune go on a date, Team NDGO contemplates their feelings for a certain dorky knight, Winter develops a team to protect Amber, and Salem scolds Cinder for her disappointing performance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the delay in getting these new chapters out folks.
> 
> So, in compensation, we decided to release both of these chapters together. Enjoy this dual release!
> 
> Comments are reviews are welcome, as always.

“Penny for your thoughts, Lover Boy?”

****

Jaune looked up from his cereal to see Yang gazing at him with a raised eyebrow. Everyone else was simply tucking into their breakfasts, though occasionally glancing over at everyone else or striking up short bursts of conversation. Nora was the exception, talking Lian’s ear off as always, though the Zen ninja girl simply listened with surprising attentiveness, not seeming phased by the Valkyrie’s motormouth one bit.

****

“Hmmm, oh. What was that Yang?” The knight asked, shaking himself free from his thoughts.

****

“You look unusually chipper today Jauney.” Yang continued, before adopting a little smirk. “So… you and P-Money over there doing it again?”

****

This caused the conversation at their table to come to a halt, with Pyrrha and Ruby blushing bright red at Yang’s question. Blake’s ears twitched a little and she threw up a book in front of her face as the Faunus tried not to seem too eager for possible details, though the way she leaned forward betrayed her excitement.

****

Weiss seemed to be about to go into lecturing mode again, probably to ream Yang out for her inappropriate question, until she was cut off by Nora’s own question from the surprised Valkyrie.

****

“Jaune-Jaune! Why didn’t you tell us that you and Pyr-Pyr have been booping again!? Why can’t WE get booped too!?” Nora cried out, throwing one hand up while the other looped around Ren, dragging the other girl closer.

****

“Nora, we’ve not been… booping.” Jaune replied, with surprising calm, managing to stave off the others’ frantic questioning. “Yang’s just being Yang again, isn’t that right?” He flashed a cheeky grin at the brawler in question, who was mildly shocked that Jaune hadn’t responded to her teasing in the usual way.

****

“Oh! Okay then! That’s honestly a shame though, because you and Pyr have been dancing around each other so long I honestly thought you’d boop a whole lot more once you got together! I thought you’d be doing it like rabbits!” Nora continued, blithely unaware of the shocked looks at the Valkyrie’s brazen admission.

****

“YANG!” A thoroughly red-faced Ruby cried out, ignoring Nora’s comment to focus on her elder sibling. “Stop asking things like that at breakfast!”

****

“Well when do you WANT me to ask Jauney these things Rubes? It’s not like I’m gonna ask him on our date, is it?” Yang crossed her arms under her ample chest, staring back at the young reaper.

****

“I’d be okay with that.” Jaune admitted.

****

“... Come again?” Yang looked thoroughly confused now. So did most others.

****

“I’d be okay with talking about the other girls on our date, I mean… we’re all in this together to make this weird polyamory thing work, right?” Then the Arc’s expression turned playful. “Besides, I know how competitive you get Yang… maybe hearing a few stories of my other encounters might give you a little… motivation, hhmmm?” He wiggled his eyebrows, while everyone else gaped a little at the boy’s boldness.

****

Everyone that is, except Yang, who found herself liking this newer, more confident Jaune, one who could take her banter and throw it back at her. She could finally have a bantering partner! No one else on her team or JNPR was really up for it. Ruby was too awkward, Blake too quiet, Weiss too… Weiss-y, Nora and Lian had their own thing going on, and Pyrrha was a little too nice for some friendly trash talk.

****

“Really?” She replied, shooting him a smoldering look and licking her lips a little. “Well then… wanna go on a date with me today?”

****

“Huh… well, I suppose we could. I got nothing else on today.” Jaune replied, smiling gently.

****

“I know a place, nice little club we can go to for relaxing and unwinding, what do you say, Jauney? See you in an hour or two?”

****

Jaune shoved the last few spoonful's of cereal in his mouth before replying.

****

“As long as it’s not too… chaotic wherever we go, then I guess it’s okay.” Jaune acquiesced, then mustering a sly grin as he stood up to collect his empty food tray. “After all, what better way to start today, than by kicking it off with a ‘ _Yang_ ’?”

****

With that, he turned and walked away, leaving a table of stunned girls in his wake.

****

Jaune didn’t just… _banter_ with Yang, with _anyone_ , like that so casually. What had happened to him? None of girls, barring the spartan champion, had any idea.

****

Pyrrha knew, she knew why Jaune was in such a good mood lately. He’d been in that mood ever since Ozpin and his allies had accepted his alternate solution for their… Maiden problem, the solution that didn’t involve Pyrrha risking herself to take on the remaining power.

****

Penny had sent Jaune updates regularly about how the work and calculations were proceeding, which he kindly shared with his partner whenever the android updated him. She felt happy that Jaune cared so much for her, it made her feel very light and warm inside knowing that her… _their_ boyfriend cared so much that he’d be willing to look for another and potentially useless solution, just to stop her from taking that risk.

****

Yang, meanwhile, was frozen in her seat. She couldn’t quite believe it, the blonde dork had actually… joked with her… using an honest-to-god _pun!_ The thought made her giddy, especially since she’d now finally found someone who not only appreciated her unique brand of humor, but could also throw that humor back at her if she wanted someone to bounce puns off of.

****

Well, there was really only one response the golden dragon could come up with in this situation.

****

“Oh… you are **so** getting laid on our date, Lover Boy.” Yang declared, ignoring the others girls’ cries of ‘indecency’ and ‘time and place Yang’. They didn’t matter anymore, she had a date to prepare for.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

“So ladies, how about that Tournament suspension?” Dew asked her teammates, the blonde pausing halfway through her cereal.

****

All of NDGO were seated in the Beacon cafeteria, lamenting the aforementioned suspension, as it meant that they could potentially not fight in the tournament anymore. On the plus side, it DID give them more of a chance to explore Vale.

****

“Who hasn’t heard of it, by now Dew? It’s been at least a week since the attack happened, and we should know, we were THERE, after all.” Octavia replied, looking up from her toast and jam. “We were lucky that no one was killed in that Grimm invasion. Though I can’t believe the tourney’s still suspended.”

****

After the invasion of the academy by that Grimm horde, as well as the damage to Beacon’s clocktower, Headmaster Ozpin, General Ironwood and the Vale Council had decided to suspend the Vytal Tournament temporarily. With the lingering fear and anxiety still poignant within the minds of the populace, there were worries that another Grimm horde might attack the city, and the Vytal Tournament would be too much of a distraction when the Hunters needed to be on the alert.

****

“It’s just a precautionary measure Dew.” Nebula explained, the violet-haired girl glancing at her teammate as she spoke. “We’re just gonna wait to see if a new Grimm invasion happens and give the civilians a chance to calm down. If all’s well in a few days, the Council are gonna restart the festival, then we can get back to doing what we do best!”

****

“Kicking ass and taking names?” Octavia suggested.

****

“Rocking these sweet outfits?” Gwen piped up again.

****

“Fantasizing about your favorite blonde dork in your dreams?” Dew piped up, the blonde raising an eyebrow and levelling a smirk at her team leader, especially when she started stuttering and blushing when she’d heard what her teammate had said.

****

“W-what!? No! That’s not what I was going to do!” Nebula cried, waving her arms around.

****

“I dunno Neb, you did plant one on him when he was in the hospital, right? Sounds like you’re pretty infatuated to me.” Octavia asserted, smiling cheekily.

****

“T-that was just me appreciating his heroics, is all!” Nebula squawked. Dew remained unconvinced though, raising an eyebrow.

****

“That’s rather unlikely, considering I heard you mumbling his name last night when I got up for a glass of water.” This time, Nebula barely had enough time to begin responding before Gwen leapt on the information.

****

“Oh my gosh, you were having a naughty dream about him, weren’t you Nebby!? Oh my gosh, what was it about? Did you imagine it ending happily? Did you imagine him sweeping you off your feet like some knight in shining armor after he rescued you? Or… did you imagine that he pinned you to a bed and-”

****

“GWEN!” Nebula shrieked, causing the girl in question to shut her mouth and back down. “I DIDN’T THINK ABOUT THAT AT ALL, OKAY!?”

****

“Alright then Nebula, wow! We were just having a little fun.” Octavia raised her hands to placate her leader. “You’re quite sensitive about that.”

****

“Well why wouldn’t I be? The guy just got out of the hospital a few days ago and I’m still worried, alright?! It seems like danger just… likes making Jaune it’s punching bag or something, I swear he gets injured more often than anyone I’ve ever met!” Nebula explained, the violet Huntress tearing up a little at that. “I just… it just scares me to think about what sort of scrapes he might come back with next.”

****

The other three girls glanced at each other, saddened themselves at the mature and heavy turn in the conversation, until Dew spoke up again, this time her voice soft and tinged with concern.

****

“Well… if you’re worried about him Neb, then maybe we can go visit him today? That way we can make sure he’s okay? How about that?” She suggested, reaching out to touch Nebula’s hand with her own and smiling reassuringly at her leader.

****

“I’d… like that.” Nebula admitted, the girl smiling honestly at her team, who smiled at her and nodded in turn. “Can we… go now? After we’ve finished breakfast, I mean.”

****

The others acknowledged her in the affirmative again, and the girls returned to breakfast without a word afterward. They were all determined to see Jaune again, if only to reassure Nebula that he was okay and wouldn’t be getting any life-threatening injuries any time soon.

****

As the team finished up their breakfast and began to make their way to team JNPR’s dorm however, the girls found their thoughts increasingly turning to various things about the blonde knight, aspects other than his current physical state.

****

They found themselves thinking about his enthralling blue eyes, his beautiful blonde locks that could reflect the sun _just right_ at a certain angle, that armor and sword and shield of his that did make him seem a little… heroic at times. Then there was his smile, it just seemed to light up the room and make their hearts thump in their chests when he turned it toward them.

****

Nebula was used to these kinds of thoughts, the other three were not, so they were rather flustered at the amorous turn their minds had taken concerning the blonde dork. The more they thought about it though, the more appealing Jaune became.

****

After all, he’d been nice to them when they’d been lost and needed directions. He’d stood up to that asshole Winchester and his goons when the all-male team had been harassing them, even slugging the CRDL leader right in the face in their defense. THAT had been quite the turn-on for the girls, seeing someone defending their honour and dignity like that… even if they could take care of themselves just fine, it was nice to feel cared for by another.

****

Of course, there was also his spectacular performance in the Vytal Tournament. First when he’d been willing to throw that team game and risk his life just to save that Haven exchange student from drowning in that pool. Secondly when he’d gone ahead and smashed that dark-haired lady into the ground with that AWESOME Semblance of his. The NDGO girls had run across that ‘Ella Stalls’ lady before, and she was honestly a bit of a bitch, what with all her self-aggrandising bullshit on ‘strength’ and ‘power’. She also treated her teammates rather badly, so seeing Jaune beat her into the ground and wiping that smug smirk off her face was pretty damn satisfying.

****

There was also the fact that he’d risked his life again during the Grimm invasion to protect Ruby Rose, leader of team RWBY, from some falling debris. The fact that he survived several tons of rubble falling on him was incredibly badass, while the fact that he was willing to throw himself into the fray to protect a fellow students was very admirable, and only got the NDGO girls to think more highly of the knight.

****

Noticing the reddened faces and goofy smiles on her teammates’ faces, Nebula smirked.

****

“So, I take it that you see what I see now?” She asked.

****

“Um… y-yeah.” Dew admitted, the girl fanning herself lightly to stave off the heat in her cheeks and body. “We… we couldn’t stop thinking about him since you brought him up Neb. I mean, the guy’s a dork, but… but…”

****

“He’s also very attractive, and quite… skilled.” Octavita continued, taking a breath to steady herself.

****

“Screw just ‘attractive’, the guy’s a smoking hot badass!” Gwen called out, herself flushed but grinning like an idiot.

****

“So… I hope that means no more teasing me about my feelings, since they’re yours now too.” Nebula ordered, a slightly stern look taking over the NDGO leader’s face.

****

The other girls nodded happily, and the team set off again, this time their thoughts turning toward how they might confess to the knight they’d all seemed to fall for.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

****

Winter had barely finished the report she was given when Daniel showed up, wearing his Sentinel armor. Of course, instead of walking into the room, like a sensible person, he decided to use his thrusters to glide in.

****

“Hey, Snow Angel. Whatcha reading?” He asked playfully, making his partner sigh in annoyance.

****

“Daniel, for God's sake, please just walk around like a normal person.” She growled, straightening her papers. “The other specialists I contacted are going to be here soon, and I’d like for this to seem professional. Not all of them are as...lax as you.”

****

“Something tells me you had another word in mind there.” Daniel hummed, before slowly descending to the floor. “Regardless, your wish is my command, oh’ beautiful one.” He continued with a mock bow. Winter scowled at him, but the blush on her face detracted any real anger.

****

“Just go wait at the table, you dolt.”

****

Daniel obeyed, and strode over to the table, a plethora of documents covering it, including the personal files of several specialist candidates. “Huh, you looking for anyone in particular for this… “Personal Protection Assignment”?”

****

“Well, there’s only so many candidates to choose from, but I believe I’ve narrowed it down sufficiently.” Winter explained, joining him at the table and sliding three files forward. “So far, these three are what I’ve come up with.”

****

Daniel scanned the first file, reading it aloud. “David McCormick. Codename: Washington. Age, 27. Specialisation: Marksman/Tech Specialist...huh, sounds like a good choice.” He said with a nod, before moving to the next file. “Carolina McCallister. Codename...Carolina…well, that’s kinda lazy.”

****

“Just keep reading, Wilson.”

****

“Ok, ok! Jeez, someone's extra frosty today.” Daniel teased, before resuming reading. “Age: 27. Specialization: CQC/Firearms...huh, three years in the Atlas Military. Lots of commendations.”

****

“Indeed. Apparently, she was the team leader of a team of specialists, I believe their team name was…Freelancer?” Winter mused, catching Daniel’s attention.

****

“Oh yeah, I remember those guys. Ran into them back when I was in specialist training. They were pretty cool, but that Carolina chick…” He paused, glancing at Winter pointedly. She raised her eyebrows expectantly, and Daniel groaned. “She was kinda a bitch, Winter.”

****

“D-daniel!” Winter cried, making Daniel throw up his hands in exasperation.

****

“Look, I didn’t want to say it, but that’s the vibe I got!” He explained, ignoring his partners goran and reading the final file. “Ok, last one...um, Winter? Like sixty percent of this file is redacted. The most I got is Codename: Maine, Specialization: Heavy Weapons/Brute Force, and something about a firefight in the deserts of Vacuo.”

****

“That surprised me as well, but I didn’t see a need to ask any further questions.” Winter hummed, before the sound of a door opening caught her attention. “Ah, it appears they’ve arrived.”

****

Winter and Daniel turned to face the three newcomers, all dressed in their specialist uniforms. From left to right, David, Carolina, and Maine saluted their superiors, Carolina speaking first.

****

“Specialist Schnee, Lieutenant Wilson. I’m Specialist Carolina, and these are Specialists Washington and Maine.” She said, her tone flat and brimming with authority. Winter shot Daniel a knowing glance, which made him smile before she stepped forward.

****

“It’s nice to meet you, Specialists. We’ve heard great things.” Winter responded, before continuing. “So, I’m guessing you’d all like to know why you’re here and what it is you’ll be doing.”

****

“I’m pretty sure that’s why we’re here.” Wash said, glancing at his teammates for support. Maine nodded, while Carolina just rolled her eyes. Winter ignored the exchange, passing out a set of documents to each Specialist, waiting until each of them had a copy and were paying attention before she started.

****

“Your objective for the assignment is the protection of an individual, Codename: Autumn, who is an asset to both the Atlas Military and of Beacon Academy. She is currently being housed in a secured vault underneath Headmaster Ozpin’s office.” Winter paused, glancing at the specialists before her. “Any questions thus far?”

****

Wash raised his hand slowly, and was prompted to speak by a nod from Winter. “Um , it says that she’s undergoing a medical procedure of some kind?”

  
“That is correct.” Winter confirmed. “She was gravely injured in a fight with an empowered individual, and is currently being prepped for an experimental treatment. This is part of the reasoning behind your assignment, as the individual behind the attack his made several attempts on her life. You three, as well as Specialist Wilson, are going to be the last line of defense any against potential attackers. Is that all?”

Wash nodded swiftly, and Winter resumed reading. “Now, for equipment relating to this assignment, you three will be the first to test out several new technologies developed by and for Atlas’s finest.” Winter then picked up a tablet form the table, and hit a button, projecting an image of a large hammer and a blue sword that seemed to be made of energy. “These are the Ares Hammer and Hades Broadsword. Both are the Atlas's first, mass produced dust weapons.”

****

“Damn, these things look badass.” Daniel hummed, tilting his head to his partner in question. “How do they work?”

****

“Well, the Ares works mainly using gravity dust, creating a propulsion field whenever it strikes something.” Winter explained, gesturing to the sword next. “As for the Hades, a mixture of lightning dust and Ice dust as a stabilizer, as well as other materials used in another project of ours, relating to Ms. Polendina.”

****

Maine made a noise that seemed impressed, while Wash stared at the tech with obvious admiration. Winter than pushed the button again, and the image shifted to three suits of rather powerful looking armor.

****

“And finally, the newest and most advanced piece of tech Atlas has produced to date, excluding Wilson’s armor, I present: the Hoplite.”

****

All three of the specialist's marveled at the suit, wonder present on their faces. Even Daniel whistled at the sight of armor. “How the hell did the eggheads make these beauties?”

****

“Mainly, a combination of standard Atlas combat armor, hard-light dust for advanced shielding, and many of the specifications from your own suit, Daniel.” Winter explained, tapping on the button once more, and ending the presentation. “Now, as for your mission parameters.”

****

The specialists composed themselves, and patiently awaited their instructions. “Specialist Wilson will be in change of this assignment, you will all answer to him directly. Your primary concern is the subject’s safety. Report to the Headmaster’s lift at o’seven hundred hours tomorrow, sharp. Any more questions?”

****

After a few seconds, Carolina raised her hand, surprising her teammates. “Respectfully, why is Specialist Wilson in charge? If this is such an important operation, why not assign someone more...experienced?”

****

Daniel arched an eyebrow, but smirked a bit at her blunt phrasing. Winter, however, was not as amused. “Wilson has experience as a team leader from his time at Beacon Academy, and is a proficient strategien.” She said, the smallest bit of anger in her tone. “He is more than qualified for this assignment, as are the rest of you. Now, are there any more questions?” None of the three specialists moved or said anything, and Winter spoke again. “Excellent. Dismissed.”

****

With that, the three specialists exited the room, leaving Winter and Daviel alone once more. Winter felt Daniel’s knowing stare to her left, and sighed. “What are you smiling about?”

****

“Oh, nothing.” He said coyly. “Just glad to know that you’re confident in my abilities.”

****

Winter rolled her eyes, and turned to her boyfriend with a stern expression. “Please, I only told the truth. You were chosen as leader for this assignment because you were the best choice.” She defended, before quietly adding on to her statement. “ _Besides...Specialist_ _McCallister was a bit of a bitch._ ”

****

Daniel just smirked, allowing the faceplate of his armor to raise as he leaned over and pecked Winter on the cheek, making her squeak in surprise. “Love you too, Winter.” He said, before his faceplate slid back and he used his thrusters to hover out of the room once more. Winter just remained at the table, face red and muttering about how much of a stupid, lovable idiot Daniel Wilson was.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

“Alrighty then.” Jaune breathed out, looking at himself in the mirror. “It’s just a date with Yang, you’ve been on dates before haven’t you? It’s fine… the club will be fine… Yang will be fine…” He trailed off a little as his uncertainties began to come back.

****

After all, if what Ruby had told him when she sneakily pulled him aside an hour ago was true, then Yang could be quite… rowdy when she got tipsy. Or worse… _properly_ _drunk_.

****

He just hoped that the bar they were going to was a reputable one, or at the very least one of the less-seedy establishments he’d heard about. Though considering that Yang was quite the thrill-seeker at times, Jaune didn’t hold out hope that she’d pick a quieter place.

****

“C’mon fearless leader!” Nora cried out, appearing _right beside him_ out of seemingly nowhere, causing the poor knight to leap a foot into the air in shock at her sudden appearance. “It’ll be fine, stop being such a nervous nellie, that’s not how fearless leaders act!”

****

“Nora, try not to scare Jaune like that.” Ren commented, not even looking up from her book. “You know it’s a little shocking for him when you just appear like that, don’t you?”

****

“Ah c’mon Renny!” Nora waved off the ninja’s concerns. “Jauney didn’t mind at all, did you leader?” She asked, looking up at Jaune with those big turquoise eyes of hers, which Jaune found surprisingly cute.

****

“Ah, well… just a bit shocking is all, but I’m not about to get a heart attack over it or something.” He replied, patting the ginger bomber on the head. Surprisingly, Nora actually leaned into the pats a little, smiling and humming like a pleased pet might.

****

_Wow, she’s cute when she does that._

****

_“Ooohh… I do hope that my little Sunflower doesn’t drink too much.”_ Summer fretted, the mother’s mood set to ‘concerned’ ever since Ruby had pulled Jaune aside a while earlier. _“Jaune, you’ll make sure she doesn’t drink or get into too much trouble, won’t you?”_

****

_C’mon Summer, Yang’s a big girl and she’s surprisingly mature herself. After all, she helped raise Ruby after… after you left._ He still hesitated to mention her death, knowing the kinds of things that had happened because of it.

****

_“I… you’re right Jaune. I’m sorry… I just get so protective now when they’re in danger or could be. When I look at them sometimes, I still see my adorable little girls, I forget that they’ve matured and grown up into strong and reliable young women.”_ The spirit admitted, calming down a little. _“Still, you’ll look out for her, won’t you? You are a responsible boyfriend, after all.”_ That last bit came with a bit of her usual teasing tone, which reassured Jaune that she was doing okay.

****

_Yep. You’ve got my word on that, Arc’s honour._ A soft giggle came through his mind in reply from the Huntress.

****

_“You and your promises, it’s nice that you do so much to keep your work, very chivalrous. I suppose that’s part of your whole ‘knight in shining armor’ spiel, right?”_ She joked, coaxing a short snort of laughter from her host.

****

_Who says it’s a spiel?_

****

_“You’re right… well then, brave sir knight, I suppose it’s your duty that the fair maiden you’re escorting tonight returns home unharmed, is it not?”_ Summer questioned, adopting a false accent as she did so.

****

_Well… you got me there, I guess. I’ll make sure Yang doesn’t do anything too rash, if I can._

****

_“Thank you Jaune.”_

****

A loud knock on the door shook the young man from his thoughts. His other teammates were also roused from their activities, and unsurprisingly it was Nora who moved first, the ginger Valkyrie practically leaping over to the door and wrenching it open.

****

“Oh hi Yang-arang! You here for Jauney?” Nora asked, her cheery grin still in place.

****

“Yeah, is Lover Boy ready yet?” Came Yang’s own question.

****

“I’m right here!” He replied, stepping into view of the door and getting a look at his date.

****

Yang was wearing her combat outfit, which Jaune noted was odd attire to wear on a date. He decided to ask her about it, it couldn’t hurt, right?

****

“Hey Yang? What’s with the outfit? Is your idea of a date going to kill some Grimm in the Emerald Forest?” He was a little wary about that, especially if they were going to be using Beacon’s launchpads to get to the forest. Jaune still hated those things from initiation, he’d never get over that.

****

Yang just laughed in response, a softer one than her usual boisterous guffaws, as she walked over to him and looped an arm around his shoulder.

****

“C’mon Jaune, I like a bit of action as much as the next Huntress, but that’s not what I had in mind. We’re going to a bar, remember! We’re both old enough now, and you really need to try it out, so I figured that a supervised trip to a bar in Vale would be a good chance to get you some experience!” She flashed him a bright grin.

****

Jaune raised an eyebrow at her explanation.

****

“So… _you’re_ going to supervise _me?_ ” He asked, not bothering to hide his incredulity.

****

“Well of course I am Jauney! This is my scene, and you’ve never drunk before so you’ll probably be a real lightweight the first time! Who better to make sure you don’t slip up and do something irresponsible?” The blonde brawler explained cheerily.

****

“If anything, I’ll end up supervising _you._ ” Jaune stated, ignoring the gasp of faux-shock from Yang when she heard him. The brawler seemed to stumble back as if struck by his words.

****

“Jaune! I am _shocked_ that you would accuse me of being irresponsible and in need of supervision!” Yang cried, though the sly grin and the glint in her eyes told Jaune that she was just messing around once more, as she liked to do.

****

“Ruby told me about you trashing that nightclub though…” Jaune ‘innocently’ mentioned, causing the golden dragon’s eyes to turn a light shade of red as she huffed and folded her arms.

****

_“Oh she did WHAT now!?”_ Summer ground out in Jaune’s mind, the mother clearly not too pleased about her daughter’s wanton property damage. Jaune couldn’t blame her, if his mother got wind of him doing something like that… well, he’d be on the end of a Juniper-style lecture, an hour of her alternating between yelling at him for being an idiot and calmly explaining why what he did was wrong. Sometimes all within one sentence.

****

“Oh _did she_ now…?” Yang growled out. She let herself steam for a moment before calming down. “No, you know what? I’m not gonna let my little sis’s treachery ruin our day out. I’ll just have to noogie her _extra-hard_ when we get back.” She assured the knight, before taking his arm in hers and leading him out the door. “Bye ladies, don’t wait up for us!”

****

“Don’t do anything too dangerous!” Pyrrha called, waving them off.

****

“Have a pleasant date.” Ren threw in.

****

“Make sure you’ve got protection before you boop!” Nora cried out, causing the other three girls and one boy to gawk at her briefly. “What? I’m just saying, wrap it before you tap it!” With that, the hyper ginger returned to her music, completely oblivious to the stares she was getting.

****

“Ahem, a-anyway.” Pyrrha coughed awkwardly. “Have a pleasant time and… make sure you stay safe, alright?”

****

“Not a problem P-Money!” Yang responded, turning to lead Jaune out of the hallway before throwing back one last line.

****

“Oh, and I don’t know about you, but I don’t feel like wrapping. I’m a girl who likes her meat _thick_ and _raw_.” She purred, moving a hand over Jaune’s trousers and giving a soft squeeze.

****

With that, the dragon began leading the knight in the direction of the Beacon garages to find her motorcycle and Pyrrha tried to tone down her blush. Jaune himself tried hard to ignore Summer’s comments, which switched from indignantly decrying her daughter’s actions as ‘too brash’ to admitting that she did something similar with Tai during her Beacon years.

****

All in all, this would be a very interesting date.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

****

Standing outside of Junior’s, Jaune couldn’t help but sweat a bit at the thought of what he’d see inside. He’d never really been to a club before, so the most he expected was alcohol and loud music, and judging by the booming music coming from the doorway, he was at least half right.

****

Yang nudged his arm, shooting him a small grin. “You alright, Jauney?” You look a bit pale.” She commented, an ounce of nervousness in her tone. Jaune shook his head, and smiled at his fellow blonde.

****

“Yeah, I’m good.” He answered, offering her his hand. “Well, you ready to show me a good time?”

****

Yang smirked, and took his hand with renewed enthusiasm. “Oh, that part comes later~.”

****

With that, the two entered the club. The music, while booming, was not as intense as Jaune has anticipated. A dance floor was on the far side of the club, while the bar was more to the right side, with people scattered throughout the establishment. Yang and Jaune had barely taken three steps when a tall man in a white dress shirt, a red tie, black gloves and black dress pants stepped in front of them. He had gray eyes, short black hair, along with a matching beard and mustache, and a frown on his face.

****

“Hey there, Blondie.” He growled, clearly unhappy. “Back to wreck my club again?”

****

Jaune’s eyes went wide, and he looked at Yang accusingly. Yang just held up her hands in surrender, smiling at the man. “Relax, Big J. Just here for a night out with my boy.” She said, gesturing to Jaune, who waved shyly. “We aren’t going to have any problems, are we?”

The man glared at Yang a few seconds longer, before sighing and raking a hand over his face. “No, **we** won’t have any problems.” He confirmed, before his gaze flicked behind the pair and he groaned once more. “But they might.”

****

Before Yang could question him, two pairs of hands grabbed both of her arms, and held her in place, as a set of smooth feminine voices spoke.

****

“Well Melanie, it appears the brute has returned. Perhaps for a second round?”

****

“Indeed, sister. Maybe we should show her what happens when we don’t hold back.”

****

With that, the forms of Miltia and Melanie Malachite stepped forward, brandishing their respective weapons before a surprisingly familiar voice snapped them out of their vengeful intentions.

****

“Mel? Mil?” Jaune asked, stepping in front of Yang with a surprised expression, mirrored by the twins.

 

“Jaune?!” They cried, lowering their weapons in response and rushing forward, wrapping the lanky blonde in dual hugs. Yang stepped back and shot Junior a curious look, while the older man just shrugged and started for the bar.

****

“So, I take it you know each other?” She asked playfully, resulting in the three separating, with Jaune turing to beam at her.

****

“Oh, Miltia and Melanie were my neighbors back home! Daniel and I hung out with them most days after school, or combat training.” He explained, before turning back to the twins. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen you guys! You look great!”

****

Both girls flushed at the compliment, acting far more bashful than Yang expected. “T-thank you, Jaune. You look wonderful as well.” Melanie said, fidgeting nervously. Yang then fully realized the looks both the girls were giving Jaune; they **liked** him. It wasn’t that surprising, given what Daniel had told the girls about Jaune’s time back home, how he was a clueless womanizer. Still, maybe it was best if she showed the girls who was in charge.

****

“Yeah, Lover Boy sure is a looker.” She hummed, wrapping her arms around his neck and planting a kiss on his cheek while smirking. “He’s one hell of a boyfriend, too.”

****

Both the twins looked a bit surprised with Yang’s reveal, and also...saddened. Yang metally made a note to talk to them before they left, before speaking again. “So Jaune, you wanna get your first drink?”

****

“Oh, sure!” Jaune said, before hastily pulling out his scroll and handing it to Melanie. “Just let me get their numbers first.”

****

“Sounds good!” Yang said, releasing Jaune and striding towards the bar. “See you in a sec, Lover Boy!”

****

Yang reached the bar, and slid onto a stool before Junior, who slid out a pre prepared Strawberry Sunrise. “Aw, you remembered!” Yang cooed teasingly, while Junior just groaned.

****

“After the thrashing you gave this place, it’d be hard not to.” He said, before tilting his head expectantly. “Blondie, you’re not here _just_ for a night out, are ya?”

****

Yang took a sip of her drink, before turning her gaze back to Junior, now much more serious. “Depends. You got something for me?”

****

Junior nodded, pulling out a small piece of paper and sliding it over to the blonde brawler. “Word is whoever you’re looking for should be at this location tonight.” He explained. Yang nodded, and pocketed the paper, before pausing as Junior continued. “Blondie, make sure to enjoy yourself tonight, before you go. Sometimes meeting people just...ain’t what it’s cracked up to be.”

****

Yang stared at Junior, before nodding and a small smile slipping onto her face. “I’ll keep that in mind. And thanks for the advice.” Junior nodded in return, before walking down the bar to another customer. Jaune appeared a moment later, smiling at Yang.

****

“Well, I guess I’m ready for my first real drink. What would you recommend?” He asked, catching Yang’s smirk as she lifted her drink pointedly.

****

“Let’s see what you can handle, Arc.”

\---------------

Line Break

\---------------

“WOOOOO! Now **that** was awesome!” Yang cheered, while Jaune snickered and punched her arm lightly.

****

“Yang, keep it down!” He hissed while giggling. “People are trying to sleep!” Yang just laughed, before lifting her scroll and swearing loudly.

  
“Aw, shit! Jaune, it’s getting pretty late, I don't think we should head back to Beacon.” She said, turning to him with slight fear. “W-what do we do?”

****

“Well, we’re near the pads, so there must be a hotel close by...AH!” Jaune exclaimed as he spotted an inn close by. “There’s one! Follow me!”

Jaune and Yang both ran over to the inn, slowing down as they entered. A woman behind the desk noticed them, and smiled politely. “Oh, hello. Are you two looking for a room?”

  
“Yes please.” They answered automatically, making the woman laugh.

****

“Alrightly, how long?”

****

“Just the night, ma’am.”

“I see. Well, that will be 25 lien, please.” She said, while Juane quickly forked over the lien. She handed him the key, and smiled once more. “Enjoy your stay.”

****

The pair nodded, before walking down the hall to their room, opening the door and entering. The room was fairly small, but the bed was big. “Hm, I’m not sure how we’re going to sleep. Should I just-” Jaune asked, before he was cut off by the sound of the door locking and Yang's voice, suddenly very sultry.

****

“Sleep’s the last thing on my mind, Jaune.”

****

Jaune turned around, and barely restrained a gasp as Yang’s lips met his, her tongue launching into his mouth a moment later. The two backed over to the bed, still in lip lock until Jaune made contact and fell onto it, followed by Yang. They separated, both releasing ragged breaths before Yang stood, her cheeks flushed and a wicked grin on her face.

****

“You ready to have a good time, Jaune?”

****

“Ready as I’ll ever be.” He said, and with that, they hastily stripped of their clothes. Yang left for the bathroom for a moment to take a birth control pill, and returned a few seconds later, leaning on the door casually.

****

“You mind if I take the lead on this one, Jauney?” She asked, receiving a nod in response. “Alright~” Yang strode over to her boyfriend , a noticeable sway in her hips as she walked. She gently pushed Jaune onto the bed, gently grinding against his member, which was already at full mast. “Someone’s happy to see me...” The girl licked her lips hungrily.

****

“And I’m **VERY** happy to see him…”

****

She slid her legs along each side of him, and held herself up right above his shaft, her eyes flicking to Jaune’s momentarily. “You ready?” She asked, a twinge of nervousness in her tone. She let out a squeal of surprise as Jaune’s hands land on her hips, a nervous smiles on his own face.

****

“Ready.”

****

And with that, Yang lowered herself down, allowing Jaune to pierce her womanhood. She let out a hiss of pain as he entered her, but the warmth that followed quickly morphed into pleasure. “Yang, are you alright?” Jaune asked, only to pause as Yang lifted her head to meet his gaze, her eyes a shade he hadn’t seen before. Instead of the normal lilac, or concerning red, Yang’s eyes were a shade of bright pink. That’s...new.

****

“Oh, I’m a LOT better than alright, Lover Boy.” Yang said, her voice laced with lust. She began to rise up, before sinking down again, the friction making them both gasp as pleasure flowed through them. A steady rhythm emerged as Yang bounced on Jaune’s member, steadily going faster and faster as her arousal and need grew by the second.

****

“J...Jaune. Grab me, c’mon, don’t make me do everything here.” The dragon pleaded, her now pink irises trained on him.

****

“Hah… got it.”

****

Jaune gripped the girl’s shapely hips tightly, before beginning his own rhythmic thrusting to match Yang’s own pace. The two quickly timed their thrusts so that they both pulled back and thrust at the same time. The pleasure was almost unbearable for the blondes at this point, Yang felt as if Jaune was hilting in her womb every time, and it was amazing.

****

“Aaahh! Jaune! Oh my god!” Yang squealed happily, her luscious mane glowing bright and her eyes following suit, she’d never felt this good before, or this content. “D-dont stop! Please!” She begged.

****

“I won’t!” The knight gritted his teeth, it felt as if Yang was trying to milk him for every last drop of his liquid, but the tight grip her inner walls had on him just made it even better. Finally, the pleasure reached a boiling point, and Jaune screamed as he finished inside Yang. “YANG!”

****

Yang herself let out a long, loud moan of pleasure as she finished alongside him, before going limp and laying on Jaune’s chest. The pair caught their breaths once again, Yang humming in content on Jaune’s chest. “Jaune...that was amazing.” She whispered.

****

Jaune chuckled in response, gazing into Yang’s still pink eyes. “Well, I’m glad I impressed. Maybe I can pull out some more tricks next time?” He asked jokingly, before Yang’s giggles made him arch an eyebrow in confusion. Yang’s eyes flicked back to his, and Jaune realized that her eyes were glowing again, as was her hair.

****

“Ohohoho, we’re not done yet, Jauney.” She said, sitting up and smiling at him as rolled over, now angled so that her plump ass was facing him. “Let’s see how many rounds you can go.”

****

Jaune, for one, was not one to question a good time.

\---------------

Line Break

\---------------

It was the sound of scuffling in the hotel room that woke Jaune from his peaceful nap.

****

Sitting up slowly, the Knight looked around the now darkened room, it was certainly far darker than when he and Yang had decided on a quick snooze after their… _activities._ Speaking of Yang, Jaune didn’t see her in the bed beside him.

****

Another small bang and muffled curse cleared that up fairly quickly. Now that he squinted a little, Jaune could make out Yang’s silhouette moving around in the darkness of the room. From the faint details he could manage to make out, she seemed to not only have her combat gear on, but her weapons equipped as well.

****

_“What does that girl think she’s doing, running off like this in the evening?”_ A suspicious Summer questioned, which Jaune reflected in his own query to the brawler, after a quick check to his scroll to check the time.

****

“Yang… it’s 9 in the evening… what are you doing?” He asked. Though his tone was quiet, that didn’t stop Yang from cursing loudly and practically jumping out of her skin. The blonde whirled to face the knight while flicking on the nearby light switch, looking rather displeased that he’d woken up.

****

“Jeez, Jaune! You scared me! Just… I just need to run an errand, okay? I’ll be back in a bit.” She said, though Jaune didn’t believe her for a minute. She would’ve mentioned this ‘errand’ beforehand otherwise, unless… it was a personal errand.

****

“Yang… you and I both know there’s no errand for you to run… you would’ve mentioned it before we went on our date to the bar otherwise. What’s really going on here?” Jaune asked, sitting up and reaching for his clothes. As he began to get dressed, Yang sighed and gazed at him.

****

“Nothing get by you, does it Lover Boy…?” Yang asked quietly, though with a slight chuckle. “Okay, I did have another reason to go to Junior’s bar, specifically. Look… I needed some information about someone… someone I’m trying to find.”

****

_Oh no._ Jaune barely kept himself from flinching as he heard Yang, his mind instantly connecting the dots in Yang’s explanation. Thanks to his talks with both Taiyang and Summer, Jaune had a VERY good hunch that the person Yang was trying to find was Raven Branwen, her disappeared biological mother.

****

“So… who is it that you’re trying to find. If you’re willing to go out this late to find them, with your combat gear… they must be pretty important to you. Someone… like family maybe?” He asked, trying to make it seem as if he’d gradually reached that vague conclusion on his own, after all she DID tell him about Raven herself quite some time ago, albeit not with as much detail as Summer and Taiyang.

****

Yang merely sighed again, this time she seemed a little guilty at being caught out by the knight. Nevertheless, she still straightened up, letting out a steady breath to prepare herself, then answered his question.

****

“You’re… you’re right, Jaune. You’re right. I went to Junior’s for information on her current whereabouts, so that I can finally track her down. I just…” Yang clenched her fists and gritted her teeth at this. “I just want to know _why_ , y’know? Why she left me and dad. I’ve waited almost 17 years now to get the answers I’ve been looking for, and I’m going to get them, even if I need to _beat_ them out of her.” Ember Celia clicked and whirred, as if in reply to Yang’s declaration.

****

“That’s why I need to do this Jaune, I need to find her, to get the answers I think I deserve at this point.” Yang stressed.

****

“..... alright then.” Jaune acknowledged as he finished dressing himself, before turning to Yang and walking toward the door. “Well, let’s go. Your bike’s out front, right?”

****

“Wait… what!?” Yang demanded, grabbing his arm to stop him from getting to the door. “You… you don’t think you’re actually going out there with me, do you?” There was a hint of desperation in her voice, and Juane understood why.

****

“Yes, I do.” He replied calmly.

****

“What? Jaune, you don’t even have your weapon or armor! And you can’t use your Semblance without really hurting yourself anymore! You won’t be able to protect yourself!” Yang stressed, her eyes flashing a light red and hair glowing faintly.

****

“I know, but that won’t stop me.” Jaune insisted. He’d made a promise to both Taiyang and Summer, after all, to keep Yang safe and make sure she stayed out of trouble. He’d be damned if he went back on his word now, when it involved (one of) his girlfriend.

****

“Damn it Jaune!” Yang couldn’t keep her voice quiet anymore, the red tint and glow brightening slightly as she continued. “Why d’you want to keep throwing yourself into danger like this, huh!? Besides, this isn’t any of your business anyway!” She demanded, small tears welling at the corners of her eyes.

****

“If it affects you, or it’s hurting you, that makes it my business. You’re my girlfriend, Yang, of course I care about things that affect you. Besides…” This time, Jaune clasped Yang’s hands in his own, the knight looking the brawler in the eyes as he continued.

****

“How do you think I’d feel if I woke up and found that you’d not come back, because you’d run into some Grimm you couldn’t handle… or those terrorists who attacked Beacon? It would _kill me_ , Yang. It would kill me because I’d know that I could’ve gone with you to watch your back, but I didn’t, and I would spend the rest of my life thinking that was why you died out there. Please…” He squeezed Yang’s hands in his own, before bumping their foreheads lightly together. “Let me help you, you don’t have to do this alone. Not anymore.”

****

“F… fine.” Yang acquiesced, a slight sniffle in her voice, she’d gotten a little choked up at his heartfelt declaration, as the larger tears shimmering in her now-lilac eyes proved full well. “You can come along, but you stay _close to me at all times,_ **_got it?!_ **” The brawler demanded.

****

“Loud and clear, stick close to you at all times, got it.” Jaune affirmed.

****

Yang allowed a small smile on her face as she turned on her heel, leading the way out of the door.

****

“You coming then, Lover Boy?” She asked, some of her old snark returning. Jaune began to make his way out of their room, pausing to pat her shapely rear as he passed by as a way to sass her back. This earnt a soft gasp from Yang, and a small smirk from him.

****

“What?” He asked, off her raised eyebrows and questioning look. “You said stay close to you, right?”

****

“Not quite what I had in mind, Jauney.” The buxom brawler replied as she took the lead again. “That said… I know that you get a little uneasy on Bumblebee, so feel free to grope me a little if it’ll help you stay calm.” The girl offered shamelessly, firing a wink his direction, before beginning to sashay her hips as she walked.

****

_“Thank you for looking after Yang for me, Jaune.”_ Summer piped up, having been silent through the previous conversation. “ _Even if you’re keeping an eye on… specific parts of her.”_ There was a note of… was that… no, it was probably just him being silly.

****

_Ehehehe… no problem Sunny. But… look at what she’s doing! It’s like she wants me to look!_

****

_“Oh, she does.”_ Summer commented, nonchalantly. _“But try to keep your eyes on other things when you’re out and about, alright?”_

****

_Yes ma’am._

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

“So… you sure this is the place?” Jaune asked, gazing up at the abandoned, dilapidated building in front of them.

****

“Junior said this was the place.” Yang replied, the brawler readying Ember Celia and she stepped forward. “He said that she uses this place sometimes when she’s between running her clan and raiding villages.” A look of distinct disgust crossed her face at that, while Summer expressed similar thoughts within Jaune’s psyche, a slight storm welling up in her section of the mindscape.

****

“ _She actually… went back to those thugs? I mean… I knew that she was in contact with her tribe, but… she’s helping them? Preying on innocent settlements!? When we find her, I WILL have words with her.”_ There was a distinct razor-sharp edge to the Huntress’ voice, one that actually had Jaune a little scared for what she might do when… _if_ , they found Raven.

****

“I see…” Jaune admitted. “So, what’s the plan?”

****

“We go in there to find her, you stay close to me, hopefully she’ll be here.” Yang asserted, the blonde turning to the nearest entrance.

****

“Alright then. Let’s g-”

****

He’d barely finished his sentence before a dark shape crashed it’s way out of one of the upper windows, landing in a crouch in the nearby alley. The darkness meant the figure wasn’t completely clear, but the pair could make out a mask and dark hair, as well as a large sword by the figure’s hip.

****

“HEY! STOP RIGHT THERE!” Yang called from nearby, the brawler breaking into a sprint toward the figure, apparently having all the information she needed from those few details. The figure turned and fled down the alley with Yang in pursuit, using her shotgun-gauntlets to augment her movement.

****

Unfortunately, they were moving so fast and had started so suddenly that, by the time Jaune had run to the end of the alleyway in an effort to keep pace with them, they were already gone.

****

“Damn it!” He snarled out, kicking a nearby pebble in frustration. _So much for sticking together…_

****

_“It’s alright Jaune.”_ A significantly calmer Summer Rose assured him mentally. _“Why don’t you return to her motorcycle. Yang’s bound to come back to it eventually, so we- so you can wait for her there.”_

****

_Sounds like a plan._ With that, the knight began to make his way back through the alleyway, hands in his pockets and huffing a little, looking at the ground.

****

Unfortunately, this meant that he didn’t notice the five people sneaking up on him until it was too late.

****

“Hey kid. What are you doing out by yourself like this?” The first guy, a rather thuggish looking man with a brown sidecut, asked as they approached him.

****

“Yeah… don’t you know it’s dangerous for someone like you to be out and about like this?” A dark-haired woman asked him, almost mockingly, as she approached from behind.

****

“Tell you what… how about we get you somewhere safe? After you give us everything in your wallet, of course.” A tall and muscular man with a blonde buzzcut, looking to be the leader, offered.

****

Jaune knew that they weren’t likely to leave him unharmed, even if he did accept their ‘offer’. He simply sunk into a fighting stance that mimicked Yang’s own, he might not be the best fighter even with his sword, but he could still make them hurt before they overwhelmed him.

****

“Heh… guess this one’s got a bit of fight in him!” The woman licked her lips, before pulling out a sharp-looking knife. The others did likewise, pulling out a bat, a truncheon, another knife… and a handgun, in the hands of their leader. “That’s fine, we’re gonna enjoy making you squeal, kiddo.”

****

Jaune didn’t reply verbally, merely glaring at them all with narrowed eyes as they began to close in.

****

“Not a talker huh? That’s fine.” Blondie thug sneered. “We’ll be making you scream before we’re done. Now, let’s see what you-”

****

He was interrupted by a loud caw from overhead. Looking up, Jaune could see a single raven staring down at the group from its perch on the wall up ahead. Before, he might have thought that the bird was just curious, especially with the way it was looking at him with almost human interest.

****

Now though, he had a hunch that this was not a normal bird.

****

“Ah... it’s just a mangy bird boss.” The brown-haired guy exclaimed, though he jumped a little when the raven began to caw again, louder and more intently this time. As it did so, the raven lifted off and began to circle around the alley, dropping lower and lower each time.

****

“Rrrgghh! Stupid bird!” The leader of the thugs snarled., pointing his gun at it as best he could, the raven had circled low now, almost right on top of them. “Guess it’ll be good to get in some target practice by wasting this stupid little-”

****

He never got the chance to finish, since the bird suddenly morphed into a tall and imposing looking-woman in mid-air, whose outstretched boot collided very heavily with the man’s head.

****

He dropped to the floor like a stone, though before he even collided with it the woman was already in motion. The black blur’s fist collided with the jaw of the second man, sending him flying into the wall and leaving an indent in the stone brickwork.

****

The woman managed one slash with her knife before her legs were swept out from under her and an elbow smashed into her head as she was falling to the ground, knocking her out before she even knew what was happening.

****

Temporarily standing still, the woman turned to the other two thugs and snarled out one word.

****

“Leave.”

****

They wisely heeded her advice, both of them fleeing without a single look back.

****

With the would-be muggers foiled, the woman turned to face Jaune, who had the opportunity to look her over more clearly in the pale moonlight.  

****

He could make out her features quite clearly, a long red and black dress-like kimono with a skirt at the waist, coupled with black boots. Her long and dark hair was wrapped in a red cloth near the top, though it still fell to her waist despite that. The ensemble was completed by the mask on her face, and the wicked-looking nodachi (Jaune knew that thanks to Ruby’s weapon magazines) sheathed in a large scabbard that looked as if it had some sort of Dust mechanism in the hilt, like Weiss’ rapier.

****

Even without introduction, Jaune could quite clearly tell who this was, he’d seen enough photos of her already.

****

_“Raven, it really is her…”_ Summer breathed in Jaune’s mind, the Huntress was shocked at the sight of her former teammate.

****

“It is quite foolish of you to be out on these streets this late at night.” The woman, Raven, began. Her tone was cold.

****

“Yeah… I get that now. Thanks for the save though!” Jaune replied.

****

“Return home while you still can, boy. This is a kindness I will not grant you again.” She began walking away. Jaune knew that he had to talk to her, while he still could.

****

“Raven Branwen?” The words slipped out easily, before he could stop them.

****

Raven stiffened and stopped mid-step, before whirling around and striding towards him. Before Jaune could stop her, one of her hands seized him and slammed him against the nearby wall, while the other unsheathed her blade and held it at his neck.

****

“How do you know my name, boy?” She hissed, threateningly.

****

“Well… I know your daughter, she told me who you are! She came here tonight to look for you!” Jaune held up his hands placatingly. If anything, it only made her angrier.

****

“And what business do you have with my daughter, hmmm?” Raven asked, still holding him by the throat. When Jaune didn’t answer right away, she slammed him against the wall again. “Speak quickly now, my patience is wearing quite thin indeed.”

****

“Urrgh... I’m her boyfriend alright! That’s it!” He cried out.

****

He was rewarded with the pressure disappearing from his neck, dropping him to the ground, while the sword was replaced in its sheath.

****

“You’re… her boyfriend, are you?” She sounded honestly confused at that notion.

****

“Y-yeah. I’m Jaune, Jaune Arc.”

****

Raven didn’t bother to reply to the introduction, at least not right away, instead mulling it over for a few moments.

****

“I’d never have thought she would be attracted to someone like you.” She admitted, finally.

****

“Yeah, I didn’t think that either… I mean, she so outgoing and extroverted, and I’m the quiet and dorky nerd-”

****

“Your social differences have nothing to do with this.” Raven stated, cutting him off. “I mean that you’re weak.”

****

_“Here we go again, with the little spiel about strength and weakness…”_ Summer snapped. “ _I’d have thought she’d left that ridiculous belief system behind!”_

****

“Oh…” That hadn’t been what he’d expected.

****

“My daughter is strong, you are a weakling by comparison, you needed my aid in defending yourself from these pathetic fools.” Raven gestured to the three unconscious bodies surrounding them. “You have Aura, and are a trainee Hunter no doubt, they should have been no problem for you.”

****

“Well, luckily, Yang’s not dating my just because I’m tough or strong.” Jaune replied tersely, the woman’s haughtiness grating on him more and more.

****

“And that is something I will never quite understand.” Raven paused for a moment, before speaking up again. “How… how is my daughter, anyway?” She looked troubled, but sounded curious.

****

Her showing a genuine interest in Yang was something Jaune couldn’t afford to pass up, especially since Summer was both confused and a little excited by the notion, and thus urging him on mentally the whole time.

****

“She’s… she’s happy. We’ve had fun together, we even visited Patch a few days ago with Ruby to let me meet their dad.” Jaune explained, a smile on his face as he recalled everything that had happened on that trip. Despite the emotional rollercoaster it had taken him on, Jaune knew that it had been an ultimately good experience for all involved.

****

“I… I see.” Raven sounded a little… nostalgic. “At least my daughter is well, how is… how is my former husband?”

****

“Well, I found him up at night drinking and reminiscing about ‘better times’. Mostly about his dating you and Summer, then marrying the both of you. But we all saw how that turned out, didn’t we?” Jaune didn’t know if it was the rollover anger from Summer or his own that made him say those things, but it was too late to take them back down.

****

Raven’s gaze, previously nostalgic and misty, hardened and refocused.

****

“I was enjoying our talk until you said that… choose your next words carefully.” Her hand went to the grip of her blade, but Jaune was too engrossed in the anger to care by this point.

****

“Or you’ll what? Kill me? Leave my body here in the alley for Yang to find when she gets back? Hurt her more than you’ve already done by killing her boyfriend in cold blood just because he said something you didn’t like!?” He spat out, he was done being intimidated by her.

****

The swordswoman’s eyes narrowed, before she released the grip on her blade.

****

“It appears you have some strength after all.” She complimented him. “I must admit, this was not how I pictured meeting my daughter’s chosen boyfriend at all.”

****

“And this isn’t how I imagined meeting her neglectful and runaway mother, either.” Jaune shot back. The woman’s features darkened once more.

****

“Do you enjoy provoking my anger, _boy_?” She almost snarled this time.

****

“Look, I didn’t mean anything by that. Coming to look for you was Yang’s idea, not mine. I’m just here because I promised her dad that I’d look out for her.” He explained, though his anger was still not fully simmered down.

****

“I see. This… was all her doing?” Her sharp features softened a bit.

****

“Yeah. She… she really wants to find you.” He insisted.

****

“Well then, if that is the case, there is something you can do to prove you care about her.” Raven took a step forward as she spoke. “Tell her to give up searching for me. Tell her that she’s wasting her time and that she should return home.” With that, she turned on her heel and began to walk away.

****

Jaune, meanwhile, was seething. Yang had come all this way to find her runaway mother, hoping for answers or at least acknowledgement, and all she gets is the insistence that she’s “wasting her time”?

****

No. He might regret this, but she was _not_ just going to walk away like that!

****

“Hey!” He called out, striding after the retreating woman. “Where do you think you’re going!?”

****

“That is none of your concern.” She didn’t even break stride.

****

“I’ve come all the way down here to look for you, don’t you think I’m owned some answers!?”

****

“I owe you nothing. I’ve already saved your life once, that is already enough for me.” Raven didn’t look back, and her tone was quite blatantly dismissive. This only enraged the knight even further.

****

“May you don’t owe _me_ , but you _do_ owe Yang.” Oh, _now_ she was stopping. “She’s out here too. Don’t you think _she_ deserves some answers from you, at least? Did you leave them because you were scared?!” The swordswoman turned around to glare at him.

****

“Don’t presume you know me, _or_ my reasons for leaving them, boy, because you know _nothing.”_ She snarled once more, this time with a hint of genuine anger. So, he’d gotten under her skin then, eh?

****

_“What reason could you possibly use to justify walking out on your family Raven!?”_ Summer half-pondered, half-yelled.

****

“I know nothing huh? Why don’t you enlighten me, then?” He raised an eyebrow.

****

“I’ll do nothing of any kind!” Raven stormed back over to him, her eyes narrowed to slits. “My reasons for leaving are entirely my own, boy! I owe you nothing more, least of all an explanation!” Despite knowing that this might end badly, Jaune got right in her face.

****

“But you DO owe one to Yang and Tai, don’t you? After all… they’re the ones you walked out on.” He hissed.

****

_“You’re damn right.”_ Summer agreed.

****

At this, Raven actually hesitated.

****

“No. I can’t… they’d only try and stop me. Or try and convince me to return to them.”

****

“Of course they would.” Jaune insisted. “They’re still your family.”

****

Raven considered this for a few moments, visibly struggling with herself before speaking up again.

****

“I can’t. I have responsibilities and duties that go beyond them. That is all you need to know right now.”

****

Jaune just scoffed angrily.

****

“What…? You’re just hiding behind some ‘I had to leave them because of my duty’ bullshit now!? Are you even sorry for walking out on them in the first place!? I think you’re just skirting responsibility now.” He accused.

****

At this, her sword was ripped from its sheath and pointed at him. The hand that held it was quite visibly shaking with rage, as was the wielder, whose face was twisted into an angry snarl.

****

“I did NOT enjoy leaving them. Make no mistake.” Raven seethed. “But it was what needed to be done, to protect them. There is a dark storm coming, boy. And certain events have made me a target for the forces behind that storm. I had to leave, to protect them.”

****

Before the business with Cinder, this might have scared him. Now though, considering that he had survived quite a few brushes with death, one of which at the hands of someone deliberately trying to kill him, all this did was make him angry. She was speaking in riddles and being evasive, instead of just giving a straightforward answer.

****

“You say you’re doing this to ‘protect’ them, right? Well, after you left, you ex-husband went through a depressive streak so bad it took your team leader to snap him out of it, and Yang’s spent most of her life trying to search for you because she just wants her mother in her life! Yeah, real good job you’re doing ‘protecting’ them!” He snapped, thoroughly frustrated.

****

Raven simply scoffed in turn.

****

“My daughter will grow from the pain, both of them will. Conflict, after all, builds character. By the time the pain has been and gone, she will become an incredibly strong woman from it all, as I always intended.”

****

That _really_ blew his last fuse, and he wasn’t the only one.

****

_“Excuse me!?”_ Summer snarled in his mind, the mother practically frothing at the mouth as her mindscape started crackling with thunder and lightning. “ _Are you actually trying to give yourself credit for Yang’s growth as a person!? You LEFT! You don’t get to do that! You don’t get to take credit for MY daughter’s successes when YOU WALKED OUT ON HER!!_ **_She’s MY daughter, I RAISED her, I CARED for her, I LOVED her, NOT YOU!!_ ** _”_ The spirit screeched in a rage, reaching forward as if to physically strangle her former teammate.

****

A small part of her was tempted to take control of Jaune, despite the obvious danger there, just so that she could smack some sense into Raven personally. Thankfully, Jaune was a little more restrained, and quiet, in his criticism.

****

“You know, you’ve got a lot of nerve trying to take credit for Yang’s growth and successes, when you’ve had nothing to do with her for about 17 years now.” He spat out, some of Summer’s now intense anger leaking into his words, no matter how hard he tried to keep his voice even.

****

Raven’s eye twitched, and her sword-hand raised the blade upward. Despite this, Jaune didn’t flinch. If she was going to kill him here and how, he wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of showing fear.

****

The blade swung down.

****

Instead of cleaving him in two, it sliced into the air beside him, creating a swirling red-black portal that Raven took a step toward.

****

_“Running away again when something gets tough for you?” Summer asked, with a condescending and spiteful mocking quality in her tone that Jaune had never heard from her before. “I guess you stick with what you know, right Raven?”_

****

“I must take my leave. I have other matters to attend to.” Her voice was stiff, it was clear she still hadn’t shaken off the flash of anger from earlier.

****

“Sure you do, you go on. Go on neglecting your family for some ‘higher purpose’, or to stop that coming storm, or whatever. I’m sure they’ll understand.” By now, Summer’s anger was quite clearly affecting Jaune, despite his newfound confidence, there was _no way_ he’d dare mouth off to someone like Raven Branwen in normal circumstances.

****

"You claim to be making my daughter happy, so I will forgive your insolence and disrespect for now. I will not be so accommodating the next time.” She warned him, gripping her blade tightly and threateningly.

****

“This isn’t over.” He promised. “Not by a long shot.”

****

Raven tilted her head curiously, appraising the knight in front of her.

****

“You must care a lot about my daughter if you’re willing to risk antagonising me like this. She’s lucky to have you in her life.” With that, Raven stepped forward and vanished into the vortex.

****

“As far as I’m concerned, she’s lucky that you _aren’t_ in her life.” Jaune spat at the closing portal, he was thoroughly fed up with her attitude and demeanour, even her personality grated on him the longer he dwelled on it. He shuddered to think about what Yang might’ve been like if she’d grown up under Raven’s tutelage, probably exactly like her.

****

_“She’s even worse than she was when she left.”_ Summer commented, her anger still palpable as the Huntress seethed in her mindscape. “ _I can’t believe her! Leaving Tai and Yang… leaving our team, our FAMILY, behind and then acting like we wouldn’t understand!?”_

****

_Don’t think about it anymore, Sunny._ Jaune soothed her, his own anger simmering down now that Raven wasn’t standing in front of him. _As far as I’m concerned, we’ve wasted enough time on her already._

****

“Jaune? Jaune!? Hey, Lover Boy where are you?!” Came Yang’s rather worried voice, snapping the pair out of their mental conversation.

****

“Over here Yang!” He called out. _I think we’ve all wasted enough time on her…_

****

Soon enough, the blonde ran into the alleyway, eyes locked on him.

****

“Hey there Lover Boy. I’m sorry about running off like that, I just… thought that might’ve been Raven, you know? I HAD to see if it was her… turns out it wasn’t actually her at all. So that was a waste of time.” Yang explained, looking down a little and huffing in frustration. “Hey uh… I don’t suppose that you managed to catch a glimpse of her, did you?”

****

Jaune thought about that, he technically DID see Raven, he even spoke to her… but she was not at all what he’d expected. She was actually a pretty big disappointment in his eyes. Yang deserved better than that, better than a woman who not only abandoned her family, but also didn’t want them coming after her and ‘wasting their time’.

****

Well, if she wanted to be alone so much? Then fine.

****

“No… didn’t see anything, sorry.” He lied.

****

“Damn it.” Yang gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. “Guess this was all one big waste of time… but it looks like you had fun of your own, hmm?” She commented, finally noticing the three unconscious would-be-muggers on the ground. “You decided to beat people up without me? What sort of boyfriend are you?” She joked, that cheeky smile on her face again.

****

“Sorry about that, Sunflower. If I’d know you wanted a piece I’d have saved one of them for you.” The nickname slipped out easily, before he could stop it. Before he could apologise however, Yang actually giggled a little bit, her cheeks slightly pink.

****

“Sunflower huh…? Heh… I kinda like it.” Yang leaned across to smooch him on the lips. “Well… let’s get back, I’m feeling kinda tired now, and there’s a nice warm bed waiting for us…” She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively at him.

****

Jaune just laughed, and began following the blonde back to her motorcycle.

****

Well, this was certainly the strangest date he’d ever been on.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

“Let me see if I understand this correctly…” Salem, the dark Queen of the Grimm, began.

****

The bulbous head of her Seer was currently projecting the features of her potential Maiden, Cinder. The girl looks nervous, even if Salem herself was not physically present, the girl still feared what she would say next.

****

As she should.

****

“Beacon still stands, Ozpin still lives, and the Maiden is still alive, meaning the Relic is currently out of our reach as well.”

****

At this, Salem paused to appraise her pawn. Cinder’s brief flash of fear at the critical look she was getting gave Salem a small feeling of satisfaction, though it was quickly crushed under the wave of seething hate boiling under her skin.

****

“In other words my dear. You. Have. Failed me.” Each word was spoken slowly, to drive home the magnitude of her puppet’s failing.

****

“M-mistress, I-”

****

“Silence girl.” Salem cut off the girl’s attempts to plead for clemency. Pathetic.

****

Taking in a deep, angry breath, the Dark Queen’s anger only began to rise as she remembered exactly _why_ it was that her pawn had failed. Or rather, whom it was that had beaten her.

****

“I could have forgiven your failure, Cinder. I could have. I am not without mercy, and my patience, under the right circumstances, is plentiful.” Salem began, her crimson eyes beginning to glow softly as she continued. “However… I cannot forgive your failure this time, girl. Would you like to know why?”

****

“I know that I… I failed you mistress, but I was-” Cinder began again, no doubt attempting to excuse her defeat again.

****

“SILENCE.” Salem cut her off with a slight snarl in her voice this time. “Now… would you care to know _why_ I cannot forgive your failure?”

****

The girl nodded dumbly, cowed into submission once more.

****

“You were defeated. That is not in itself important. I could forgive your defeat any other time. But not _this time.”_ She spoke through gritted teeth.

****

“I could forgive your defeat if it came at the hands of those foolish little students. I could forgive your defeat at the hands of the Atlas Fleet currently dominating Vale’s skies. I could even forgive your defeat at the hands of this… Jaune Arc you spoke of.”

****

Another slow, angry breath. Another look of fear from the girl.

****

“But you were not defeated by any of them, _were you?_ ” It was not a question, there was far too much suppressed rage dripping through for it to be anything but a very harsh criticism.

****

Cinder shook her head silently, too scared to speak up for herself.

****

_At least she has learnt her place. Learnt not to try and deceive me._

****

“You were defeated… by **Ozpin**.”

****

Even over the Prime Seer’s link, Salem could see Cinder shaking at the rage in that one word. But it hardly mattered, the Queen barely noticed her pawn’s fear anymore, she was far too consumed in her own rage.

****

“You allowed **him** to defeat you, to bar you from seizing the Maiden’s powers and taking the Relic. It could have been someone else, _anyone else_ , and all would be forgiven. I would have forgiven it all girl… had you only done as I asked, and **killed. OZPIN.** ”

****

“Mistress… f-forgive me, but Ozpin… he had magic as w-”

****

“And you think that is an acceptable excuse for failure, do you girl? His magic is weakened, his magic is _nothing. NOTHING._ It was spent creating the Maidens. It should not have stopped you then, and it _will not_ stop you now. Am. I. **CLEAR?** ”

****

It was rare for her to lose her temper, but Salem could not avoid the anger that washed over her whenever she thought of her hated nemesis. He was aggravating at the very best of times, thoughts of him all but guaranteed to sour her mood. But now? After he had beaten her puppet and repelled her attack on his Academy?

****

The mere thought of the man’s self-righteous, taunting _smile_ in her head was rapidly causing her to lose control.

****

She cut the connection with Cinder’s Seer. There was no one else present, all of her cabal dispatched to carry her will elsewhere. That was fortunate, it gave her privacy.

****

Salem’s hands gripped the edge of her meeting table, slowly crushing the chiseled stone as the Dark Queen stewed over her latest setback, over the defeat of her chosen pawn at the hands of her greatest nemesis.

****

Her breathing grew ragged and quick as her rage began to boil over, until she might as well have been breathing out fire for how angry she felt.

****

The windows began to creak as a spider web of cracks began to crawl up the panes, while a steadily growing pillar of dark energy surrounded the Grimm Queen, her face twisted into a furious open-mouthed snarl, crimson eyes burning bright.

****

It was his fault. All of it. All Ozpin’s doing. Thanks to him, the Maiden remained alive, the Relic was secure, and Beacon was still standing. Thanks to him Vale was undamaged. Thanks to him the Vytal tournament would proceed as planned to invigorate and unite the populace once more, making her goal of sowing division among humanity that much harder.

****

In a last ditch effort to control herself and reign in her temper, Salem forced herself to breathe slowly, closing her eyes to regulate herself. The dark energy began to dissipate and the cracks stopped spreading. The room was quiet and peaceful once more. For a moment, it seemed to Salem as if she might be able to calm down.

****

And then her mind’s eye conjured the image of the smug smirk her hated enemy had worn the last time he had personally foiled her plans, several decades ago, the same smirk that he was likely wearing now. The mocking look that told her that she lost, and there was nothing she could do about it.

****

That was it.

****

The windows exploded into fragments, the chairs were tossed high into the air as the dark energy re-materialised, the pillar so intense it shot through the roof and into the sky. All of this punctuated by the drawn-out, hate-filled _roar_ of anger from the enraged Queen.

****

“RRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

“You seem unusually pleased today, Ozpin.” Glynda Goodwitch commented. It was true, her superior seemed quite chipper today, walking with a small spring in his step and with a constant small smile on his face.

****

“Ah, indeed I am Glynda. I suppose you would have noticed eventually.” The man took another sip of his coffee.

****

“Is there… any particular _reason_ for your good mood today, Ozpin?” The Deputy prompted.

****

“Of course there is. Glynda… do you know what the term ‘schadenfreude’ means?” Ozpin asked her.

****

“‘Laughing or finding pleasure in the misfortunes of others’, what does that have to do with your mood?”

****

“Everything, Glynda.” Ozpin replied, the man taking another sip of his coffee as he gazed out of his office window. “Everything.”


	47. Turncoats

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emerald, Marcie and Neo reach their breaking point over Cinder's latest scheme, and decide to leave her service.  
> Jaune comes up with a dangerous new idea to stop her from interfering in Amber's recovery.

Well, this was just great.

****

Here they were, sneaking back into the place they’d just tried to attack a week or so ago. What a joke.

****

It was the boss’ idea, of course, a final scout out of the school before they tried to infiltrate it again. Before they made another stab at trying to kill Old Man Ozpin and get the rest of the Maiden’s powers.

****

Oh sure… Cinder had said it would be different this time, that they’d have help from their new contact in the White Fang, but Marcie didn’t hold out much hope.

****

They’d been beaten back from this place once, even the Grimm that had invaded had been dispatched by a few teams of students. Ozpin had handed them their asses in the vault and forced them to flee with their tails between their legs.

****

Now, the Atlas Fleet had taken up guard positions. While most of the Frigates and Cruisers remained around Amity Colosseum, the remaining ships had formed a perimeter around Beacon itself, with the primary Battleship casting an imposing shadow over Beacon’s clocktower.

****

Yeah, they were fucked. It didn’t matter how much power flame-bitch could bring to bear or if their White Fang contact actually pulled through on his promise of support, that Battleship would obliterate them all with its heavy cannons before they could make their move.

****

Marcie knew why their boss wanted them to do this, and it wasn’t just about ‘the power that should be hers’ anymore, it was about HER boss. The girl had overheard them talking, just for a moment or two, on that weird jellyfish thing with all those tentacles.

****

She’d never have imagined she could be scared for her life, just from hearing someone’s voice, but here she was.

****

The boss was scary when she was angry, but HER boss? She was scary period.

****

Those red eyes, bleached white skin, those sickly black veins that crawled up the aforementioned skin all over the place? That slow, calm and quiet speech that somehow also contained unbridled hatred and anger? The way she could reduce the normally arrogant and unflappable Cinder to  _ literally begging for forgiveness _ ?

****

Yeah, that lady was straight out of somebody’s fucked-up nightmares, alright. God, she looked way too much like some sort of Grimm for Marcie’s liking.

****

Being involved in terrorism against civilised society was bad enough for the reluctant assassin as it was, she could barely stomach what she was part of already. But now? After she’d learned that she was essentially involved with some blatantly demonic or magical shit?

****

Enough was enough.

****

She was done. Out. She hadn’t wanted to be part of this to begin with, and she wanted no part of it now.

****

The problem was finding the right time… and the right person, to turn herself in to.

****

Of course, the first part was no problem, CInder sending them to scout the academy alone would be the perfect chance for her to get out, to just turn herself in, tell everyone what she knew and hope for the best.

****

Ideally, she’d be able to talk to the Headmaster directly. That Grimm lady had a massive hate-on for him, judging by how harshly she’d disciplined Cinder for failing to kill him last time, and how insistent she’d been that he die ASAP. Maybe giving the old man some dirt on the creepy demon lady would help her case.

****

Of course, if things went her way… hopefully she’d be able to see Jaune too. To apologise for basically lying to him about why she was there, and ask for him to forgive her for being such a shit person.

****

Maybe… maybe he’d even hug her again, just one last time, before she spent the rest of her life in a cell courtesy of the Altas Military.

****

“Hey, Marc?” Emerald’s voice snapped her out of her musings. The green-haired illusionist was standing nearby with Neo in tow, Em had a raised eyebrow while Neo was giving her a curious look. The diminutive girl held up her scroll behind Emerald’s back, reading ‘ _ Are you okay?’ _

****

“What is it Em?” She decided she might as well reply.

****

“You ready to do this, or what?” Ah, ever the loyal minion, Em. Always ready to carry out the boss’ twisted vision. Though lately, that loyalty had been fraying a little since their talk about Jaune… perhaps Marcie could use that…

****

“Yeah, ready as ever, Em. My legs are working, my clothes aren’t ripped, I look like sex on legs, all as usual.” She flashed a cheeky grin at her partner, who huffed a little.

****

“You don’t have to bring up your appearance every time, Marc.” She groused.

****

“Aw, don’t be jealous Em. Just ‘cause you’re not lucky enough to have tits like  _ these _ .” Marcie gave her mounds a firm bounce in Emerald’s direction, which only irritated her more. “My girl over here understands, she’s got the gift, don’t you Neo?” She strolled over for a high five from the similarly-buxom girl. For a girl so short, Neo sure was deliciously stacked, that was a plus in the grey-haired girl’s book.

****

If there was one good thing to come out of all this, besides her friendship with Jaune of course, it was her newfound friendship with Torchwick’s enforcer. It had been a rocky start, not helped by Marcie almost pasting her brain across the wall that one time when she was pissed, but they’d managed to bond quite well after their experiences the last week or two.

****

They’d found a surprising number of things to bond over. First of all, both of them were gifted with busts that defied gravity, which meant they both took similar pleasure in tormenting Emerald over it whenever she started getting  _ really  _ bitchy. Both of them had less than stellar childhoods too, Neo’s parents died in a house fire when she was 11, forcing her onto the street to survive, while Marcie had to put up with her demonic father for 10 years. Neither of them were fond of their current lifestyles either, both of them wanted to ‘get out of the game’, and Neo had been kind enough to suggest that Marcie help her with the ice cream parlour she planned to open when she went straight. That wasn’t a bad idea…

****

Then of course, there was the fact that they’d both fallen for the same kind and lovable blonde dork, Jaune Arc.

****

Marcie would admit to being jealous of Neo at first, especially when the girl revealed that she was already quite close with Jaune, even getting a kiss from him at one point. She’d never managed that, after all. But her jealousy had turned to intrigue, and even a little  _ excitement _ , when Neo revealed that Jaune didn’t have a girlfriend, he had  _ girlfriends _ , plural.

****

As in, he was dating multiple women.

****

What. The. Actual. FUCK.

****

Oh yes, apparently team RWBY, all the girls on his team, two of the girls from a second year team and Neo herself were  _ all _ willing to freakin  **share** the dork with one another.

****

Holy shit. That was a thing!? SERIOUSLY!?

****

Well… sign her the fuck up! If she managed to get out of this without going to prison or dying, she’d tell Jaune how she felt, then ask is she could join this little polyamory of his.

****

Marcie was once more shaken out of her thoughts by Neo, the girl shook her friend’s arm and quietly asked her once more, though verbally this time. “You okay, metal legs?”

****

“Huh? Yeah… I’m good, pintsize.” She ruffled Neo’s hair a little, which the shorter girl allowed with a small smile. “Just a bit distracted is all.”

****

“Thinking about Jaune again, hmmm?” Neo whispered with a cheeky grin on her face. Marcie found herself flushing a little at her friend’s surprising insight.

****

“No!” She hissed back. Neo just giggled a little in reply.

****

“Don’t lie… you always get that glazed-over stare when you start thinking about him. I’ve seen you do it before.” Marcie huffed a little, then flushed harder as Neo continued. “It’s okay, Marc… I think about pushing him between my chest too.”

****

“W-wha! N-no! I wasn’t thinking about that!” She growled back, narrowing her eyes.

****

“...but you are now,  _ aren’t you _ ?” Neo winked an her cheekily, before skipping over to Emerald, who had already started in the direction of the academy they were returning to.

****

_ That cheeky little bitch! God, I’ll strangle her for that! _

****

But she wouldn’t, Marcie knew that. She and Neo had gotten surprisingly tight this past week. No matter how many times they pissed each other off or how many threats they made, they’d always take it in jest and there were rarely actual hurt feelings. They were like sisters now.

****

_ Sisters that’ll happily shove tongues down each others’ throats while rubbing their tits together because it’ll get Arc harder than- no! NO! STOP IT! Damn it pintsize! _

****

“Hey Marc! You coming or you just gonna stand there like an idiot?” Emerald called, the dark-skinned girl standing with hands on hips and a questioning eyebrow. “Neo, the illusion holding?” The short enforcer nodded in reply as Marcie rolled her eyes, Emmy was being bitchy today again.

****

“Yeah, yeah. Don’t get your knickers in a twist Emmy, I’m coming.” The other girl groused, stomping her way over there. Neo skipped to her side as they both began to follow Emerald onto the academy’s grounds proper.

****

As they entered into the main courtyard, Neo took the opportunity to lean in and whisper in her ear.

****

“I bet that happens a lot when you think about Jaune, right metal legs?” Gracefully swerving away from Marcie’s attempted swipe, Neo just giggled and stuck her tongue out.

****

“Get fucked pintsize.” She growled.

****

“Thanks for the offer, but I don’t swing that way. If it was Jaune though…” Neo proceeded to roll one thumb and finger into a circle, then aggressively shove her other forefinger through said circle while making breathy moans the whole time.

****

Marcie simply leaned over and whispered in her ear.

****

“Oh please, we all know that with the monster he’s packing, he’d break you in half before you took a third of it. Now me, on the other hand…” Marcie smirked and licked her lips. “I’d take the whole thing and like it, I’d let him use me up like the little fucktoy I am.”

****

She relished seeing her short friend fluster and stammer a little, cheeks pinking as her mind went to thoughts of Jaune’s…  _ second sword.  _ Finally, some payback!

****

“ _ Ahem. _ ” Emerald’s voice snapped the two out of their banter. The illusionist looked even bitchier than usual with her displeased look.

****

“Yeah, Emmy?”

****

“Could you two  _ try _ and keep focused here?” She snapped. “We are  _ supposed _ to be scouting out this academy for Cinder.”

****

“What’s there to scout Em?” Marcie asked, hands on her hips as the trio made their way inside the main buildings, before turning into a side hallway to avoid the crowds. “We know exactly what’s waiting for us, so let’s count them off, shall we?”

****

Before Emerald could interrupt, Marcie held up her hand and began ticking things off.

****

“We got those Atlas Robots and Soldiers crawling all over the place. We got that Battleship in the air with those massive guns ready to blow us to hell and back if it gets a bead on us. We got dozens of Aura-wielding kids with mecha-weapons, all of them probably ready to smack the shit out of the first hostile thing they see because the Vytal Tournament’s been suspended after what we did. Then there’s all those teachers, and all of them could bend us over their knee if they wanted to. Oh, and there’s also General Ironwood and a whole squad of Atlas Specialists on hand as well, all of them using Aura like Hunters. And finally, Em,  _ finally _ … we got Professor - _ fast-as-fuck- _ Ozpin waiting for us, with his cane, his wierd symbol shit, and ACTUAL FUCKING MAGIC on his side! So tell me Em, what the fuck’s the point!?”

****

Marcie finally finished her rant, breathing heavily as she got right in Emerald’s face. Her partner seemed a little shaken by her outburst.

****

“Marc… what are you saying?”

****

“You know what the hell I’m saying Em.” Marcie hissed. “What the point of working for that bitch in the dress? This isn’t what I wanted, Em. You may have joined up of your own free will, but I wasn’t given a choice. And after seeing the kind of people that the boss reports to? After seeing what we’re really involved in? I can’t do this anymore. I can’t.”

****

“You’re talking about betraying Cinder! You KNOW what she’ll do if she finds-” Emerald began, no doubt trying to convince Marcie not to do this.

****

Well tough shit, her mind was made up.

****

“I know Em, and I don’t give a fuck. Cinder can go shove it up her cunt for all I care.” The girl snarled, before turning to Neo. “Look… I know you want to go straight, to get out of this shit while you can. If you really want to get out… there’s no better time than now.” 

****

Neo seriously seemed to consider it, dipping her head slightly and narrowing her eyes in thought, taking a few steady breaths. Finally, the enforcer opened her eyes and smiled up at her newfound friend.

****

“Yeah, let’s do it. I’d take my chances here than work with  _ her _ for much longer.” The girl agreed, holding up her hand. Marcie took it, and they shoulder-bumped in solidarity. As was customary for them, they also bumped their chests together as well, mostly because even here and now it  _ still  _ managed to piss Emerald off.

****

“Are you two seriously thinking about doing this!?” Emerald almost shrieked, a frazzled and shocked look on the ebony girl’s face.

****

“Yeah, we are. Question is: what are you gonna do Em?” Marcie levelled a questioning look at her partner. “Gonna go running back to Cinder, like you always do, even after you’ve seen what she’s involved in? What she’s planning to do?”

****

“I… I can’t just… betray her like this, I can’t betray her when she cares about m-” Emerald began, only to be cut off by Marcie slapping her upside the head, then seizing her shoulders and looking her dead in the eyes.

****

“Oh, wake up Em! That bitch doesn’t give a shit about us, she’s just using you. Using me. Using everyone she sees! It’s not you she cares about, it’s your Semblance she wants! She won’t hesitate the throw you away if you stop being useful, Em.” The assassin insisted, glaring right at her teammate, hoping that she’d understand just how badly she was being used.

****

“T-that’s not true, Cinder does care!” There was a noticeable hint of desperation in her voice.

****

“The hell she does, Em. All those little compliments and praise you get? It’s measured and drip-fed praise. The only time you get compliments or anything resembling affection from that bitch is when you do something to further her agenda. That’s how she manipulates and fucks with you, it’s how she turns you into a good little soldier, who shoots what she says to shoot, jumps when she says jump, and does what she’s told like a mindless drone. And you’re just so broken and needy for someone to love you that you just fucking take it!”

****

She stumbled back a little, releasing her hold on Emerald, as the girl’s hand slashed across her cheek, leaving a stinging sensation. When Marcie righted herself, she found a seething Emerald with slight tears in her eyes and both guns drawn.

****

“Shut up! J-just shut up! You don’t know anything! You don’t know what it’s like to not have anyone love you!” Emerald practically screamed.

****

At this, the grey-haired girl let her eyes narrow and her head dip a little.

****

“Don’t I?” Her voice was soft, and actually got Emerald to pause for a moment.

****

“You think I don’t know what it feels like, Em? To be treated like shit for so long that you genuinely start thinking that you ARE a worthless piece of shit? Well… I know what’s like Em, because that was my whole childhood since my mum died.” 

****

The assassin walked back over to her partner, uncaring of the guns pointed at her anymore, even with Neo frantically attempting to get Emerald to stop waving them around.

****

“My dad was like her, you know. Only complimented me when I acted the way he wanted. All the other times he’d beat me if I disobeyed, or didn’t try hard enough. He was scum, my old man. A sociopathic piece of shit who tried his damn best to torture and beat any trace of my mother out of me before I got my own back. He did to me what Cinder’s doing to you, only it’s not straightforward violence with her, Em. It’s emotional manipulation, fucking with your feelings and taking advantage of you being desperate. She’ll do what she can to make you need her, to make you depend on her for feeling like you’re needed. Like you’re something and not nothing.”

****

“Y-you’re wrong… it isn’t like that.” Emerald gasped out, her voice much smaller than before.

****

“Look, Em… please, you gotta see that this is fucked up.” Marcie pleaded. “Look… I don’t know what happened to your parents and I had a father who hated me, we’re both fucked up and we’ve had shitty childhoods, but even I can see that Cinder’s just using us, using you. Can’t you see that too?”

****

“Why’d you care?” The other girl choked out, tears visible in her eyes. “You hate me, you never hesitate to call me a bitch or make fun of me, why’d you start caring now?”

****

“Because it’s your slavish loyalty to Cinder that I hate, not you.” Her partner asserted. “Besides… our parents might not care about us, Cinder might not care about us, but there’s one person here who  _ does _ care, isn’t there?”

****

“Jaune…” Emerald whispered. Marcie smiled a little at that, encouraged by the fact that her partner defaulted straight to the lovable blonde.

****

“You told me a while ago that you wouldn’t be able to go through with it… if the boss’ plan was gonna affect him, you told me that, right Em?” Marcie questioned her partner.

****

“Y-yeah… why?”

****

“Because if we go through with this… if we keep helping Cinder, then Jaune IS gonna be ‘affected’ Em. You saw how pissed the bitch got when she found out he was alive, how fucking obsessed she is with him… you really think that she’s gonna trust any of us to off him next time? No… she’ll do it herself, she’ll make absolutely fucking  _ sure _ he’s dead.”

****

“No!” Emerald cried.

****

“She  _ will _ … but we can stop this, Em. We can  _ stop this, _ keep him safe… like how he kept us safe those other times.” Marcie gestured to Neo as well, including them all. “We can do right by him, like he did right by us. We’ve got the chance to get away from the abusive bitch we’ve been working for… and helping the one guy who really  _ does _ care about us, who likes us for who we are, not what we can do.”

****

Marcie took a step back and stood beside Neo, both girls raised their hands and placed them on top of each other, then turned to look at the third member of their team, raising eyebrows. questioningly.

****

“So… are you in, Em?”

****

Emerald seemed to struggle with herself, clenching her fists and gritting her teeth for a bit. However, after a while, she opened her eyes and took a deep breath.

****

Before crossing over to the duo and placing her hand gently on top of theirs.

****

“Okay.” She smiled slightly, crimson eyes still slightly reddened from her previous tears. “Let’s do it.”

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

“I… impossible.” Pyrrha breathed, the spartan’s eyes wide and her breathing quick and shallow.

****

“I’m sorry Pyr, but it’s over.” Jaune shook his head sadly.

****

“N-no! J-Jaune please, I can change, I promise!” The girl cried, emerald orbs already shimmering.

****

“It’s too late for that.” The knight shook his head. “I gave you a chance, Pyrrha, but it’s over.”

****

“Jaune please no!!”

****

“I’m sorry, this needs to be done.” The knight insisted, his face grave as he lifted his hand…

****

And moved his unit of Valean chevaliers right onto the capital of Mistral.

****

“NOOOOO!!!” Pyrrha cried out, watching as she, the last remaining obstacle to King Jaune’s full dominion of Remnant, was utterly crushed before Vale’s might.

****

The spartan blinked back her tears and looked around the room. Ren was meditating in the corner, obviously still trying to come to terms with her loss, but meditation and the silent treatment were infinitely better than beforehand. 

****

The normally zen girl’s sheer  _ outrage _ been brief, but frightening. Ren had taken a few moments to process her defeat, at Jaune’s hands naturally, before calmly getting up and walking outside the door.

****

Before a two minute long screech of outrage had erupted through the hallway, along with intermittent thuds as the ninja seemed to punch the walls.

****

Ren had walked back in two minutes later, saying that she was fine, before sitting down and meditating. She had been meditating a long time now. Jaune and Pyrrha had been too nervous that she’d bite their hands off if they tried to interrupt her meditation, so they left her be.

****

Still, her reaction was slightly better than Nora’s. The ginger Chancellor of Mantle had  _ not _ taken the loss of her capital well. She was the first to fall to Vale’s might, and the ex-chancellor had spent the next few minutes rocking back and forth muttering ‘it’s fine, it’s fine’, with an unnervingly large grin and twitching eye over and over again.

****

Then she had jumped up and announced she was going to let off some steam.

****

As it turned out, this constituted throwing herself out the open window and charging into the Emerald Forest all alone with her hammer. 

****

She hadn’t returned since, though loud explosions and maniacal laughter could still be heard. Jaune and Pyrrha had taken frequent checks of her Aura levels via scroll, and were relieved when they saw it hadn’t dropped at all.

****

That left only Jaune and Pyrrha, and the spartan had not lasted long. For all her gifts in the art of combat, Pyrrha was not a strategist, and Jaune took merciless advantage of that to establish his dominion over Remnant.

****

He had offered her the chance to rule by his side, but the foolish girl had refused so she had to be crushed like the others. It was a pity, really. He would have liked to have her by his side as a Queen.

****

_ “Wow, you really do get competitive when playing this game, Jaune.” _ The spirit in his head piped up.

****

_ Sorry, can’t help it, I’ve always been good at it. Any chance to show off my skills I guess. _

****

_ “I still wish that you’d not gone so hard on my little girls when you played them, I still can’t believe that you made poor Petal cry like that!”  _ The mother scolded.

****

_ Hey, I gave her the chance to surrender her sovereignty and fly the Valean flag, to rule Remnant by my side, not my fault if she didn’t accept. _

****

_ “Jaune! You made her cry!” _

****

_ Alright… I’m sorry. Maybe I did go a bit too hard on her, on all of them, really… _

****

It was true. The game he’d played with team RWBY had ended with Weiss in a similar state to Nora, rocking back and forth with wide eyes and maddened giggles. 

****

Blake had flat-out  _ hissed _ at him with folded back ears, then shut herself in the closet for a good long while.

****

Ruby had burst into tears at losing her capital to Jaune’s assault, and had gorged on a whole pack of cookies to make herself feel better.

****

Yang had fled to the training arena to blow off all her steam, much the same manner as Nora, except that she had nearly broken the table before storming off, yelling out about how the game was ‘broken’.

****

That was why none of them wanted to play the game with him anymore. His team would likely think the same way after their session. Jaune shook his head, maybe he  _ could _ be a little bit over competitive at this game… but in his defense, growing up with seven Huntresses for sisters meant that he had to excel at the things he was talented at. It was the only way he felt he could measure up to his siblings.

****

Though, since he was currently excelling at being a Hunter (well, proportionally… at least compared to his skill when he first came here), perhaps he could tone it down a bit.

****

Jaune was snapped to attention by the sound of his scroll ringing, an incoming message. Confused, he reached over and picked the scroll up, looking at the contact information and message contents.

****

_ ‘Can you meet me in the courtyard? We need to talk.’ _

****

It was Neo.

\-----------------

Line Breaker

\-----------------

“Wow, that’s… this is quite a lot to take in, do you… do you mind if I sit down for a bit?” A rather stunned Jaune asked the assembled trio.

****

All three girls nodded. Neo looked a little scared, Emerald looked very guilty, and Marcie looked more nervous than he’d ever seen her.

****

All three awaited his decision.

****

Well, what was he supposed to say? What was he supposed to with everything they’d told him?

****

And yes, they HAD told him everything. Their pasts, their work with Cinder, her plan for Vale and Beacon… and her growing obsession with seeing him dead.

****

Jaune knew that Neo was affiliated with Torchwick already, he’d known since seeing Neo and the crime lord side-by-side at the docks with Blake. But learning that they were actively helping Cinder with her agenda…even if it was a forced cooperation? That was still quite shocking for the knight.

****

Even more shocking was Neo’s tale of how she came to wind up in Roman’s employ. She’d been starving on the streets, an orphan after her parents had died in a home invasion. She’d despaired of ever finding a way out… until Roman had found her, taken her in and trained her to fight, to steal, to survive. She’d worked as his enforcer since she was 13… which meant she’d spent 6 years doing this, being a criminal.

****

Apparently, 6 years was long enough for her, because now she wanted out. She wanted to do something else, something  _ legal _ for a change. She’d told him that one of her dreams, even if it might have seemed rather childish, was opening a quaint little ice cream parlour somewhere.

****

That had gotten an honest smile out of him, it was a simple dream, a childish dream too… but it was a good dream to have as well.

****

Then, Marcie had spoken up. It turned out that she had  _ severely  _ downplayed exactly how terrible a person her father was when they’d spoken about it before that joint mission. Jaune could see why, the real truth was incredibly ugly.

****

Not only was Marcie’s father a brutal assassin who killed anyone as long as he got paid, but he also attempted to turn his daughter into a younger copy of himself. At least her mother had seemed nice and kind, even helping to turn her anger issues into a solid state of hyper-focus that could be controlled and contained more easily. Of course, it was her death that allowed Marcus to start ‘training’ (ie. torturing) poor Marcie. It had gotten so bad that she’d killed him to escape the abuse.

****

And Jaune thought his parents were being horrible when they’d denied him entry to a Hunter prep school.

****

From there, Marcie had related how she did her own thing for a year or two, helping people out in her own unique way. She’d become a brutal vigilante, usually doling out brutal beatings (and occasional executions) to the criminals who harassed and victimised the innocent, putting the skills her father had beaten into her to as good a use as she could think of. The life of violence and killing was all Marcie knew, but she didn’t let her father decide who she was going to be.

****

Then came Cinder, and Marcie was basically coerced into taking her father’s intended place on Cinder’s team. She’d never liked working for her, and now the girl wanted out.

****

Emerald had been the last to explain herself. The ebony haired illusionist had lived on the streets as a thief until Cinder found her and took her in. Emerald had followed her for so long out of an ultimately misguided belief that the flamestress cared for her wellbeing. Jaune could sympathise though.Cinder’s behaviour toward Emerald, complimenting her only for a good job done, or chastising her for screwing up, sounded a lot like classic psychological conditioning and behavioural reinforcement techniques. All intended to keep Emerald under her thumb.

****

Well, that’s what he got for having a sister whose girlfriend enjoyed psychology as a hobby. He and Terra-Cotta had some nice long discussions about the topic.

****

Long story short, Emerald had finally wised up to the woman’s bullshit and refused to take it anymore.

****

And here they all were, wanting to defect. They’d been willing to confess their terrible pasts to him, they’d been willing to trust and confide in him.

****

The least he could do was try to help them escape Cinder as best he could. They’d planned on going right to Ozpin and surrendering themselves, seeing it as the best chance they had, despite two of them having tried to kill him during the attack on Beacon. 

****

He’d speak up for them, that was how he could help. He’d champion their motives as best they could. But first…

****

Looking around at the 3 nervous and guilty girls, Jaune knew there was something else to do before they set off.

****

Sighing, he walked over to Neo, the girl looked so nervous about what he might do, that her irises had turned milky white once more.

****

Only for them to flush with colour, along with most of her face, as Jaune wrapped his arms around her petite, curvy frame and pulled her into a tight hug.

****

Neo squeaked in surprise as she wiggled a little, before flinging herself fully into the embrace, burying her head into Jaune’s chest and humming in happiness. They didn’t separate for quite some time, with Neo being extremely reluctant when they finally did, though she still wore a happy smile on her face from the emotional high the hug generated.

****

“After everything you told me, I figured you needed a hug.” The boy explained.

****

“Th… thank you Jaune.” Neo whispered, her face still glowing red from the embarrassment and giddiness still surging through her body. This only peaked further when Jaune reached out to ruffle her hair a little. 

****

“No problem Neo. You deserve it.” The knight smiled down at the enforcer, his hand gently gliding over her head.

****

It took a lot of self-control for Neo to stop herself leaning into and rubbing against his hand.

****

“So… y-you’re okay with this?” Marcie asked, from nearby. The grey-haired girl was standing with her hands around her midsection, looking as nervous and guilty as Emerald after everything they’d told him about themselves. “I mean… we just told you that we’re honest-to-god terrorists out to kill your Headmaster and burn this city down.”

****

Jaune separated from Neo to answer, prompting the enforcer to shoot twin glares at the vigilante-assassin from behind Jaune’s back. Neither Jaune nor Marcie really registered her presence right now, both too focused on each other.

****

“Well… I may not be entirely ‘okay’ with this… but I’ll still help you however I can. Arc’s promise.” Jaune vowed, though this just confused the girl even more.

****

“B-but seriously… I mean, we’re bad people Jaune, we’ve helped the flame bitch out with her plans… we’re all killers and liars and… and…” Marcie lowered her head a little. “Just… why do you still care?” She questioned, only to let out a small ‘eep!’ as Jaune pulled her into a hug too.

****

“Because you’re my friends, alright? Despite everything… you’re still my friends. Besides, this sounds like all of you were coerced into helping her against your will… meaning that it’ll be easier than you think to get the teachers to go easy on you.” Jaune explained, before tacking on  “you looked like you needed a hug too.”

****

Marcie sniffled a little in reply to this, returning the hug eagerly and fully, burying her head into Jaune shoulder as he let her enjoy the contact.

****

“Thank you Jaune…” The assassin-turned-vigilante whispered. “Thanks for sticking up for us… for believing in us. And… thanks for the hug, I’ve not been hugged like this in a long time.” She admitted, squeezing Jaune a little tighter.

****

“Not a problem. Anything for my friends.” Jaune assured her, only to be interrupted a small cough.

****

Emerald was standing a short distance away, looking with obvious longing at the hugging pair.

****

“You mind?” Jaune asked.

****

“Nah, go give her a hug too.” Marcie assured him with a small grin, some of her sass returning as she spoke again. “Maybe even pinch her ass if you feel like it, god knows it’ll be the most action that ass has ever seen.”

****

Ignoring Emerald’s screech of “MARC!”, Jaune moved over and embraced the illusionist as well. Emerald, though still flustered and shaken from her teammate’s little taunt, was quick to return the hug, with more enthusiasm that both Marcie AND Neo. Wow…

****

Well, she had spent most of her life being neglected and ignored, then the rest being manipulated and emotionally abused by a psychopath. It made sense that she’d cling to any emotional lifeline she was offered. Only this time, Jaune would make sure it stuck. He’d make sure he was there when she needed him, supporting her because he cared, not just because she was useful.

****

Ending the hug and stepping back from Emerald, Jaune appraised the illusionist.

****

“Better?” Offering his best concerned smile.

****

“Yeah… a little.” The girl admitted.

****

Despite the heartwarming scenes and pleasant hugs he’d given, Jaune knew that they still needed to go to Ozpin and the other teachers. No matter what happened, they still needed to warn him about Cinder’s latest plan.

****

“Well… there’s no time like the present I suppose, we need to go to Ozpin and the others sometime.” Jaune said. The girls looked hesitant, and he wasn’t surprised. “Look… I promise I’ll stick up for you, no matter who it is I have to stand up to, alright? But they need to know.” He insisted.

****

The three girls nodded, their expressions more resolute than before, though still with a hint of nerves.

****

“Right then… let’s do this.” With that, the knight led the three girls out of the deserted classroom and over to the Emerald Tower. 

****

No one said anything on the way, they were too busy thinking. Jaune was busy thinking about how he could convince Ozpin and the others to show the girls leniency, while the girls themselves couldn’t stop their minds from fixating on possible punishments for their crimes.

****

Jaune made sure to send Penny a quick text, saying that he was bringing in some people who had information on Cinder and her plans.

****

Even as they entered the lift and pushed the button to take them to Ozpin’s office, none of the quartet had any words. They heard nothing save for their hearts thumping in their chests.

****

And then the lift dinged, and the doors opened.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

In hindsight, Jaune realised that he really should’ve talked with the Headmaster, the General and Professor Goodwitch before introducing Marcie and the others.

****

The instant they stepped out of the lift, a purple field seized Neo and flung her against the only solid wall of the office, Emerald was forced to her knees and held at swordpoint by the absolutely  _ huge _ blade of one Qrow Branwen, and Marcie was surrounded by Penny’s wire-guided swords, all of which were glowing quite threateningly.

****

As was Ironwood’s palm-mounted blaster, the General’s cybernetic arm pointed squarely at Emerald’s head.

****

“You move, I cut your throat, it’s that simple kid.” Qrow snarled, the man’s face a mask of anger. “I know you were one of the brats that attacked Oz, so don’t make a move.”

****

“I would recommend you do likewise, criminal.” Penny spoke up, her tone surprisingly threatening in intensity, the synthetic girl’s expression hardened into a scowl. “I think you will find that I am fully combat ready.”

****

“Wait, wait, wait! Penny wait!” Jaune called out, striding over to the android.

****

“Ah, hello there friend Jaune! What are you doing in the company of three known criminals?” Penny asked, her tone snapping back to ‘chipper’ so fast it made the boy’s head spin.

****

“I would like to know that as well.” Professor Goodwitch threw in, still pinning a struggling Neo to the wall with her Semblance, she didn’t even appear to be putting effort into it. “Mr Arc, is there something we should know?” The combat instructor levelled a critical glare at her student.

****

“Yeah. Look… the reason they came with me is because they’re the contacts that I mentioned to Penny.” He explained.

****

“Contacts? What ‘contacts’ is he talking about Penny?” Ironwood questioned, raising an eyebrow, while Penny’s face lit up in realisation.

****

“Oh! You mean these are the ones who can tell us about the plans of the terrorist Cinder Fall?” The synth questioned, which got the adults interested properly.

****

“Yeah… they came to me, said that they didn’t want to take part in her schemes and plans anymore. In fact, two of them-” He indicated Marcie and Neo. “-were essentially forced into serving Cinder, if they didn’t then she’d have killed them.”

****

“What about  _ her _ ?” Qrow nodded at Emerald, whom he still had at sword-point.

****

“She was manipulated. She just wanted to be cared about… and Cinder took advantage of that, and her, to keep her around.” Jaune explained. “I know it doesn’t excuse what they’ve done, but they want to make things right… they can help us stop Cinder for good, isn’t that worth it?” He pleaded.

****

The adults considered this for a moment, until a clear voice rang out to snap them all to attention.

****

“Well I, for one, would like to hear what they have to say.” Everyone turned to face Ozpin, who stood there with a small smile on his face and levelled an inquisitive stare at the three criminals.

****

“Wh-... Ozpin! You can’t be serious!” Ironwood argued, an incredulous look on his face.

****

“Oh, I’m quite serious James. You would be surprised how often yesterday’s enemies become tomorrow’s allies.” The enigmatic wizard responded.” Now, could you perhaps allow them to stand up, please? By all means, keep them under watch, but I cannot very well talk to them like this.”

****

Goodwitch hesitantly set Neo down on the ground, Qrow and Ironwood removed their weapons from the faces of Emerald and Marcie, while Penny retracted her swords and skipped over to Jaune’s side.

****

“This may prove a little late, but salutations nonetheless Friend Jaune!” The ginger greeted happily. “I do hope that our friendship will not be affected by my holding your other friend and swordpoint just a moment ago!”

****

“Huh…? Oh, no Penny, it’s fine.” Jaune assured her. “You just did what you thought was best, that’s all.”

****

“Sen-sational! I am pleased that our friendship remains intact!” Penny cheered with a little hop in place, leaving Jaune unable to suppress a small grin and laugh at her endearing antics.

****

While Penny and Jaune continued to converse, the teachers (and one General) began their conversation with the turncoat criminals.

****

“So… Mr Arc says that you have knowledge of Miss Fall’s next move, perhaps you could explain what that will be?” Ozpin prompted. Emerald was quick to pick up from there.

****

“She wants to attack Beacon again, this time helped by a contingent of White Fang agents that she’s co-opted from her contact in the organisation.” The illusionist explained. “She wants to destroy the CCT this time, as well as get to the Fall Maiden to absorb the remainder of her power.”

****

This troubled the adults a good deal.

****

“So… she wants another crack at the Maiden huh?” Qrow took a swig from his flask. “Good luck with that.”

****

“My team stands ready to defend her.” Ironwood assured the others. “As do our combat droids.”

****

“We have taken the appropriate precautions to assure the Maiden’s safety.” Ozpin threw in. “Is there anything else?” Marcie took up the tale this time.

****

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure she wants to kill you as well.” At this, the Headmaster raised an eyebrow.

****

“That much was clear when she led the two of you into my vault in an attempt to assassinate me last week.” At this, the girls looked guilty.

****

“No, I mean, she HAS to kill you this time.” Marcie insisted. “With the way the creepy demon lady was talking about it, the bitch’ll be in deep shit if you’re NOT dead by the time she’s done.”

****

The colour drained from the adults’ faces at this.

****

“Miss Black…  _ what _ ‘creepy demon lady’ are you referring to?” The instructor practically demanded, hands gripping her riding crop tight.

****

“The weird and scary lady I saw and heard talking to Cinder on that fucking jellyfish thing.” The girl insisted. “She was really mad that you weren’t dead, even said that she was disappointed specifically because it was  _ you  _ who handed Cinder her ass in the vault. Whoever or whatever she is, she’s got a massive hate-on for you.” She explained.

****

“I… I see. Thank you for the information, Miss Black.” Ozpin looked FAR more serious and grave than he’d done a moment ago, before continuing in a whisper. “I should have known  _ you _ would be behind this…”

****

“Ozpin…?” Goodwitch asked, concern on her face as she looked at her superior.

****

“The Grimm attack at the same time… of course you would have the influence…” He continued to murmur, seemingly lost in thought.

****

“Hey, Oz. You alright?” Qrow voiced his own concerns. The wizard blinked, before remembering where he was and giving a small but reassuring smile.

****

“Apologies, simply… lost in thought for a moment.” He looked to the trio. “Well… this information has been very helpful indeed. Rest assured it will be put to good use in due time. Now… is there anything else that might be relevant?” 

****

Marcie bit her lip a little before answering.

****

“Yeah… Cinder’s probably gonna try and kill Jaune as well.” She admitted. The adults seemed a little shocked at this, with Jaune and Penny also being pulled out of their conversation and into the other one.

****

“W-wait? WHAT!?” Jaune cried out.

****

“Yeah. She’s… the bitch is obsessed with you, Jaune.” Marcie answered his unspoken question. “She seems to think it’s all your fault the attack didn’t work last time, she wants you dead real bad. Maybe it was you beating her in the tournament, or maybe it was you arguing with her after our team game that one time, but she hates you Jaune… more than I’ve seen her hate anyone.”

****

Jaune considered that, while Ironwood turned to Penny.

****

“Penny, how long until the Apollo Reactor can heal Amber’s injuries?” He asked, heedless of the current company.

****

“At the current rate of Aura transfusion, the subject’s injuries should be fully healed within forty-eight hours!” The android reported.

****

“Alright, then we simply need to occupy her attention for the two days it will take Amber to recover.” The General stated. “But we’ll need a proper plan first.”

****

“Or a distraction.”

****

Everyone turned to the source of the voice, to the lone knight in the room.

****

“What do you mean, Mr Arc?” Professor Goodwitch narrowed her eyes. Qrow tilted his head a little in minor disbelief, was this kid really suggesting what he thought he was suggesting?

****

_ “Jaune… please tell me you’re not thinking of doing this!” _ Summer pleaded with her fusion partner. He’d put himself in far too much danger for her liking already, and now he was doing this!?

****

“We need two days, right? That means we need to take Cinder’s attention off Amber and give her a better target, right…?” He asked, looking around the room.

****

“That would be a viable strategy, yes.” Ozpin concurred.

****

“What about me?”

****

…

****

“WHAT!?” All three of the turncoat criminals yelled out in unison.

****

“* _ Whistle _ * Kid’s got real balls.” Qrow nodded approvingly.

****

“But Friend Jaune, there is no need for that!” Penny insisted, the synth looking concerned for his well being.

****

“I  _ very much agree _ , Miss Polendina.” Goodwitch threw in her part. “This is irresponsible, foolish and reckless of you, Mr Arc! Do keep in mind that Miss Fall has already come close to taking your life once! I cannot permit this!” The disciplinarian stated.

****

“Well, what other choice is there!?” Jaune demanded, startling them. “She’s already got half of Amber’s powers and you’ve seen what she can do with them, we can’t let her get the other half! Besides… you guys will be there to watch out for me, right? I know Pyrrha will be.” 

****

“I… suppose. As long as you are protected by one or more of us, as well as Specialists Wilson and Schnee.” Goodwitch acquiesced, though her tone remained tern, booking no argument. “Your partner will also be allowed to accompany you.”

****

“I will accompany Friend Jaune as well!” Penny asserted resolutely. “I am fully combat ready.”

****

“We’re coming too.” Emerald stated.

****

“Absolutely NOT.” Ironwood snapped. “You are criminals. How are we to know that you won’t simply betray us and go back to her side?”

****

“Why? I’ll tell you why, Iron-dome! Because we HATE that smug, stuck-up, monstrous BITCH! The only reason we worked for her was ‘cause it was ‘join or die’!” Marcie snarled out. “Besides, hurting Jaune’s the last thing we’d do!” She declared.

****

“And why… pray tell, is that?” Ozpin questioned, the immortal Headmaster holding his cane with both hands, levelling a questioning gaze at the trio once more. He already suspected their answer, as well as their true motives for trying to get away from Cinder, but he needed to hear it from them.

****

“Oh, I dunno… maybe ‘cause he was nice to us when no one else was?!” Marcie stated. “We told him everything before we came to you… and he didn’t care. He just welcomed us back, gave us a second chance when we sure as hell didn’t deserve it. He’s the only person here we actually gives a shit about anymore, we don’t have anyone else and we’re not gonna let that flame-wielding bitch take him away!!” She practically yelled, glaring at the Headmaster, who stared back with a small smile of his own.

****

“Hmmm… you would be willing to face down your old employer, despite having seen the powers she wields, all to protect Mr Arc?”

****

“Yes.” That was Emerald. “I’ll do it. Cinder doesn’t care about me, I see that now.”

****

“Hell yeah.” Marcie threw her bit in. “I’d love to wipe that smug smirk off her face.”

****

“...yes.” Neo whispered, the first time she’d spoken since their talk in the classroom. “No one controls me like that.”

****

“Very well… since your stories and testimonies make it quite clear you were acting under duress for the duration of your… service under Miss Fall, then we will give you a chance to prove yourselves.” Ozpin stated, the wizard tapping his cane on the ground. “You will be part of the team assigned to guard him from possible attack.”

****

The trio nodded, satisfied.

****

Only to squeak in unison as Jaune swept them all up in a hug at once.

****

“Thank you for doing this.” The knight thanked them profusely. “Thank you so much. If there’s anything I can do to make it up to you…”

****

The girls considered this as Jaune released them from his hold, stepping back to appraise them all.

****

“Well… when this is all over… how about you spend the day with us?” Neo suggested, a small smile on her face and her cheeks still pink from the hug, like the other two.

****

“Sure… that won’t be a problem.” Jaune smiled back. “Thanks again.”

****

“Well…” Ozpin began, bringing everyone’s attention back to the matter at hand. “Now that we have the information we need… Glynda, would you be so kind as to summon Mr Wilson and Miss Schnee, as well as Miss Nikos? We must discuss our plan of action.”

****

As Goodwitch dutifully obeyed her superior’s instruction, Ozpin tapped his cane on the ground once more.

****

“Now then… while we wait for the others to arrive, let us begin…”

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There we go! Now that the trio are on their way to redemption, they can also be put on the path of the Waifu too...


	48. Information and Integration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Detective Orion meets with the task force assigned to investigate the White Fang and Cinder.  
> Specialist Carolina takes issue with the team composition, while Penny talks with her creator regarding the recent issues with her hardware.  
> Jaune and Daniel meet up, while the former villains integrate with the main group.  
> Summer pays Amber another visit to update her on the current situation, and gets some advice from the Maiden.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first section of this chapter was written by my associate 'Force Commander Joe', as it stars his OC once again. He is listed as a co-creator on this work for this chapter, for that reason.
> 
> As always, comments and reviews are welcome!

“It’s not like this was gonna be kept secret for long.” Honorable Geoffrey Orion said to his son over the Scroll line. “Less so that Caitlyn and I weren’t going to catch word of it and assume that you were gonna be on patrol with the guys at the Precinct.”

****

“Dad.” Detective Joe Orion said, glowering behind his shades as he sat at the patio table of the diner, coffee in one hand, Scroll in the other as he spoke in between bites of his breakfast.

****

“You’re saying it like I’m that kind of P.I. to look for trouble. Yeah, the guys at the 77th were nearby when Beacon Tower was attacked. But they were never deployed since they didn’t have proper transport to get on Campus.”

****

“Well, who else was there?” The District Attorney inquired. “Other than the Atlas security detail for the Tournament.”

****

“The Fire Marshall was on sight to put out any damages with Battalion 53. By the time the military showed up to secure the perimeter, perps were gone. Sources say that the faculty and students were uninjured.”

****

Geoffrey blinked.

****

“Can’t comment on any real details of the incident?”

****

To which the prodigal son shook his head on his end of the line.

****

“I have nothing to do with official crime scene work, dad.” He said seriously. “And of course, I can’t comment on my half of the investigation.”

****

Geoffrey nodded.

****

“I understand, Joe. Can’t begin to comment on how much that I’ve sat with Former King’s Lawyers to have the judge issue a gag order on someone who threatened a Member of Royal Court.” He stated. “I mean, Gods, they were planning on wearing a tattoo of Sanderson Corde shooting up the Royal Court logo while being dragged off into the paddy wagon.”

****

The younger Orion shuddered at that thought while listening to his father when he finished taking a bite into his omelet.

****

“Yeah. I still remember that case vividly. So what about you? Where were you during the attack?” He inquired.

****

Geoffrey cleared his throat as he went on.

****

“I was in Patch meeting with the Environmental Board in the Bar Association when we got the breaking news that Beacon Tower was getting bombed. We assumed this was a drill, but when we heard the news of a Grimm wave in the forest, our security detail went to Condition 2 and locked us down.” He explained. “There were seaborne Grimm who passed by, but they never caught wind of us and bugged out.”

****

“Caitlyn was in the ER when the attacks were happening.” Joe explained.

****

To which the elder’s eyes shot open.

****

“Spirits, she never mentioned that!” He said in shock, causing Joe to flinch at his exclamation. “No wonder she was texting you for hours.”

****

“Like I said,” he began. “I was nowhere near with the 77th when the bombing went down. Nor was I available to work with available units at the time. I never got word from Flavus, Dispatch, the Fire Brigade, VNN or anything. I just caught wind and hunkered down with Minnie, Ryan, Garnet and Drew. Serge wasn’t in at the time since he was tending to a family emergency.”

****

The DA expressed his relief as he and Joe commented further on how it wasn’t really “classic her” for Caitlyn to panic like that. Normally she was quite moody but had a strong heart. Contributed by the fact that she would shield her brother from their mum’s wrath when they were little and would regularly treat kids in the housing projects they grew up in, you had one interesting mix of traits in Caitlyn Orion.

****

“What will you do now, son?”

****

“At this moment I’m off to go join Flavus in training some new recruits.” He fibbed.

****

But the grand lawyer of the 13th Judicial District wasn’t buying it.

****

“I’m the District Attorney, Joseph.” He jokingly warned. “I hope you’re not lying about something that could cost you your badge and gun.”

****

The detective laughed.

****

“Gee, thanks dad.” He said in mock hurt. “Maybe you could press Commissioner Worchester for new coffee machines while you’re at it.”

****

“Yeah, right.” Geoffrey snarked back. “I can tell you’re gonna be busy today. I’ll let you get back to it while I check out the latest property cases.”

****

Joe nodded.

****

“Sounds good, dad. Talk to you soon.”

****

“Love you, son.”

****

“Love you too. Bye.” He said as he hung up, just when he finished his omelet he got a text on the Scroll with a three-word phrase that indicated it was time for him to get to work on Headmaster Ozpin’s special case.

****

**On your left.**

****

Joe looked to the left of the diner he was at, left a tip and picked up his coffee as he walked over to a van where the driver had gestured him to come closer. He put his back up to the van’s right door as the driver rolled down his window.

****

“The warden threw a party in the county jail.”

****

It took him 3 seconds – photographic memory was a gift from the Gods – to remember the code phrase which would indicate this was the time and place.

****

“The prison band was there and they began to wail.”

****

The driver peeked her head out and got a quick look at Orion then nodded. Opening the left door.

****

“Get in.”

****

The private dick quietly shuffled into the front seat of the van. The passenger door shutting as they took off. He looked through his shades to make sure the area was secure. No problems whatsoever. No escort, no siren.

****

_So this is what undercover work is like for them._

****

As they took off to the meeting point he took out his Scroll and took a look at his schedule for public appearances. Meeting with kids to discuss when to call the police or other services would wait with the Vytal security force on high alert and civilians being encouraged to remain in their homes after dark until the Black Special alert state was lifted by the Crisis Response Ministry.

****

No doubt the Parliament members were not happy to escalate the alert in the middle of the tournament. Less so that they were informed by Ozpin’s inner circle that the lead terrorist in question may be empowered. Despite the positive influence to keep people safe from Grimm through optimism becoming a mandate set by each Kingdom’s Council they would still try to find a way to weasel their way out of a crisis, say, a Grimm invasion.

****

Or people presenting themselves to Parliament House to boycott Faunus from appearing on TV because their children supposedly can’t comprehend how there’s some poodle guy trying to teach their classmates on safety and not resort to roughhousing during recess.

****

_Lobbyists._ Joe thought with a roll of the eyes

****

What made his heart sink just a little bit was how he would have to reschedule his meeting with the Valean Fencing Group.

****

Joe loved fencing. Received 5 gold medals in a row for his style which spelled “speed and aggression” while maintaining the proper sportsmanship and conduct for the faux sword fighting sport. Would always send his prize money to funding emergency services and facilities that helped homeless kids get a bed or food.

****

Well, not always.

****

He would have to debate with the judges on how to take a sum of the money funding Orion Investigations and repurpose it. It was a small agency so it really was no big deal, but his damn feelings just wouldn’t let him have all the money to himself. It was a shitty thing to do anyway. And he wouldn’t allow another poor kid to starve to death ever since he got the grant money to attend the Academy. Once he had the money, he’d commit to philanthropy while serving the law.

****

And to really show his mother that he wasn’t afraid of going it alone anymore.

****

“How much further, Agent?” He asked.

****

The driver, expression or gaze towards the road unchanging replied with “15 minutes.” As she took a turn onto 110th Avenue at Trellis Lane. Pausing at a train stop signal as the bells rung with a passenger train rolling down the tracks.

****

“I’m afraid I’m not a CTU Agent, sir.” She said.

****

“Oh. Sorry. I haven’t seen you guys very much back when I was in VPD, so I couldn’t tell based on your uniform.”

****

The driver shrugged.

****

“Nah. You’re not the first to mistake me for such. I just get the guys to the frontlines.” She explained. “We have a whole fleet system in place for ground, air, naval. Not as much fancy military-grade shit though.”

****

The detective raised an eyebrow behind his sunglasses.

****

“Not as much? But you’re an official gendarmerie who…”

****

“Operates behind enemy lines? Well, yes. We’re really a subdivision of the Feds. Officially.” She said, resuming her route as soon as the train passed by and the barriers lifted. 

****

“Unofficially, we’re the ones you call in for when the CRM issues Condition 2 or 3 alert states.”

****

“So you’re blacker than black.” He replied as he took a sip of his equally black coffee.

****

“Yup.”

****

The conversation carried on as they were nearly reaching the drop point for meeting with CTU agents. Joe discussed with his driver how he was trained in urban pacification tactics for when riots broke out. Or civil disturbances that while not as big, could still get ugly.

Even talking about a few missions he’s been on with Special Response Team operators. The biggest one he conducted was tracking down the group responsible for the murder-suicide of actress Heather Heliotrope.

****

“Heather’s Heroes.” The task force behind that case was appropriately named.

****

He wondered how many White Fang terrorists he would have to bag just in case they couldn’t be negotiated with. It’s not like he hadn’t downed a suspect before so he had no problems with shooting members of the Fang on sight should they be unable to get them to comply.

****

Thankfully he followed every protocol for an officer-involved shooting. The guys at the Station who had friends who were accused of murder really had no love for Joe and his patience with following protocol. Accusing him of being ‘Inspector Perfection.’ Among other envious playground-level taunts, bitching about how he could have put their buddies out of a job.

****

Their conversation stopped when they arrived at the meeting point. None other than…

“Lucian’s?” He asked in shock, taking in the abandoned nightclub that was put out of business by all the traffic that Junior brought in. He lifted his shades upon his inquiry to make sure that he wasn’t seeing things and that he was properly caffeinated to focus on what was going to be a pretty lengthy investigation into a plot that entailed invasion, assassination and disturbance. Which would eventually lead into an all-you-can-eat buffet of civilians for the Grimm were the Huntsmen and military too late to stop without solid intel.

****

_Not on my watch._

****

He thanked the driver and stepped off the van, before finishing his coffee and tossing it in a trash bin. Walking inside, he saw two men in black sweater vests and striped pants. A subversion of the usual white-black color scheme that was the standard uniform for a detective in Vale.

****

Before the MIBs could say the usual “this is a restricted area” and other such stock clandestine phrases, Joe flashed his badge. The suits recognized him and radioed ahead for him to head downstairs into the lounge where he was set to meet the Special Agent in Charge for the mission.

****

He walked down the spiral staircase and into the underground lounge and was greeted by a counterterrorist wielding a submachine gun who said that the SAC was waiting for him. He headed through the lounge’s kitchen area and into the office where a well-built man in a suit and Kevlar vest was looking at a security camera terminal with his hands behind his back.

“Welcome to Operation Wildfire.” He said, pausing to turn around to reveal his brown hair and beige eyes which sat behind his rectangular glasses. He and the Agent exchanged a quick handshake and introduced himself.

****

“I’m Lieutenant Sonny Sevchenko. Special Agent in Charge.”

****

“Joe Orion.” He stated. “I don’t suppose you’ve read up on me.”

****

Saulius ‘Sonny’ Sevchenko, “Sev” to the Agents under his command, was a veteran of SRT and thwarted many hostage situations and bomb threats that would have left a number on the city blocks.

****

He was a no-bullshit kind of guy when the chips are down, but his temper and sense of self were of concern to his superiors. He would still be deadly efficient in a situation in which people were in danger and had the training to prove it.

****

When questioned by his superior officer regarding how he rushed in and punched a suicide bomber off the roof of the McManus Federal Credit Union building, who conveniently landed into the crash pad set up by the Fire Department, his curt response was: “He annoyed me, ma’am.”

****

“Quite a bit, actually.” Sev replied in the present time to his new associate. “Born in 48 AGW.” – After the Great War – “Grew up in the housing projects, enlisted in the police academy after High School and graduated as Valedictorian. Worked with Special Response Team and other elements within the Kingdom’s law enforcement. Currently running your own agency, Orion Investigations.”

****

“An astute observation.” He said. “I take it that Captain Westbrook helped you do your homework on me?”

****

Sev nodded.

****

“That’s right. Flavus Westbrook. Born in 22 AGW. Served in the Valean Army Cadet Corps in the Northern Sanus during a border stand-off. Worked with Vacuan mercenaries and fought off the White Fang Falcon Raider cell.”

****

“You don’t have to list off the bios of my known associates, Sonny.” He said. “We’re just doing introductions.”

****

The Special Agent turned back to him and gave him an intense, businesslike gaze.

****

“Just want to make sure I’ve got who I’m working with memorized. So I take it you’ve been sent by Headmaster Ozpin to help investigate White Fang activity along with an ‘Ella Stalls’ who was responsible for an attempt on the Headmaster’s life.”

****

Joe confirmed with a nod.

****

“Yes. I understand that Mr. Ozpin has assigned me to work with your task force, and a few Atlesian Specialists, Schnee and Wilson, I believe their names were.”

****

“We’re working with a Schnee? Oh, that’s wonderful.” He groused. “As if those knuckleheads in High Command couldn’t send a simple Non-Commissioned Officer, they just have to prove their glory by sending in one of their commandos.”

****

“Bad run-ins with the Schnee Dust Company?”

****

“Yeah, stupid thing. I was assigned bodyguard duty to a few execs from SDC. Always resulted in an argument for how they wanted their safehouses.” He answered as they went to the war room area of their base for the mission. Sev called several team members consisting of Counter-Terrorists, Atlas NCOs and a few Crisis Response representatives.

****

Joe received his introduction as they began the debrief. A recap for those who were already present before the P.I.’s arrival, but a debriefing, nonetheless. Sonny docked his Scroll into the data table and brought up the files for Cinder, Roman, their known henchmen and began.

“Alright, guys. Here’s the situation again, but I’m gonna give a recap for the Detective over here just so he’s clear in on it, too. Almost two weeks ago, reports came in of Beacon Academy coming under attack from a known terrorist who was going by the nickname of Ella Stalls,” He said as he brought up Cinder’s portrait. “Real name, Cinder Fall.”

A conversation among the Crisis Response reps was whispered. Using his Semblance of Instinct, Joe’s enhanced hearing could pick up talks about how someone could easily forge the identity of a Haven student. The reps would have to talk with Mistral’s equivalent of the CRM to run a background check on any students or transfers suspected of forgery.

****

But knowing how well the Mistrali government was about responding to shit on time that would be a big ‘IF’ for them to reply. Even with Professor Lionheart working with Ozpin to find out how the hell they got past screening without their criminal record pop up like a game of Whack-A-Grimm.

****

“Cinder has allegedly been collaborating with Roman Torchwick. Nasty piece of work and one of if not the toughest mob boss in Vale. We’ve received intel from Beacon staff administrators that Cinder’s associates have been working with Roman’s cartel for some time now. Robbing and smuggling Dust, engaging and assaulting Academy students, supplying her goons with armaments, and working with the White Fang.”

****

_Real Class-A personality types that you’re gonna be hunting down, eh, Joe?_ The Detective asked himself. _I wonder if this’ll make me the first gumshoe at the Precinct to have a brush with the Fang._

****

As he pondered about his thoughts at the 77th, just as he was about to reminisce about those two dudes who arrested several at the waterfront district when Torchwick escaped, Sevchenko continued.

****

“Torchwick has a pretty tough army of goons. And they’ve been giving Huntsmen quite a round of trouble. Even some veterans who have worked with Beacon students before have a hard time with his toadies and haven’t really been having luck tracking him.”

****

“Sev.” An agent who raised his hand asked. “I know this is just an assumption, but is he using some encryption tech or something else to hide himself?”

****

To which he looked at a member of the tech staff and answered his question.

****

“That’s the thing, Folsom. Guy keeps escaping even though he’s known to be a show-off and likes being noticed. Normal cops don’t wanna track him down since he has so much influence, and I ain’t talkin’ about corrupt police officers. With his ties to the Fang, Torchwick can easily sic a member of his army after someone and scare them off.” He said with a shake of his head at the end. “These kids at Beacon who are going after him have more experience going to-to-toe with his lanky ass but finding him in any seedy place of Downtown Vale. Red Light District, Waterfront, Slums, no one’s really sure.”

****

“It can’t be that easy for a Human like him to strike such a deal with a Faunus radical group like the White Fang.” A female dog Faunus appropriately added.

****

“Sure.” The SAC added. “But someone or something clearly tipped him off on how to get the Fang on his leash. Whether it was to intimidate them into service or strike gold with a hefty sum of Lien, they’re partnered with him either way.”

****

It was Joe’s turn to raise his hand.

****

“Well, what about Cinder?” He asked.

****

“Say that again?”

****

“I mean, if she has the chutzpah to try and attack Beacon, sending the students and staff into a panic and thus summoning a Grimm swarm from the adjacent forest, while nearly blowing up the CCTS in the tower where Ozpin’s office is, all in an attempt to assassinate him then why wouldn’t she be responsible for Roman’s ties with both parties involved?”

****

Sonny blinked then added that: “It is likely, but we’re looking into it. Not a bad question though if a group of supremacists like them are willing to work with the very species they’re sworn to wipe off the map.”

****

_Whatever she used to coerce them into service, it can’t be a good sign if they’re working with someone with powers like her._

****

“This is Operation Wildfire. The objective is simple: We look into Cinder’s past, investigate how she got into Beacon. Then we’ll scout out any White Fang bases where she may have been at then try to bring her in.”

****

“Special Agent Sevchenko.” A CRM Minister spoke.

****

“Sir?”

****

“How exactly do we plan on capturing Miss Fall? She is an empowered person who tried to take on Ozpin and damaged our communications and Internet hub. Do we get a Hunter on board with this?” He inquired. “I don’t mean to doubt the ability or skills of you, your Agents or these NCOs from Atlas we will be working with, but…”

****

Sonny nodded, then held up a hand.

****

“I understand, Minister.” He assured him. “To be honest, we’re still a bit surprised ourselves at headquarters trying to process how we’re gonna put her in handcuffs since she could do things like melt them off.” Sonny added, before continuing. “Oh yeah. I forgot to mention that she’s a pyromaniac who not only can control fire, but even form obsidian-based weaponry in an instant.”

****

The group, sans Joe had muttered in shock while he pondered by looking at Cinder’s dossier and portrait. His baby blue eyes glossing over her weapons in the photos like a bow and arrow, dual swords, a spear. Then squinted at how much damage they could do to the next poor bastard who could get skewered on one of these things.

****

Joe wasn’t a religious kind of guy. By no means an Atheist, but he’d make a note to visit the Church in the slums he grew up in to pray along with Father Woodhouse for the kids that Cinder’s rampage could have wounded based on the reports.

****

Sonny continued his expository debriefing as his Scroll buzzed, along with the Atlas officers. They reached out and all got looks of approval as they turned towards Sev and nodded.

****

“Sev. Our Specialists are here.” One of the guards outside said on the radio.

****

“Alright. Send them in.” He ordered. As two pairs of feet were heard descending down the stairs. The first was a white-haired woman in a proper hair bun in an officer’s coat with a red brooch. A saber-like weapon sheathed in a scabbard that sat at her side.

****

Behind her, a young man at six feet, brown hair and eyes and age 21 with a decently built body with an expression that matched the female Specialist he accompanied. He wore black shirt which looked almost like latex. With gray lining on the sleeves and Battle Dress Uniform pants which looked almost like it camouflaged onto his legs along with his compression shirt.

****

Upon seeing the Non-Commissioned Officers from their respective Kingdom, the Specialists gave a salute which their superiors returned, nodding at them as if to say, “at ease.” They turned to face Joe and Sonny with their expressions unchanging. Sonny handled introductions once again.

****

“Lieutenant Sevchenko, at your service.”

****

Winter replied.

****

“Specialists Schnee and Wilson, reporting for duty.” She said as Joe walked up to her.

****

“Hello, I’m Joseph Orion. I’ve been assigned to this case and was told by Professor Ozpin’s group that we’ll be working with you.” He said as they shook hands.

****

“Pleasure to meet you.” Winter said with a nod. “I read up on you under General Ironwood’s orders and wasn’t quite expecting to work with a Private Investigator.”

****

_Stranger things have happened long before my time._

****

“No time like the present, ma’am.” Joe added. “How may we help under the parameters of law enforcement working alongside special forces?”

****

Ironwood’s Lieutenant held up a hand.

****

“Mr. Orion. There is no need to be so dignified about this. I’ve heard much of the skills and capabilities of the Counter-Terrorism Unit for the police around here.”

****

“Of course, ma’am. I just haven’t worked with them, nor have I worked with Atlas military personnel. Apologies in advance if I misconceive anything.”

****

“No problem at all.” She said. “I am quite curious to see your skills in the field since one of Ozpin’s associates, Qrow, told me much about you before you arrived at Beacon to assist the Headmaster.”

****

“Well, I think you won’t be disappointed, Specialist.” He reassured with a nod. “You as well, Mr…?”

****

Joe glanced over to the man in the synthetic suit.

****

“The name’s Daniel Wilson.” He said with his signature cocksure smirk. “You could say I’ll be the guy you call in to blow shit up.”

****

The meeting was adjourned shortly after as Task Force Brimstone, the group behind the search for Cinder and her goons headed out to get ready to go witch-hunting. Detective Orion was on his way to debrief Minnie and the others as his Scroll rung. He pulled out the Scroll and slid the answer button.

****

“Hello?”

****

A familiar, gravely voice sounded on the other line.

****

“Hey, Joe. Have you met with Sev’s group already?”

****

“Hey, Captain.” He said to his old boss. “Yeah. Meeting concluded and we got our assignments. I’m heading back to the office now to let everyone know and assign Serge to take my spot until I come back.”

****

Flavus nodded.

****

“Great. I know you might find Sev to be a bit ill-tempered. Almost like he could stare through someone’s soul to get them to listen. But he’s a decent man, like you said about that Branwen dude.”

****

Joe laughed.

****

“You know me, sir. I’ve just got too good of a heart like that.”

****

“Yeah, we haven’t forgotten. Listen. Everyone at the station is keeping you in their thoughts for being in such a dangerous mission. So be safe, son.” He ordered in a near-fatherly way.

****

“I’ll be fine.”

****

“I don’t doubt it, but you’re gonna be hunting this bitch who can spew flames. And the White Fan- -“

****

“I’ll be fine, Captain.” The dick reassured. “I know I’m in good hands with this group so I’ll handle it.”

****

In the sweaty Captain’s office at the 77th Precinct VPD station, Flavus smiled.

****

“Good kid.”

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

“I still can’t believe this. This is unacceptable.” 

****

Washington just sighed and shook his head.

****

“What is it, Carolina?” He asked, visibly struggling to keep the boredom from his voice this time, he knew what she was going to say. It was the same thing she’d been saying for the last hour or so.

****

“I am clearly the better choice for team leader for this operation.” The Specialist groused, the same scowl painted across her face that had been there before. “For that… that inexperienced… foolish… _child_ to be appointed team leader is _utterly disgraceful!_ ”

****

“Why? I mean… he’s clearly got skills if he can get to pilot that cool armor.” Wash defended, stars forming in his eyes as he slipped into his fanboy mode. “My god, can you imagine how awesome it must be to wear that thing!? I mean… it’s a flying armory! You can take on anything! It’s like he’s a superhero!”

****

“Careful Wash, you’re drooling again.” Came the voice of the third member present. The pair turned to see Maine leaning against a nearby pillar in the courtyard, the man having a rare but small smile on his face.

****

“I-I wasn’t drooling!” Washington argued. “I’m just giving him the respect he’s owed for his position, that’s all.”

****

“A _position_ that, by all rights, _should_ have been given to _me._ ” Carolina asserted once more.

****

“Look… why don’t you just give him a chance _before_ you start trying to undermine him or sabotage him or just talk trash about him like this?” Washington asked. “Because, no offence Carolina… but you’ve been talking about this for an hour and it’s… it’s getting on my nerves.”

****

“Urgh. You’re just a fan of that armor of his!” The woman snapped back, rounding on her fellow Specialist. “I bet that you’ll defend anything he does!”

****

“Look, whether or not I like his armor isn’t _really_ the point here, the _point_ is that you’ve been whining about this for an hour and you just don’t know when to cut it out!” Washington shot back, the two glaring at each other heatedly.

****

“Hmph! You’re just a bleed-hearted sycophant, aren’t you?” Carolina sneered. “What about you, Maine. What do you think about all this?” She addressed the third member of their group, who had resumed his silent vigil over the courtyard.

****

Maine glanced their way, before shrugging and giving a non-committed grunt. At Carolina’s raised brow and folded arms, the usually-quiet man spoke up once more.

****

“Fancy armor or not, kid can fight. He’s got heart, and he’s got skills, that’s what matters.”

****

Both his partners considered this. Wash looked thoughtful, while Carolina still looked unconvinced.

****

“Heart or not, his _skills_ are clearly lacking compared to my own. I _should_ be leader.” The redhead insisted once more.

****

“It’s not all about skills though!” Washington insisted. “It’s about people skills as well, it’s about being able to actually command a team and get along with them, not just who can kick the most ass!”

****

Carolina raised an eyebrow sceptically, then let out another ‘hmph’, before turning and stomping away across the courtyard.

****

Washington just sighed and placed his head in the palm of his hand. The man let out a frustrated groan as Maine made his way slowly over.

****

“God, what is her problem!? Does she really have to just challenge authority like that just because she’s not in charge?!” Wash threw his hands up in aggravation. “Urgh… she’s always been like this, why is that?”

****

“To prove herself.” Maine cut in, the man standing beside Wash with his arms still folded. “Prove that she’s worthy of respect.”

****

“Is that all?”

****

“She wishes to be the best.” Maine observed. “She won’t settle for anything else.”

****

“Well… I suppose everyone wants to be the best, right?” Wash admitted. “But it still doesn’t excuse her just disrespecting Specialist Schnee’s decision like that!”

****

“No. It doesn’t.”

****

“This isn’t the first time this has happened.” Wash realised, turning to Maine properly. “Don’t you think that Carolina’s gotten… reckless, lately?”

****

Maine grunted in agreement, nodding his head.

****

“I get that she wants to be the best, but if she keeps going like this… I’m worried that she’ll do something insanely reckless just to prove herself, more so than she does already.” Wash looked visibly worried at that thought.

****

“And?” Maine prompted, raising an eyebrow.

****

“And I’m worried it’s gonna get her killed.”

\---------------

Line Break

\---------------

“Father?”

****

…

****

“Father?”

****

“FATHER!?”

****

“Gaahh!!” Percival Polendina, acclaimed genius inventor and one of the heads of the Atlas Military’s Research Division, jumped in shock at the loud voice that rang in his ears. Whirling around, he was greeted by the sight of his greatest creation, his pride and joy, Penny. 

****

“Ah, Penny dear! Please don’t startle your old man so much.” The man asked, thumping his chest a little to calm his thundering heart. “I’m not as young as i used to be, you know!”

****

“Oh! I apologise profusely!” Penny bowed her head, only for the inventor to ruffle her hair merrily.

****

“That’s quite alright my dear, you’re young and curious. This is to be expected!” He assured the android. “Well, now that you’re here, is our device functioning properly to heal that young lady?” The Apollo Reactor had been his first great creation, preceding Penny of course, but that was because she used a miniaturized super-prototype version of that reactor in her own framework.

****

Still, the fact that his technology was being used to heal an apparently gravely wounded girl was quite encouraging for the man, he was pleased that his technology was being put to good use.

****

“The subject’s injuries appear to be healing steadily father.” Penny reported, her chipper smile in place. “We still have approximately thirty-eight hours before her condition stabilises.”

****

“I see.” Well, these Kingdoms weren’t built in a day, it would be unfair to expect instant results. Still, the fact that his scaled-up Reactor could properly interface with medical systems and human physiology was another step forward for his research! If the mere prototype could heal grave injuries in two days, imagine how effective the finished version would be when it was properly deployed!

****

“Well, that’s excellent news dear girl!” Percival cried out, leaping forward to hug his little girl in happiness. When he pulled away, he smiled down at her. “Now, is there anything else you want to talk about? Surely you didn’t approach your old man just to talk about work, did you?”

****

His smile dipped slightly when Penny lost her own smile and lowered her head, shuffling nervously and rubbing her hands together.

****

“Penny… what’s the matter? You can ask me anything, I promise I won’t be angry.” The man gently assured the girl, placing a supportive hand on her shoulder and squeezing a little.

****

“Father, am I… malfunctioning?” She asked, her voice quiet and devoid of the usual childlike cheer he was so accustomed to.

****

What?

****

“What? Penny, where did this come from… you’re not malfunctioning at all! I’ve made sure to give you regular diagnostic checks since you were first brought online!” He inventor assured the android, who tilted her head a little. “What’s the matter, Penny?” 

****

“Well… lately I have been experiencing some… unusual occurrences.” The girl explained. Dr Polendina gestured for them to sit down in nearby seats.

****

“Well… what sort of occurrences? What makes you think you’re malfunctioning?” Might as well get straight to the point.

****

“I have been experiencing unusual excess heat buildup within my primary reactor. Sometimes, it feels as if my systems are approaching a critical meltdown, despite my coolant regulators functioning at optimal levels.” Penny explained, still looking a little worried.

****

Percival scratched at the stubble on his chin.

****

“I see, is there any particular _reason…_ or perhaps a trigger for this?” He asked, hoping that Penny might have picked up some sort of pattern somewhere.

****

“I have noticed a certain pattern relating to these malfunctions.” Penny admitted. “It seems that they occur whenever I am around Friend Jaune.”

****

“Eh… who exactly is this ‘Friend Jaune’, Penny?” Percival was curious now, and a little excited leaning forward in his seat. He’d always been telling Penny that she needed to socialise with others to help her learn, maybe she’d finally met someone to talk to?

****

At the mention of him, Penny’s ace lit up with a bright smile once more.

****

“Oh, Friend Jaune is the first real friend I made in Vale! He is a blonde-haired, blue-eyed boy and he is currently training to be a Huntsman at Beacon Academy!”The synth girl explained, with a level of enthusiasm that surpassed even her usual wonder at the workings of the world. And the way her eyes quite literally lit up when she talked about this boy…

****

Percival was VERY curious now.

****

“So… would you say that you and this… Friend Jaune are quite close, Penny?”

****

“Oh yes, very much so!” Penny chirped. “In fact, I even made him aware of… what I am, and he was very accepting! He even told me that, since I could control Aura, I was still a ‘real girl’ even if that comes from your technology, father!” She explained.

****

That brought a real smile to Percival’s face. So, this boy was very equal-opportunity, then! And clearly he could handle his girl’s… eccentricities. He sounded like a very reliable friend for his Penny to have.

****

“Well, that all sounds wonderful Penny! But… what does this have to do with you malfunctioning?” As heartwarming as it was to hear about Penny and her new friend, Percival decided that he needed to get things back on track.

****

“Well, the malfunctions seem to happen whenever I think of Friend Jaune, or whenever he hugs me. I enjoy his hugs very much.” Penny explained, once more bringing a smile to her father’s face.

****

However, his smile froze as Penny began speaking again.

****

“The malfunctions began at the end of our date at the Vytal Festival Fair, when Friend Jaune kissed me on the lips.”

****

_What?_

****

Percival gaped a little at Penny’s explanation. She’d seriously been _kissed_ by this boy!? Then, that meant…

****

“I… I beg your pardon?” He asked, shakily.

****

“Friend Jaune decided that it was a necessary custom to finish off our date.” Penny explained, though he could clearly see a hint of pink in her cheeks. “It was a very enjoyable ki- oh! The malfunction has returned! My core reactor is experiencing an overheat!” The girl reported abruptly, looking panicked now. “What do I do to fi-”

****

Penny’s fretting and pleas for help were interrupted by loud laughter and whoops as Percival began punching the air and even leaping around a little. This continued for a full minute, with the shocked synthetic watching her creator leap around happily, before he picked her up and spun her around quite easily, despite her relative weight.

****

“Ah! F-father, what is it!?” Penny cried out, a little shocked at her creator’s sudden joy and exuberance. The man simply grinned wildly at her.

****

“I’ll tell you my dear! I’ve realised that I’ve managed to create a truly learning and evolving AI, look at you! I'd never imagine that you’d come this far and learn this much, you really are one-of-a-kind my dear, splendid, absolutely splendid!” He crowed, hugging Penny again.

“Don’t worry dear Penny, you aren’t malfunctioning.”

****

“Then… why do my systems overheat when I think about Friend Jaune?” She asked, confused.

****

Percival smiled once more and leaning down to place both hands on his creation’s shoulders.

****

“Because, my dear… you’re in love.”

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

Jaune smiled as he looked over the sprawling grounds of Beacon Academy, the quiet chatter of his fellow students talking and moving about being the only sounds in the area. Nora had demanded that the girls all get together for a meeting, of which Jaune was not privy to be a part of, so he decided to get some fresh air instead. Honestly, it felt kinda good to just sit down and enjoy the peace. Obviously, it couldn’t last forever.

****

“Hey there, buddy!” Daniel called, clapping his friend on the shoulder and making him jump. “Piss off any more psychopaths lately?”

****

Jaune laughed, and shook his head. “I’ve been trying my best not to. How’ve you been, Daniel?”

****

“Not half bad, if I’m being honest.” Daniel answered, tilting his head thoughtfully. “However, your plan regarding ol’ Cindy...well, gives us both a lot to think about, doesn’t it?”

****

Jaune thought for a moment about what Daniel was saying. He...wasn’t wrong. Jaune’s plan was insane, potentially suicidal even, and not just for him! Daniel, Winter, Penny, Neo. Everyone who had agreed to protect him, they’re lives might be traded for his at a moments notice. He was brought out of his dilemma by Daniel’s shoulder bumping his own, a smile on his face.

****

“Hey, don’t sweat it, man.” He said, waving his hand dismissively. “While I got reservations about your taste in allies, I got your back, and clearly they do too.”

****

“...Thank you, Daniel.” Jaune said, smiling back at his friend. “I appreciate it.”

****

“Hey, what else are friends for?” Daniel responded jovielly, before sighing and shaking his head. “Gods, look how far we’ve come. Remember when our lives were simple?”

****

Jaune scoffed, and nodded in agreement. Fighting a super-powered terrorist was definitely a far cry from dealing with family, school, and the like. “What, you mean like we were taking on bullys in high school together, or just fucking around after class with Mel and Mil?”

****

Daniel snickered at the question, remembering the old days. “We got into a lot of shit together, huh? You, me, the Malachites. We were freaking unstoppable.”

****

“Yeah.” Jaune said, before his smile faltered a tad. “Then Mel and Mil moved away, here apparently. They you left for training to get into a hunter academy…so I was alone. Again.”

A brief silence passed between the pair before Jaune spoke again, his smile returning. “Well, at least we’re a team again. I should probably take you to visit them in Vale sometime, maybe after all this stuff with Cinder blows over?”

****

“Yeah, I’d like that buddy.” Daniel said a wide grin on his face. In the back of his mind, however, a silent storm raged. Leaving Jaune behind was always something Daniel would regret. They got back into contact not long after he returned from training, but that was only for a few months before Daniel applied to Beacon, and everything just kinda...fell away. “Hey, silly question. You know you’re my best friend, right?”

****

Jaune arched an eyebrow, and punched his friends arm playfully. “Really? I couldn’t tell!” He said while chuckling, before nodding. “Yeah, I know Daniel. You’re my best friend, too.”

****

Daniel smiled again, and leaned against his best buddy, promising himself that he’d always do whatever was best for Jaune, no matter the cost.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

“So ladies… what’s on the agenda today?” Coco Adel asked the assembled members of team RWBY and team JNPR, plus Velvet.

****

“I dunno, I feel like a lazy day today.” Yang commented, the brawler had a cheeky grin on her face. “I’m still a little sore down under, you know?”

****

“Urgh! We get it! You had lots of sex with Jaune and he really went all out on you! Fine!” Weiss threw up her hands. “You don’t need to keep mentioning it!”

****

“... I was just talking about my legs being sore from all that running I did chasing after who I thought was my Mum.” Yang’s grin turned utterly mischievous as Weiss’ face grew pink. “Why Weiss-cream… I never figured you for a perv… that’s usually Blakey’s thing.”

****

“HEY!” Both the heiress and the ex-terrorist cried out angrily.

****

“Hey, we’re not judging you… too much.” Coco cut in, the fashionista lowering her shades to gaze at the girls. “Mind you, I’m not the only one who wants a piece of that D’Arc again… mmmm, I tell you the way he just took me like that in the bedroom…”

****

“C-Coco!” Velvet squeaked, the bunny glaring at her leader.

****

“What? You were having fun too Vel, if I recall you gave him two whole rounds before you stopped, probably would’ve given him more if I’d not been there to interrupt, right…?” The leader smirked at her teammate, who pulled her ears down over her eyes and whined.

****

This got almost everyone at the table to blush, except Nora, as the Valkyrie decided to take that as a challenge.

****

“Pffftt! I bet Jauney and I could go three rounds of booping!” The ginger declared. “Plus, Pyr’s got lots of stamina too and Renny gets really into it in the bedroom, we’d beat that record no problem!”

****

“This isn’t a team effort, you know.” Blake deadpanned.

****

“Yeah, but it COULD be…” Yang admitted. Off the stunned look she received from her partner, the brawler continued. “C’mon Blakey… think about it, we could all surround him in boobs, he’d be putty in our hands! Well, ‘cept for Weissicle of course…” 

****

“HEY!”

****

“I hope you realise that Ruby’s not legally old enough to consent to sex with Jaune yet.” Ren calmly reminded them. “So you are left with only 3 members.” The ninja girl actually smirked slightly at the other girls, it almost seemed like she was mocking them. “You’ve already noted that Weiss is… lacking in certain areas, whereas we are all quite well prepared. Therefore, we’ll win.”

****

That left the WBY of the team with only one thought in mind.

****

_Wow. who knew Ren could get so competitive like that?_

****

The ‘R’ on the other hand...

****

“But that isn’t fair!” Ruby pouted, the young girl folding her arms and huffing. “Who cares if I’m 2 years younger?! I should be able to do adult things with Jaune if I want to! And if I want him to… to sleep with me, then why shouldn’t we!?” The reaper cried out.

****

“Because legally speaking, it would be statutory rape.” Blake spoke out. “Jaune could go to prison for life for that offence, you know.”

****

Ruby looked somewhere between horrified and crestfallen, only for Yang to scoop her into a hug.

****

“Hey now, c’mon sis… it’s only a few more weeks till your birthday right? That means that you’ll be old enough to go do all those ‘adult things’ with Lover Boy that we’ve done, eh?” The elder sibling reassured the younger. “Just a few more weeks, then you’ll be nice and legal… and hopefully you’ll grow up a bit more before that happens, you’ve already started inheriting big sis’ pride and joy, after all.”

****

At this, Yang nudged her sister’s chest a little bit, smirking down at the flustered younger girl, who pulled her hood over her face as her cheeks grew warm.

****

“Yaaang.” Ruby whined. “Couldn’t you just have stopped at me being old enough? Why’d you have to make everything about sex?!”

****

“‘Cause it’s fun and I’m good at it.” Her sibling replied, causing the scythe-wielder to groan and mumble to herself.

****

“Sup losers, what’s going on?” Another voice interrupted. The girls turned to see Neo, Emerald and Marcie approaching, the latter had a small and curious smile on her face.

****

“Oh… nothing much.” Pyrrha insisted, though Coco evidently did not agree.

****

“We’re talking about which of us would like to get impaled on Arc’s sword.” Coco commented, before adding. “Then it turned into a team contest as to who can make Stud last the longest. My money’s on Bun-Bun and I.”

****

“Really?” Marcie asked, before licking her lips and turning to her comrades. “So ladies? Care to throw our sexy bodies into the ring?”

****

“Oh please. Do you honestly think that _you_ could satisfy him better than us?” Weiss challenged, a little haughtily.

****

“Heh, sure we can Schnee!” Marcie smirked a little before openly fondling her chest and pushing her bust out. “I can give you two big, round and _firm_ reasons why…”

****

“URGH! Why does everyone do that!?” Weiss snarled in frustration.

****

“Heh… sorry Ice Queen, not my fault you’re flat as a board and we’re all plump and juicy. You know what it’s like, right?” The former assassin glanced at NPR, Yang and Velvet. “I mean, I’m just speaking from a glance, but those are some _juicy_ racks right there.” She gave an approving nod.

****

“See? Finally someone gets it!” Yang got up and high-fived the grey-haired beauty, then doing the same to Neo as well. Nora promptly sprang over for a ‘group hug’ that wound up shoving their mounds together. Weiss simply pouted and muttered further about ‘indecency’ while Blake and Ren just shook their heads at their respective partners’ antics.

****

It might have seemed odd that the trio were accepted so easily by the wider group, but after they’d told the girls just how bad their pasts really were and after Jaune had vouched for their trustworthiness, the former villains were integrated fairly well into the wider group.

****

Marcie, for her part, found company in Yang, Nora and Pyrrha, all three of them making excellent sparring partners for the girl. Nora wanted to try and beat her after Marcie had taken her out in the team rounds of the Vytal Tournament. Yang wanted to learn more kick-based combat moves, while Marcie profited from mimicking her fist-based style, both fighters taking the opportunity to shore up the weaknesses of their respective styles. For Pyrrha, the fellow Mistrali presented an opportunity for the champion to truly test and advance her already prodigious skills, Marcie’s training making her a surprising match for the Invincible Girl. Yang also shared Marcie’s sense of humour and enjoyment of teasing their peers, so they swapped jokes back and forth quite regularly.

****

Emerald found company in both Blake and Ren, the trio not really overly social at the best of times. All three were content to while away the time reading a good book, with the dark-skinned street-urchin finding surprising enjoyment in the ‘Ninjas of Love’ book series. Of course, this gave Yang and Marceline another reason to bond, since both enjoyed needling their partners about their mutual interest. Beyond that, the three would often spar together as well, Blake’s Gambol Shroud making her a match for Emerald’s Katsurangas, while both girls could match the former villainess in speed. Blake and Emerald had also begun developing a combined attack based around the former’s shadow clones and the latter’s illusions, thus far, they’d managed to quite handily take on both Yang and the team of Weiss and Ruby with the style. They hoped to improve further, especially with Neo’s own illusion Semblance added in.

****

Speaking of Neopolitan, the last of the villainesses found her companionship in Weiss and Ruby. Despite the… ‘size difference’ between the enforcer and heiress, they got along rather well. Neither of them liked being controlled by anyone, Neo by Cinder and Weiss by her own father. All three had family troubles, and there had been a few tears shed when the inevitable stories of their parents came up in conversation. In a more pleasant vein, Neo’s love of ice-cream turned out to synch well with Ruby’s love of cookies, and both girls regularly snacked on their comfort foods together. With the 4 year age difference between them, Neo had become something of a second big sister to Ruby, surprisingly enough, the former enforcer taking it upon herself to spar with Ruby, their similarly acrobatic fighting styles allowed them to learn quite a lot from one another. 

****

All in all, they’d managed to accept the former bad guys into their ranks reasonably easily, and that was before they’d all bonded over their shared interest… Jaune.

****

Marcie and Neo had quite shamelessly asked for the dirty details from their new friends, once they’d heard that Jaune had in fact claimed most of their virginities already. Coco, Yang, Nora and _Ren_ of all people had been equally shameless in describing Jaune’s… ‘talents’ in the bedroom. By the time their descriptions had ended, Marcie was left practically drooling, Emerald had a luminescent blush, and Neo was fanning herself with her parasol to keep from passing out.

****

The other girls handled it better, but were still a little flustered when they learned what Jaune had done with the foursome. It reminded them of their own experiences, Pyrrha especially. Ruby, meanwhile, couldn’t help but fantasize a little about her own eventual encounter with the knight, her face heating up as her mind conjured images of herself and Jaune… _‘together-together’_.

****

“So… let me get this straight, you banged him... then went out to look for your mum… then you went _back_ to that hotel you stayed at and banged him again!?” Marcie quizzed Yang, to which the brawler simply nodded. “Damn girl… you’re thirsty as hell, even more than miss diabetes on legs over there.” She gestured to Velvet, who cocked her head a little at the nickname, but said nothing.

****

“Yeah, we had a lot of fun with it.” Yang grinned. “But that DOES remind me, you won’t believe who I ran into that knows Lover Boy from his past.”

****

“Who?” Pyrrha asked, the spartan was quite eager to meet more of Jaune’s old friends.

****

“Junior’s enforcers, those Malachite chicks!” Yang exclaimed. “They took one look at Jauney then tackled him in a hug!”

****

“Wait, Junior’s girls have a thing for Jaune?!” Marcie and Emerald both cried, this was news to them. Neo simply raised an eyebrow, apparently she wasn’t the first criminal to have been seduced by Jaune’s charms…

****

“Yeah… they totally had the hots for him back when they were kids, as did about half the girls in his village, according to them. Though, with how dense Jauney can be sometimes, he was quite the clueless heartbreaker.” Yang explained.

****

“You know… maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea if we were to… invite them to join us?” Ren proposed. Off the quizzical looks she got from the other group members, the ninja girl elaborated. “Well, we have no problem sharing Jaune, and they have known him for longer than us, technically… besides, they wouldn’t be the first criminals we’ve decided to include.” Ren gestured to the newly joined trio.

****

“Huh… you’re right Renny!” Nora replied, jumping up again. “Well, I say we can get them in on it!”

****

“It doesn’t sound like too bad an idea.” Blake admitted.

****

“Yeah, they’ve probably got some great stories about Stud back when he was a kid.” Coco agreed.

****

“Plus, Jaune would definitely find a twin threesome super-fucking-hot.” Both Yang and Marcie voiced their opinions at the same time, leading to another high-five (and a chest bump as well, since that _always_ got a rise out of Weiss AND Emerald) between the resident brawling specialists.

****

“What about NDGO?” Pyrrha spoke up. “They… appear to have some interest in Jaune too, from what I’ve observed.”

****

“Well, the more the merrier!” Ruby yelled out.

****

“Huh, well… we’re already inviting those twins into this thing, what’s one more team, right?” Yang spoke up.

****

“So… all those in favour of uh… inviting them, say ‘ay’ then?” Pyrrha suggested.

****

There was a resounding chorus of ‘Ays’ from the girls around the tables.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

_Are you sure you want to do this, Summer?_

****

_“Yes, we need to try and get through to her Jaune… hopefully Alexa and Mirabelle managed to pass my message along, I just need to make sure…”_

****

_If you say so._

****

Jaune was currently standing in the vault beneath Beacon, directly in front of the pod that housed Amber’s comatose form. There was little that was different about the lift support pod from the last time he’d seen it.

****

Now, the large and complex thread of machinery feeding _into_ the pod, all emerging from a large, glowing and thrumming device overhead, _that_ was all new to him.

****

This must be Penny and General Ironwood’s ‘Apollo Reactor’ or at least a larger and less portable prototype version. Now that Jaune looked closely, the pod’s inside was bathed in the same whiteish energy that the Reactor was emitting. Amber’s body flickered with an orange glow intermittently, in time with the energy pulses from the attached machinery.

****

As Jaune approached more closely and squinted his eyes, he could see that the haze of white energy was actually… _solidifying_ in places, coalescing into thin streams of what could only be Aura, streams that wove themselves into Amber’s own glow and reinforced it. This must be her healing, right? Well… at least it was working. Penny had reported that they needed another day or so to ensure that Amber was stable and her Aura was repaired, though there could be complications that might force them to wait longer. Well… at least that was an improvement from ‘unending coma’.

****

_Well, here we go, good luck…_

****

_“Thank Jaune. Don’t worry, I’ll be just fine.”_ The spirit assured him.

****

Jaune placed his hand on the front of the pod, and began calling on his own Aura.

****

For a while, he didn’t feel anything, Summer was still a constant presence in his mind, and his Aura looked to be sitting where it was, as did Amber’s.

****

As he was about to remove his hand, the knight felt a strong pull from within his mind, coinciding with Summer’s presence vanishing, almost as if she’d been… dragged out of his mind. Or maybe even jumped out.

****

Well, all he could do now was wait.

****

……

****

“Oooohhh… I’m going to feel that tomorrow.” Summer whined a little, clutching at her head. The force of jumping from one mindscape to another willingly was quite taxing for her, even as a disembodied soul. 

****

Since Jaune wasn’t in physical contact with Amber like last time, Summer had needed to separate herself from the Arc’s mind, follow the ‘flow’ of Aura into the pod and then merge with Amber’s comatose form. That was quite the journey for her, and it felt her rather fatigued and sluggish.

****

As such, the Huntress didn’t hear the approaching footsteps until it was too late. Before she could move, Summer found herself glomped to the floor by an enthusiastic former Maiden.

****

“Oh my gosh Summer, you came back!” Alexa squealed, hugging her tightly. “See Mira, I told you she’d be back! I so told you!”

****

“You might want to let her up Ali… she looks like she’s having’ trouble breathing there.” The other former Maiden observed, Mirabelle looking on with a small smile. She reached down to haul the surprised Huntress to her feet. “Sorry about that, Ali was… _excited_ waiting for you to come back.”

****

“Well of course I was! Summer’s our new friend, and she promised us that she’d come back!” The blonde chirped, smiling giddily all the while.

****

“Well, looks like you were right Ali.” Then Mirabelle turned to Summer, her expression looked a little more serious. “I take it you want to see the boss now?”

****

‘“The boss’?” Summer questioned, a little confused. Mirabelle shook her head.

****

“Oh, sorry. That’s just what we call the one whose body we’re all sharing at the moment. C’mon, I can take you to Amber.” With that, the Captain set off at a brisk pace, forcing Summer to jog to keep up with her. Alexa, meanwhile, just skipped along with lengthy bounds all the while, humming to herself.

****

“So… you got my message through to her then!?” Summer cried, Mirabelle’s pace ensuring that she did need to raise her voice a little so that it was heard.

****

“Oh yeah, took us all a while since she sealed herself off something tight. But we got to her eventually, told her about what you said, about that new solution you guys have come up with up there in the real world.” At this, the redhead paused and turned, letting Summer catch up. “She’s… hesitant, but more hopeful than last time. She’s not sealing herself off again and actually talking to us, for one thing, so that’s good.”

****

“I… I see.” Summer panted. Her natural Huntress agility and stamina had been depleted by the exertion of actually entering Amber’s consciousness once more, so this brisk job was much more difficult for her than it should’ve been. 

****

Hopefully there would be much further to go.

****

“Well, come on then.” The former Valean Captain set off once more, forcing Summer to keep up.

****

Thankfully, it was not much further to their destination, a small cottage in a wooded grove. Mirabelle paused and indicated the structure while glancing to Summer.

****

“She’s in there. Just… try not to give her false hope, okay? If this solution of yours doesn’t work, then come back here and tell us, alright?” The woman asked, staring sternly at the Huntress before her. “I don’t want this to be some string-along, if we’re stuck here then we deserve to know.”

****

“I promise, if there’s any change, I’ll make sure you all know.” The mother vowed.

****

“Thank you.” With that, the former soldier turned and strode away, probably to go visit Alexa again.

****

Now alone, Summer began approaching the cottage, feeling butterflies welling up in her stomach a little. Despite this, she pushed them down and continued up to the front door. Hesitantly raising her right hand, Summer knocked three times… and waited.

****

After a while, she heard a soft voice call out “Who is it? Is that you Mira?”

****

“Ah, no. It’s Summer, Summer Rose… the visitor from that other host. I wanted to talk to you.” The Huntress replied.

****

“... Ah, I remember you, come on in, the door’s open.” Amber invited her. 

****

Summer pushed the door open and stepped inside, finding herself standing in the living room of the cottage. It looked to be fairly modern in appearance, with Dust-based appliances like dishwashers, a fridge, freezer, and even a medium sized TV with a sofa in the center of the place. There was even a kettle whistling on the counter.

****

“Oh, hi there! You’re Summer right?” That same voice greeted her, except close enough that the woman in question jumped a little, whipping round to find herself face-to-face with the owner.

****

Standing some ways in front of her was a fairly young, dark-skinned brunette woman. She was wearing a white-brown blouse, with brownish trouser leggings. Her back seemed to be covered by some sort of light-brown cloak of some sort, and her blouse had criss-crossing straps over it. Unlike her real-world self, this Amber was completely unblemished by scars or marks, only emphasising her beauty more.

****

Summer couldn’t help but steal a quick glance at her chest, it certainly was _very_ impressive… 

****

_No! That’s rude! Stop it!_

****

Maybe being merged with a teenage boy was starting to affect her after all…

****

“O-oh, yes! Yes I am, it’s nice to meet yo-eeep!” Summer was cut off as Amber pulled her into a hug. 

****

“Oh, that’s really wonderful! You don’t really get many… or ANY new visitors in your own mind, so it’s nice to have some new company, please sit down!” After disengaging, the woman invited Summer to sit down on the sofa.

****

Once they were comfy, Amber decided to resume the conversation.

****

“So… what Mira and Alexa told me… that’s true? That Ozpin’s found another way to help me? That I can get out of this coma?” There was a definite undertone of excitement, since the young woman’s eyes lit up a little as she spoke.

****

“Oh… um, yes. Yes…” Summer replied, a little bit thrown by her immediate focus on that topic.

****

_Calm down Summer, she’s been in this coma for who knows how long, Gods know I was certainly eager to find a way out of that flower…_

****

“Oh, sorry… it’s just, I know I might seem a bit too eager, but-” Amber began, looking a little apologetic.

****

“Oh no! No, it’s fine. I was… actually in a similar situation before I found a way out…” Summer confessed.

****

“Really? What happened to you?” The Maiden tilted her head in curiosity.

****

“I spent 10 years or so as a disembodied soul within a flower before my host came along and… well, rescued me. He didn’t mean to, but I’m he did.” The Huntress explained, not noticing Amber’s grin turning a little coy at that…

****

“‘ _He’_ hhmmm…? So, you and a man are sharing a body…? Gotta say, I’m jealous that you can hit that whenever you like.” Amber’s sudden shift to a more playful tone threw Summer a little bit, as did the sly smile on the other woman’s face. She found her cheeks pinking a little.

****

“I-it isn’t like that, I promise! Jaune and I are very respectful of boundaries, we even have separate spaces in our mind!” Summer protested. Amber only responded with a small shrug and an apologetic smile.

****

“Hehe, sorry… it’s just that, you live with the same group of people for some time, you get to enjoy teasing the newbies when they show up. Lords knows Alexa, Mira and the others did enjoy teasing me in those early months.” Amber now turned contemplative. “Jaune, hmmm? That’s his name? Well, he seems nice if he can respect boundaries like that.”

****

“Yes, and… well, he’s actually only 17 or so, a student at Beacon Academy. I mean… I’m literally old enough to be his _mother,_ for Gods’ sake!”

****

“Oh… well that’s a surprise. So he’s a trainee Hunter then?” Amber questioned.

****

“Yes. In fact… he’s actually the one who suggested that other solution. He was approached by General Ironwood some time ago about taking part in a new project of theirs, regarding a new device that generates artificial Aura. He didn’t do it in the end, but he suggested that perhaps it could be used to help repair the damage to your body and help you out of your coma.” Summer explained.

****

“R-really? He suggested that for me?” Amber aked, a little stunned, and rather touched.

****

“Yes… partly because the alternative was transferring the remainder of your Aura and powers to someone else, and Ozzy had chosen Jaune’s partner as a suitable candidate. Even if the procedure was successful… it would have killed you, and if it wasn’t… you might have wound overwriting his partner’s mind with your own.” Summer continued, earning shocked looks from Amber. “Jaune didn’t want that… he wanted to try and save both of you, if that was possible.”

****

“Oh… t-that’s so sweet.” Amber seemed to be tearing up a little, quickly wiping her eyes with a nearby box of tissues. “Sounds like you’ve found a very nice guy for yourself, sounds like the sort of guy I’d like to know.” She observed.

****

“Yes, yes he is… and he’s made lots of wonderful friends too, including my actual daughters. Ruby and Yang.” Summer smiled and felt a tear prick at her eye. “I’m… just glad that they’ve grown into such strong, confident and kind young women.”

****

Amber leaned over and put a supportive hand on her shoulder.

****

“Well, I’m sure they've got their kickass Huntress mum to thank for that, right? I mean, your outfit doesn’t exactly scream ‘soldier’ or ‘civilian’ you know.”

****

Summer giggled a little.

****

“Yes… and their father and uncle helped a lot after I… passed on. Ruby takes a lot after her Uncle Qrow, she uses a similar weapon and fighting style. Yang takes more after Tai… they both just use their fists, and they’re both stubborn and hot headed at times…” That last part turned into a little bit of a grumble.

****

“But you wouldn’t trade them for anything, right?”

****

“No. No I wouldn’t, they’re my family and I’ll always love them.” Summer found herself getting a little teary-eyed, so she wiped her own nose with the pack of tissues offered by Amber.

****

“Even Jaune?” Amber asked, cheekily. “You’ve had a lot of nice things to say about him, you know…”

****

“Yes, even Jaune. He’s been… so wonderful and good to me all the time. He let me… he let me have some closure about my death, you know. My girls took him to visit my grave when he met Tai at Patch. He let me take over so that I could just… talk to my little girls one more time. He managed to disguise it as something I might’ve said but… it still felt really good to talk to them again… to just hold my babies again and tell them I love them…” Now, the Huntress was openly crying.

****

Even Amber couldn’t help but feel teary-eyed at that, the more she heard about this ‘Jaune’, the more she got to liking him. He sounded like the sort of person who’d never hesitate to help others in need, someone like her…

****

Call it needy, or desperate, but Amber… was lonely. She’d been lonely even before being put in this coma. The life of the Fall Maiden was not a sedentary one, she was constantly on the move, never staying in one place too long. She could never form long-term attachments, partly because she never knew when she’d see them again, but mostly because attachments could be exploited to lure her into an ambush.

****

Amber would not have innocent people put in danger simply because someone wanted to get to her.

****

After so long of having no one to rely on, no one to support her or care about her… honestly? Amber just wanted someone she could call a friend. Someone she could lean on when she needed it.

****

Summer talking again pulled her attention back to the conversation.

****

“He even helped pull out of a pretty bad funk. He had a talk with Tai, late at night, about the past. I was so upset and I just wanted to apologise for everything I’d done wrong, and then Tai admitted that… that he’d hated me f-for a while after I d-died.” The mother’s voice began to waver as she continued on. “I-I was so upset… I locked myself away, I didn’t want to hurt anyone else. But Jaune… he wouldn’t accept that, he followed me and found me… talked sense into me again, let me know that I was still loved and wanted. Even Tai told him that it was irrational of him to hate me… he just wanted someone to blame, but I didn’t see that. Thank goodness for Jaune helping me set my head on straight…”

****

“Wow… sounds like he went above and beyond for you.” Amber commented, still a bit stunned from the previous news… and increasingly engrossed in her own thoughts about the blonde knight.

****

“Yes, he really did… I was so happy that he was there for me. And I thought about everything else he’d done for me and I… I…” At this, her tears began to dry up, only to be replaced with a steadily growing blush.

****

“Yeah?” Amber asked, leaning forward a little, sensing something interesting was about to come up.

****

“I kissed him.” Summer whispered.

****

“What was th-” Amber began to ask, only for the other woman to blurt out ”I KISSED HIM!”  at _considerable_ volume.

****

Summer pulled her white hood over her head in response, trying to hide her luminescent blush. The blush only got worse when Amber let out a whistle.

****

“Wow… so you say there’s nothing going on between you and this Jaune guy… then you admit that you frenched him after he helped you? Yep… sounds totally platonic to me.” The Maiden giggled a little, though sporting a slight blush herself at the thought of… being _kissed._ She’d never been kissed.

****

“I… I was just very emotional!” Summer cried out. “I just wanted to thank him is all!”

****

“Riiight… so, did you like it?” Amber asked unashamedly.

****

“AMBER!” The Huntress practically shrieked, embarrassment written across her features.

****

“What? It’s a fair question, right? Besides, it’s platonic between you two so it can’t have been too enj-” Amber cut herself off on seeing Summer ‘eep!’ and hide behind her hood. A cheeky smirk crossed the Fall Maiden’s lips. “Oh… I see, you did like it didn’t you?”

****

“I-I didn’t!”

****

“Then why are you blushing so much and hiding your face hmm? Come on Summer, we’re both women here, you can tell me… it isn’t like Jaune’s going to know, is it?” Amber urged, quite eager for more juicy details, being cooped up in her own mind had left the woman incredibly bored.

****

“I liked it, okay? I… I really liked it, liked him…” Summer finally admitted. Her blush was very much present, but she wasn’t hiding her face anymore. “It felt really nice kissing him, Jaune’s a real sweetie and… very easy to lov-like!” She hastily corrected, though Amber was quick to catch on.

****

“So… you _love_ him do you?” Off Summer’s very hesitant nod. “You know… I’m not surprised, really. After everything you’ve told me about him, plus the fact that you live in his mind, which means that you’ve been there for all of his heroics and kind moments, well… I’d be more concerned if you _didn’t_ start liking him.” Amber offered helpfully.

****

“Well, I-I know but… w-we’re very different ages! I’m the mum of one of his best friends for God’s sake!” Summer insisted.

****

“So…? Age is just a number in the mindscape you know… and since you control your mind and your form in there, you can look as old or young as you want.” The Maiden revealed, causing the Huntress to gawk a little.

****

“R-really? That’s a thing?”

****

“I assume you’ve seen how I look in the real world, right?” Off Summer’s nod, Amber pointed at her face. “What’s the first thing you likely noticed about me when you saw me? I mean… besides the obvious, of course?” The woman gave her chest a good bounce and wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, only to laugh when Summer huffed and looked away in embarrassment.

****

“I-it was your scars. You don’t have them here.”

****

“There you go! This is just how I CHOOSE to appear in the mindscape, see? And if I can get rid of those ugly scars… then you can decide to be young and hot again… well, hotter than usual.” She winked at a flustered Summer.

****

“Um, I-I’m not…” She began, only to be cut off by another bark of laughter from Amber.

****

“Me neither, but it’s fun to see an older woman get flustered, you know?”

****

Summer just groaned. Is this how Jaune felt when she teased him all the time? Well, at least now she knew his pain.

****

“But seriously, if I did decide to swing that way… I wouldn’t mind giving you a shot. I’m sure you’ve heard what kids might call an older lady like you… especially given that you’ve got kids.” Amber mentioned, nonchalantly.

****

This just caused Summer to place her head in her hands and whispered “why me…?”

****

“Aaaww, don’t worry about it, Summer.” Amber reassured her, patting the Huntress on the shoulder. “I’m just messing with you. Besides, I’m sure Jaune thinks about you a lot too… you know how teen boys are around lovely ladies with great racks.” She smirked a little nonetheless.

****

“Can we NOT talk about my love life for a few moments!?” Summer burst out in exasperation.

****

“Okay then, what do you want to talk about?” Amber chirped, unbothered by the sudden topic change.

****

Summer sighed, taking an opportunity to calm down a bit, before she perked up at the next bit of news.

****

“Well, I may not be able to stay too much longer, but Jaune tells me that we’ve only got to wait a day or so more for you to be fully healed, at least if all goes well. Isn’t that great!?”

****

“Really!? That’s wonderful!” Amber cried, suddenly much more chirpy than she’d been even when teasing Summer. “I can’t wait to finally be able to walk around and talk to people again! I can actually eat real food , breathe real air, meet people and just… be a normal person again!” The woman seemed very giddy at the thought of that, at least until her face darkened.

****

“Not to mention find the bitch that put me into this coma, and _make. Her._ **_Pay._ **” She snarled out, Summer recoiled slightly at the hostility in her normally cheerful young woman’s voice, as well as the orange flames that began to burn in her eyes. After a few moments, the young woman realised exactly what she was doing, and saw Summer’s shocked look.

****

“S-sorry.” The Fall Maiden apologised, managing to reign in her anger, the flames vanishing from her eyes as she calmed down. “It’s just that… when you’ve been trapped in a coma for about 3 years, you do sort of want to get even with the one responsible. Especially when they’re as cocky and arrogant as that dark-haired twat that came after me”

****

“You mean Cinder?” Summer asked impulsively.

****

Amber’s gaze focused immediately on the Huntress, her eyes wide.

****

“You mean… you-ah, I mean _Jaune’s_ met her?! When!?” She demanded.

****

“She was posing as a Haven Academy student to try and infiltrate Beacon.” Summer admitted, earning a small gasp from the other woman. “She was trying to find you and… finish what she started, as well as kill Ozzy in the process.” Amber looked both shocked and not by that information, well Cinder had tried to kill her once already… but to try and kill Ozpin too?

****

“But! Luckily, Jaune managed to figure out what she was up to and alert the teachers in time for her to be stopped.” Summer continued, noticing Amber’s sigh of relief. “Now… we don’t know quite where she is, but she’s probably preparing to attack Beacon again. If she does, they’ll be ready for her… some of her ‘underlings’ recently came and turned themselves in, wanting to cooperate with us. They mostly did it because, well… because Jaune was kind to them when no one else was and they wanted to repay him.” The Huntress admitted.

****

It took a moment for Amber to process everything she’d just heard, but once she did, a sly smile spread across her face once more.

****

“These… informants, or turncoats… or whatever, they wouldn’t happen to be girls about his age, would they?” She asked, cheekily.

****

“Yes… yes they all are.” Summer sighed.

****

“Wow… your boy’s got a quite a way with the ladies doesn’t he? Better hope they’re not competition or anything…” The other woman groaned in response once more, slapping her forehead with her palm.

****

“ANYWAY… I really should be getting back, Jaune might get worried if I stay here too long.”

****

“Oh I’m sure, you go running back to your knight in shining armor.” Amber sang, in significantly better spirits than she’d been for a long while, the woman was quite eager to get back on her feet! And hopefully, meet this ‘Jaune’ who had managed to both save her life and capture her interest…

****

“ _Alright then…_ ” Summer spoke through gritted teeth. Well, now she definitely knew how Jaune felt when she teased him…

****

“Oh and… could you tell Jaune I said ‘Hi, and thanks for saving my life’?” Amber asked.

****

“Of course.”

****

“Well, if I don’t see you again, it was nice meeting you Summer!” The Fall Maiden chirped as she sprang forward, taking the Huntress into one last hug.

****

“It was nice meeting you t- wait, are you feeling me up…?”

****

“See, I told you there was a hot and sexy body lurking under that corset and skirt…. Just swing those hips like a pendulum and Jaune’ll be putty in your hands in no time.” Amber commented.

****

“I… I actually think I might hate you.”

****

“No you don’t~”

****

“Damn it…”

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

Jaune flinched a little as he felt the familiar presence of Summer Rose catapult back into his mind.

****

_There you are! Everything okay with Amber? Did she get the message?_

****

_“Oh uh… y-yeah, message received, it’s fine!”_ Summer hastily replied. " _O-oh, she says 'Hi, and thanks for saving my life' by the way!"_

****

_Oh, well... she's quite welcome. Um… are you okay? You seem a bit flustered…_

****

_“Oh no! I-I’m fine, e-everything’s fine! I’m fine and completely un-violated right now!”_ Summer squeaked out, causing the knight to raise an eyebrow.

****

_What was that last bit?_

****

_“Absolutely nothing! Come on, don’t we h-have other girls to meet, I-I’m sure they’re all missing you right now!”_

****

Shrugging his shoulders at the weird behaviour of the soul in his head, Jaune turned and began making his way out of the vault.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


	49. Showdown at Amity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With her plan falling apart, Cinder faces Jaune and his allies in Amity Colosseum. This is the beginning of the end, and blood will be shed before all is said and done.  
> Who will stand and who will fall?

Cinder Fall drummed her fingers idly on the hardwood table in the warehouse she was residing in. It had been a day since her associates had left, and no contact had been made. Being brutally honest with herself, Cinder found herself worried for her teammates. Granted, that was mainly because if they were caught, they could ruin her plan.

****

“Where are they?” She growled to herself, ceasing her drumming and sitting up. Suddenly, a knock at the far side of the warehouse caught her attention. She stood up, expecting the voice of one of her underlings to pass through the door. She was wrong.

****

“Vale Police Department, open up!” A harsh voice barked, making Cinder’s eyes go wide. How the hell did they find her?! She didn’t stop to think about it, quickly rushing to the back of the warehouse and switching off the power. The building went dark, and the distant sound of splintering wood alerted her that the police were forcing their way in. She sprinted through the rows of empty shelves, before finding herself at the second exit. She yanked the door open, to come face to face with two surprised officers.

****

 A sound didn’t even leave either of their mouths as she cracked one across the jaw, before round housing the other into the side of the door. She drew her blades, tempted to make sure they both stayed down. She looked at their unconscious forms, and shook her head. No need to spill more blood.

****

With that, she ran. She ran through the backroads and alleyways of Vale’s cityscape until she reached a park, finally slowing down. She released a set of ragged breaths, her mind clouded with rage, and a touch of fear. _How?! How did they find me?!_ She asked mentally, before she shook her head, clearing it. _No matter. I suppose I just have to move up my timetable._

****

Cinder sighed, finally composed once more, and took out her scroll. She’d need to contact Roman, as well as that faunus that worked with the White Fang. Eve, she believed. Her finger hovered over the number, before another one suddenly popped up. An...incoming call. From Jaune. Fucking. ARC.

****

She answered the call smoothly, keeping her voice neutral. “Yes?”

 

“Aw, hey Cindy! I was just thinking about-gah, these pretzels suck.” Jaune interrupted himself, the sound of crinkling plastic briefly filtering through the speaker followed by his voice again. “How you been, buddy? I was just thinking about the good times. You know, our debate about teams, me thrashing your ass in the tournament, you threatening me and planting an arrow in my chest? Heh, good times, right?”

****

Despite herself, Cinder almost laughed at Jaune’s jovial tone, before straightening herself out. “Oh, indeed they were.” She said, before her tone took a flirty quality. “Any chance you’re up for making some more?”

****

“Why, you offering?” He hummed in response, his smirk practically audible. “Tell you what, meet me at Amity colosseum, and we’ll talk about it over a drink. I mean, we’re both respectable individuals, I’m sure we can come to an agreement.”

****

“It’s a date, Arc.” She responded, before disconnecting the call and exiting the park. She knew where he was, and she knew he was alone. If everything else was falling apart, she might as well have a little fun before she finishes this.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

Amber blinked her eyes, unprepared for the sudden darkness. 

****

“Ugh, what the...Mira? Alexa?” She called, only for her voice to echo in the dark void. “Fantastic.” She growled, before an unexpected flicker of light shocked her. “Um, hello?”

  
She received no verbal response, but the light flickered in response. Amber cocked her head, before beginning to walk towards the light. With every step, the light flickered further, glowing a little brighter.

****

Amber’s heart began to thud, especially since the closer she got to the light, the warmer her body felt. There was a… _tingling_ feeling, similar to the one experienced when blood returns to a limb. That feeling gave her hope.

****

_Could it be…?_

****

Well, Summer had told her that she’d be fully healed in about a day or two the last time they spoke. Could this be it? Was she healthy enough to… to actually _return_?

****

Soon enough, Amber was running to the light, which was getting larger and larger with every step. The warmth and tingling both spread further and further, invigorating the woman with every step, despite how her legs tired, her heart thundered.

****

_“Bye Amber! Remember to come visit us some time when you’re asleep!”_ Alexa’s cheery voice called out, Amber found the image of her fellow Maiden waving her goodbye passing through her mind’s eye.

****

_“Good luck out there, soldier.”_ Came Mira’s more formal tone. “ _There’s a world out there that still needs protecting. We might not be able to do it anymore… but you’ve still got a duty. Make us proud.”_ A flash of the captain saluting her flashed through Amber’s mind this time, she snapped off a quick salute in reply.

****

_Goodbye you two, say bye to the others for me!_ She called back, as the light began engulfing her entirely, the warmth almost unbearable.

****

_“Bye bye Amber!”_

****

_“See you kiddo.”_

****

Finally, with all of the energy in her legs, she launched forward, through the light.

****

Whereas before, it felt as if she was falling. But now, she soared, higher and faster than she’d ever reached before. She felt… _free_ , she felt uninhibited, full of energy… as if _anything_ was possible!

****

And then her eyes opened.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

“Well, she’s on her way.” Ironwood said, putting down his scroll with a solemn look on his face. “I wished Mr. Arc the best of luck, he certainly needs it.”

****

“I concur.” Glynda said, her arms crossed and a look on her face somewhere between angry and concerned. “When he returns, we are going to have a long talk about the benefits of self preservation.”

****

“I’m sure he’ll be glad to hear it, Glynda.” Ozpin commented, before the sudden buzzing of his scroll, as well as the scrolls of his associates caught his attention. “What is it?”

Ironwood’s face briefly turned panicked as he turned the scroll to Ozpin, the bold text on the screen a frightening sight indeed.

****

**Subject: Amber**

**Status: LOST**

**No results detected.**

****

Ozpin was on his feet in an instant, quickly striding over to the elevator, joined by the general and Witch a moment later. The ride couldn’t have been longer than a few seconds, but the wait was unbearable. 

****

Finally, the door opened, and the three sprinted to the vault. The vault was already open, and as the three entered, they found the Specialists assigned to protect Amber standing alongside Penny, all in the doorway. 

****

“Ms. Polendina, what is...going…” Ironwood thundered, before tapering off as he saw what they had been staring at.

****

Amber’s pod was empty, the glass had been shattered.

****

Floating high above, in the middle of vault, surrounded by a maelstrom of lightning, wind, ice and fire, was Amber. Her eyes burned with the fire of the Fall Maiden, the energy projected into a spherical bubble around her levitating form. Her expression was fierce, and then she opened her mouth, speaking just three words.

****

“ **Bring. ME.** **_CINDER._** ”

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

****

Cinder touched down in front of Amity colosseum quickly and quietly, even if it seemed like there was no one else around, it never hurt to be cautious, considering that there was a Vale Police manhunt after her.

****

No matter, she was here for one reason and one reason alone… killing the foolish boy that had plagued her for far too long.

****

Hopefully, she could find him, kill him and then rendezvous with her associates in time for the renewed attack on Beacon. She would make sure to find and kill the Fall Maiden, absorbing the rest of the power that was rightfully hers, before attacking Ozpin. That fool wouldn’t be able to withstand the full might of her power once she acquired the rest. Nothing would get in her way this time.

****

The would-be Maiden made her way inside the deserted colosseum, with only one goal in mind, and one target. Summoning a flame to light the darkened corridor, Cinder made her way slowly down the cold hallway, always on guard for any possible ambushes and surprise attacks from the shadows.

****

“Where are you…?” She found herself muttering out loud. The knight had been on her mind ever since he’d called her. She wondered what she could expect from him this time, what sort of tricks would he use against her? Whose Semblances would he pull from his repertoire to combat her in this fight?

****

Or… perhaps there would be no tricks from him. Perhaps he would simply charge her, clashing with her in close combat only. Perhaps he would push against her with those strong arms, blade to blade… shield to forearm… close enough that she’d be able to see his deep blue eyes and smell the sweat from his muscular form…

****

_No! NO! Do NOT go back there again! I refuse to think about or be sidetracked by Arc’s… muscles and his… p-physique… NO! I AM HERE TO KILL HIM, NOT FLIRT WITH HIM!_ The woman raged inwardly, forcing down the traitorous thoughts that welled up from her long-buried emotional side. 

****

After she was finished with Arc, she would devote the proper time to hunting down and crushing the last remnants of her treasonous mind and purging these troublesome emotions for good.

****

“So… you miss me Cindy?” Despite the previous inner rant, Cinder could not stop her heart from skipping a beat at the sound of that voice… _his_ voice.

****

Whirling around, she saw that he was standing there, near the first leftward split-off corridor she passed. He didn’t look scared… if anything, he looked almost… _cocky?_ Was… was that a _smirk_ on this face!?

****

“ARC!!” Cinder screeched, her rage spiking at the sight of his completely unafraid expression. The woman broke into a sprint towards him, summoning her glass blades and lunging toward the boy, intent on skewering him and wiping that damned smirk from his face.

****

Jaune simply turned and waltzed around the corner before she could get there. Cinder snarled in anger, before chasing him around into the corridor…

****

Only to find that the knight was gone.

****

A loud and furious “WHAT!?” tore itself from her throat. Where could he be!? He’d been out of her sight for a few seconds at best, how had he managed to elude her!? Her anger only intensified when she heard his laugh echo through the corridors.

****

“Hehehehe… come on Ella, what’s the matter? Can’t find one guy in a stadium, I’m a bit disappointed, honestly…” He was actively _mocking her_ now…? HER!? Did he have a deathwish or something!? Did he not remember what had happened to him the last time they encountered each other!?

****

A small, small, _small_ part of her was actually impressed with the boy’s gall, there were not many who dared to taunt her so brazenly like that… if he was that confident in battle, then how confident would he be in the bedroom… when he pushed her down onto the bed and dominat-

****

_NO! NO NO NO!! STOP THIS MADNESS!! STOP IT!_

****

“Where are you Arc!? You summoned me here to match your strength against mine! Are you too afraid to fight me head on!?” Cinder called into the darkness, now lit up by the fireball she’d summoned from her hands.

****

“Oh… not afraid… _smart_ maybe… but not afraid.” That voice again, that irritating… _confident…_ **_mocking voice_ **. He made her burn with anger… and the smallest sliver of approval.

****

“ENOUGH GAMES you FOOL! SHOW YOURSELF!!” She roared, tired of her prey evading her.

****

“Alrighty then Ella… or do you prefer Cinder? Which _is it_ with you these days? I can never remember… what’s next, you’ll come back as ‘Ember’ or something?” This time, Jaune strolled casually into view at the end of the corridor, hands in pockets, smirk in place.

****

“So… care to try again?” He held his arms out wide and bowed. “I’m right where you want me… so come on.”

****

Cinder flew straight at him swords outstretched and teeth bared in a furious snarl. She’d kill him here and n-

****

And then she found herself crashing headlong into the wall at the end of the corridor. Pushing herself up with a confused cry, Cinder whirled around to find Jaune finishing up _quite_ the impressive jump-flip. He landed gracefully, and laughed at her in reply.

****

“What? You didn’t know I could do that?” He winked. “Seven sisters means a guy can’t really avoid learning to dance. Least it’s useful here, right?”

****

Cinder moved again, charging angrily, this time launching into a spinning kick aimed at caving his torso in. He’d not jump over her again…

****

He didn’t jump over her, he practically limbered under it this time, taking the opportunity to lash a kick into her stomach as she passed overhead, this set the usurper Maiden tumbling into the nearby side wall under her own momentum.

****

“Heh, wow… and I thought I was clumsy.” Okay, now he really DID need to die. Right NOW.

****

He’d never been that acrobatic before… but it didn’t matter, no matter how many fancy new tricks the admittedly resourceful boy could pull from his sleeve, she would cut him down here and now. She could prove which of them was RIGHTFULLY superior.

****

Cinder screamed in rage and flames began to surround her figure. Looking up, she saw that Jaune was, once again, no longer there. He’d evaded her… **again!**

****

Well, no longer.

****

Cinder simply flew directly through the opposite wall, then the next one, then the next one, then the _next_ one. Finally, she came to the final hallway, only to stop in mid-air as she heard her hated nemesis again.

****

“So, knocking things down again? Yeah… you’re good at that. Probably the only thing you’re good at.”

****

“How DARE you.” Cinder snarled.

****

“Easily.” Jaune waltzed into view again, smiling and folding his arms, he leant against the wall. “You’re not very good at killing people, are you? Couldn’t kill the Fall Maiden whose power you stole, couldn’t kill the Headmaster, and… couldn’t kill _me,_ either.” He bowed once more. “Your combat record looks pretty terrible thus far.”

****

This time, she didn’t bother to charge toward him, she just hurled a wave of flame down the entire length of the corridor. Nothing would survive that and even if he DID, his Aura would be low enough that she could just butcher him where he st-

****

_No. No no no NO. WHAT!?_

****

Arc was just… standing there. _Completely unharmed!_ WHAT WAS HAPPENI-

****

Oh… now she understood. She could see the small flickering at the edges of his form, his _transparent_ form.

****

An _illusion._ So… he was co-opting Emerald’s Semblance to use against her, was he? Useless, utterly useless. She’d cut him down regardless of how many _fakes_ she needed to wade through.

****

Jaune tilted his head and sighed a little, throwing up his hands in apparent surrender.

****

“Welp… guess you’ve figured out my newest trick. I still got’cha though, right? Admit it, you thought this was the real deal up till now, didn’t you?” 

****

“ENOUGH. MIND. GAMES.” Cinder snapped, thoroughly fed up with his distractions. “ _Where. Are. You_?”

****

“The arena, of course! Where else would we have our showdown?” Jaune tilted his head again and smirked. “Well, meet you there Cindy.” Before his form dissolved and vanished from sight.

****

Cinder wasted no time in flying as fast as possible to the central arena. Arriving at the main entryway, she touched down and began her slow walk out to the main stadium. Her feet were leaving burning indents in the ground now, her eyes were burning with indignant fury. This boy had humiliated her far too much already.

****

All it took was a few moments of walking for her gaze to find him. There he was. The pain in her side, the spanner in the works of her otherwise perfect plans. The boy who defied her, humiliated her, who even beat her once… **once.** NO MORE.

****

Cinder strolled forward, forcing herself to try and calm down. That was how he beat her last time, capitalising on her temper to trick her, to blindside her. That wouldn’t work again.

****

“Arc.” She acknowledged as she stopped, only a few feet away. His sword seemed to be sparking with electricity, so she lit up her hands with fire in return.

****

“Cinder.” The boy returned. He sighed, taking a deep breath. “Yeah… that’s the right name for you. Much more threatening than Ella.”

****

“I take it that my… underlings have failed?” She’d not received a single word back from them since infiltrating Beacon, there was no other explanation. Well, there was _one_ other… but it was inconceivable.

****

Jaune did not reply. Cinder sighed in return.

****

“Your… _interference_ has cost me _greatly._ But still… I no longer need their help. At the very least, they have brought me here. One step closer to my goal.” The prospective Maiden took another step closer.

****

“You might regret that they did, honestly… they brought you face to face with me again.” Jaune warned her.

****

“You think I fear _you_ , YOU?” Cinder actually laughed out loud at that. “Oh please… don’t flatter yourself. You are simply an obstacle… an _annoyance. Nothing_ more.”

****

“Really? Well, I consider myself a pretty decent obstacle, considering you’ve tried and failed to kill me… what? Three times now? Four? I’ve lost count.” Jaune shot back, smirking again.

****

“Obviously, this will be the last time. I intend to do now what my underlings failed to do before. Though I _am_ pleased that you chose this place… it is a fitting grave for one such as you.” Cinder explained.

****

“One such as me’ hmmm? A Hunter?”

****

“Yes… a fool who clings to and helps enforce some delusion of order and civilisation. Look around you.” Cinder spread her arms up to include the colosseum. “Look at this place, look at what it _represents._ ”

****

“A hard-earned peace brought through Vale’s victory in the Great War?” Jaune questioned.

****

“NO. False peace, false security, false cooperation. Even when the kingdoms claim to co-operate they still compete, still try to one-up another. Military conflict has been replaced with petty political bickering. This is not the way the world should be. This existence is _flawed_ , it needs correcting.”

****

“And you’re going to be the one to do that, are you?”

****

“Yes. With the power of the Fall Maiden in hand, I will lead the Mistress’ chosen to tear down these pathetic ringed cities, these weakling kingdoms that have stagnated and grown sickly… to usher in a _new_ age. An age where all that matters is skill and strength, not ideals or intentions. The strong will survive, and the _weak_ will be _culled._ Our species will grow strong again, even if it means they need to kill one another to do so.”

****

“With yourself at the top, I assume?” Jaune raised an eyebrow.

****

“Of course. Who else but me should deserve to rule over our people in the new age? Who else but the architect of the new world?” An arrogant grin split her face as Cinder continued. “All my work, all my plans… I _deserve_ to rule.”

****

“So… you’re talking about Genocide for our own good, then?” Jaune spat out.

****

“As I said… the weak have no place in the world of the future, if they must die to sustain the strong… then they are acceptable losses.” Cinder flicked her hand carelessly. “Besides, I will prove myself worthy to rule in due time, my work will prove that adequately… the greatest of changes require the strongest of wills.”

****

“And I take it you’re not going to surrender? There’s no way I can talk you out of this?”

****

“No.”

****

 In reply, Jaune pulled out a small wrist-mounted device, which he attached to his left arm. As he clicked the button to activate the device, his form glowed a bright white for a brief second before the glow faded, though a faint white outline still remained. Cinder merely raised her eyebrows again.

****

“Another trick of yours, Arc?” She questioned.

****

“Just something from Atlas… generates artificial Aura to help augment my own. Well… General Ironwood DID say he wanted me to test it out…” The knight grinned.

****

“Such power… _give it to me._ ” Cinder growled.

****

“Sorry, it’s not for sale.”

****

“Then I will _pry_ it from your _cold, dead hands_.” 

****

“Well then…” Jaune raised Crocea Mors in front of his head, slipping into a combat stance as the blade crackled with energy from the Lightning Dust. “I think you’ll find our will to be more than a match for yours.”

****

“ _Our_?” Cinder questioned, raising an eyebrow and assuming her own stance. “Ah… you did not come alone.”

****

Jaune gritted his teeth, before opened his mouth and yelling.

****

“ATTACK!”

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

In an instant, the entire area around Cinder was lacerated with automatic and Dust-augmented bombardment as a full 6 people came swarming into the arena when Jaune gave the word.

****

Pyrrha fired Milo with pinpoint accuracy, aiming for the head every time with nary a tremor in her aiming hand. She’d seen what this woman was capable of, and after learning just how much she hated Jaune, the spartan was prepared to do ANYTHING to keep her away from the leader of team JNPR

****

Winter threw out barrage after barrage of Dust attacks, her rapier having been modified by Atlas’ tech division to incorporate Dust like her younger sibling’s. The Specialist took no chances and, like the redheaded Mistrali champion, her aim was spot-on with each barrage.

****

Emerald and Marcie both fired their weapons on full-auto, unloading every last round they carried into the figure of their former employer. Marcie in particular had a savage grin on her face at finally being able to kick that smug smirk off the flame-wielding woman’s face, while Emerald simply looked determined to end this.

****

Jaune hung back, swinging his blade to send out waves of ice, lightning and flame from the various Dust strips, flipping between them as Winter did. He might not be able to use his Semblance anymore, but he could still fight without it, he’d been training with Pyrrha and the others in between the downtime. The knight steeled himself as he continued to barrage Cinder with Dust attacks.

****

Finally, the real firepower was being brought up by Daniel. The young Specialist was flying above the rest in his Sentinel Armor, all weapons fully deployed and targeting the renegade proto-Maiden. His repulsors were lit up as their twin beams attacked Cinder directly, while the missile packs and back-mounted chain gun raked the ground underneath her, churning the landscape as the man continued his assault.

****

The assault continued for a full minute, until…

****

“CEASE FIRE!” Winter called, holding up her hand to signal the others, who obeyed. The group ceased the collective barrage, while squinting at the conflagration their attacks had generated. The dust and mud they’d kicked up still obscured their vision, so they couldn’t tell whether or not Cinder had survived.

****

Still, given the sheer amount or ordinance they, especially Daniel, had eviscerated the surrounding area with, she couldn’t really have survived that… right?

****

“Hah… hah… get dunked on, you stupid bitch.” Marcie panted, the exertion of continually kicking her legs to activate her prosthetics’ guns had started to wear on the former assassin. Still, there was a triumphant grin on her face, she was finally rid of that controlling, arrogant and monstrous bitch at last!

****

Emerald simply stood there with shaking hands, one of the one hand, she was relieved to finally be free of Cinder and her toxic influence on the girl’s life and morals. But on the other… Cinder HAD been the one to take her in and train her, and despite everything that she’d done and all the abuse she’d unwittingly taken from the prospective Maiden, Emerald could not help but feel a twinge of sadness at her being gone.

****

Neo, like Marceline, looked pleased. She had hated Cinder from the first moment she’d waltzed into Roman’s latest hideout and essentially forced them to work for her. Oh sure, she’d provided a big enough carrot to obey her… but not quite enough for them to forget the much larger _stick_ waiting for them if they disobeyed, that being the threat of death naturally. So… for Neo to finally be able to get rid of her? Well… that felt really good, Cinder was one of the few people Neo didn’t mind killing, and she was sure that the world wouldn’t miss her.

****

Winter and Daniel both stared at the conflagration, each of them wearing a look of grim satisfaction, though in Daniel’s case he was similarly triumphant as Neo and Marcie. For Winter, this was a successful neutralisation of an empowered threat to society… as well as someone who had harmed her boyfriend, and attempted to harm her sister via attacking the academy she attended. That thought turned Winter’s gaze cold, her fists steadily clenching as she thought about how Weiss might’ve lost her life to this woman’s machinations. Thankfully, she was safe now.

****

For Daniel, the gunslinger-turned-Specialist-turned-pilot was simply pleased that he could both protect his best friend and avenge the deaths of his team. The man had spent many sleepless nights planning his revenge against Cinder, and now… to be one of the people who finally put her down for good? That was a very good feeling indeed.

****

Pyrrha, the last combatant, simply stood locked in place with her hands gripping Milo tightly. She’d never actually… _killed_ anyone before, her tournament matches were tightly controlled to ensure that no one could get seriously injured accidentally. Even though she had tried to prepare herself for the inevitability of taking another human life in her chosen profession, she was still not fully prepared to face the reality. The girl’s breathing was shallow and stiff… she felt like she might be about to throw up… until a hand found her shoulder.

****

Pyrrha turned to find her beloved partner, leader and boyfriend staring at her with concern in his eyes.

****

“Are… are you okay?” He asked, tentatively.

****

“I… I’’’ be okay. It just… I wasn’t quite prepared for the reality of… taking a life.” Pyrrha admitted.

****

“Yeah, me neither.” Jaune admitted, the knight was himself shaking a little from the adrenaline. “But hey… at least it’s over now, right?

****

“ **Not. Quite. YET.** ”

****

The duo whirled around to find the smoke was finally clearing, but when they saw the reason why… and heard that voice, their hearts froze.

****

As the smoke and dust churned up by the weapon impacts began to fade, an orange glow began to make itself known. After only a few moments, the glow cleared the dust away entirely, and everyone froze just the same.

****

There, in the center of a burning orange sphere, stood Cinder. Eyes blazing bright and swords at the ready.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

The half-Maiden floated forward gently, lazily, the ground under her had been completely destroyed in the ferocious ambush, but she was more than prepared.

****

Her feet touching the floor, the woman stood unharmed, nary a scratch on her save her a few slight tears in her red dress. Her gaze swept across the assembled Hunters, Specialists and trainees alike, until they settled on a particular trio.

****

“So, it’s treachery then… a pity, I expected so much more from you, dear Emerald. I _made_ you what you are, I _saved_ you from a life of petty crime and a wasted existence… I hoped you would be a little more _grateful_.” Her smooth tone washed over them, but all three of her former associates shuddered a little at the undercurrent of rage they could easily pick up on.

****

“You didn’t SAVE me, you USED me!” Emerald cried out, unleashing all her pent up frustration. “You just lied to me and said you cared about me, but you didn’t love me or care about me at all! All you cared about was how you could use me, you were only nice to be because I was useful!” The thief spat out.

****

“Yes… I was.” Cinder was unrepentant. “But now… your usefulness has run out I’m afraid. I have no more need for you.” She raised her hand and charged a flame blast, only to be cut off by a Dust blast from Marcie’s left leg.

****

“You leave her alone, you arrogant flame-spewing cunt!” The other girl snarled, preparing her other leg from a second strike. The agent of chaos remained completely unperturbed, simply raising her eyebrow.

****

“Hmph. I should have expected that you would defect Marceline… perhaps I should have realised that when I needed to force your compliance in the first place… no matter. Try to put up a better fight than you’ve managed beforehand, you disappointment.” She woman chided, her voice dripping with condescension, which only inflamed the other girl’s anger even more.

****

“I’ll stomp that smug grin off your face myself.” She growled.

****

“What a bold promise, let’s see if you can live up to it.” Cinder turned to the last remaining member of the turncoat trio. “Once I’m done here with you, I _will_ find out where dear Roman has fled to… and he _will_ **_suffer_ ** for _your_ disloyalty.

****

Neo simply narrowed her eyes and unsheathed the knife from the tip of her parasol, her heterochromatic eyes flushing a light shade of red as she stared the fallen Maiden down.

****

“Well then… you’re all so eager to take your vengeance.” Cinder assumed a combat stance, drawing her blades up to her chest. “Shall we?”

****

The trio charged forward as one, they’d been practicing for all the free time they had, ever since they’d decided to defect. They’d honed their teamwork as best they could, all with the single purpose of ridding themselves of the one woman who’d plagued their lives for far too long.

****

They couldn’t have been more underprepared.

****

Cinder blocked the first few slashes of Neo’s parasol and Marcie's legs, dodging and weaving through the barrage while lashing out with kicks and slashes of her own. Neo was able to dodge most of them, but the assassin was far less lucky. One of Cinder’s blades, superheated to roughly 300 degrees, slashed straight through her right prosthetic and carved the metallic leg clean off.

****

“Gaah!” The cry had barely left Marcie’s throat before Cinder slashed at the other, sweeping the girl off her now-nonexistent feet. Before her body touched the floor Cinder kicked her in the chest over and over, flinging her around like a ragdoll. It didn’t take long for her Aura to buckle and shatter under the assault, so Cinder picked up the weakened girl by the neck and flung her into the nearby arena wall.

****

There was a crunch when Marceline impacted the wall and slumped down in a heap, she tried to push herself up, but simply collapsed, she was far too weak.

****

Emerald was the next to fall. Though her illusions gave her the edge for a time, allowing her to score dozens of hits, Cinder simply grew fed up and unleashed a flame wave in the 10 metres around her. The illusionist’s concentration was broken by the intense heat as she staggered backward, all her illusions fading instantly, allowing the woman to locate the real Emerald easily. Before she knew what was happening, her former boss charged her head on and slammed her to the ground. As Emerald tried to stand, Cinder simply stomped on her body, once, twice, three times… she didn’t get up after that. The only hint she was still alive were small whimpers and shakes from her prone form.

****

Neopolitian lasted the longest, the enforcer’s acrobatic combat style allowing her to avoid Cinder’s attacks most easily. Eventually, however, the dark-haired murderer caught up to her. A glass blade knocked away her parasol and a glass heel came up to kick her away. As Neo righted herself, she saw a storm of glass shards flying straight at her, which she blocked as best she could with her parasol, though some shards inevitably tore through the material and lashed at her skin. Unfortunately, her severely restricted vision meant that Neo didn’t notice her opponent pushing herself off the ground, then dive-bombing straight for her with a foot outstretched.

****

Neo was ploughed straight into the asphalt by Cinder’s foot-first charge, the woman practically _surfing_ the enforcer’s body for a few metres before a graceful backflip and flick of her foot sent Neo careening into the opposite wall. Like Marcie, she landed heavily, and did not get up afterward.

****

As Cinder landed, she turned to face the others. Pyrrha had assumed a guard position in front of Jaune, intent on protecting her partner. Winter Schnee stood with her rapier pointed squarely at her target, while Daniel…

****

An intense blast of yellow energy forced the proto-Maiden to raise her swords to deflect the beam, as the blast subsided, Cinder gazed up to see the armoured man hovering a dozen or so feet above the ground, weapons once more trained on her.

****

“So… care to try again, Danny? I know that we were… _interrupted_ last time, but don’t worry, I’ll make sure to give you the attention you’ve earned~.”

****

“I’ll make you pay for killing my team, you sick psycho.” Daniel growled in reply.

****

“Oh my… such concern for your team. Well, don’t worry yourself… I’ll send you to meet them _personally._ ” A savage grin split her face as Cinder advanced slowly, ignoring the gunshots from Milo as they bounced off her Aura. “After all, I consider it bad form to leave my work unfinished…”

****

With that, Cinder charged forth once more, propelling herself faster with a burst of wind from her portion of the Maiden powers. She and Winter met in the centre, the Specialist’s rapier clashing repeatedly with her blades.

****

Winter, for her part, gritted her teeth, before summoning several Glyphs to pin Cinder’s extremities in place. They lasted for mere seconds, but that was long enough for the elder Schnee to take full advantage, slashing at least a half-dozen times at her opponent’s chest before kicking her away with a high-heeled boot.

****

Cinder slid along the ground, driving one of her blades into the floor to stabilise herself. Before she could resume her attack, she found herself assaulted by what looked like… _Grimm?_ Yes, they were Grimm! Albeit glowing white and blue… and made of _ice_?

****

A quick glance in the direction of her opponent told her that the Specialist was the one responsible. The space behind Winter was filled with a bright white and rotating glyph that bore the snowflake crest of the Schnee family, from the glyph came numerous Grimm… Beowolves, Ursae, a couple of small Nevermores… even a Deathstalker!

****

Ah… of course, the Schnees could summon ice-based copies of the opponents they defeated in battle via their Semblance. How silly of her to forget the information she’d learned from reading Winter’s file in the Atlas database, a file that Dr Watts have been useful enough to secure for her. Well, no matter how many summoned Grimm her opponent called forth… they were insignificant next to her powers.

****

A swift burst of flame was sufficient to kill all but the ariel Grimm before they could reach her. She pushed herself off the ground and levitated a few feet in the air, allowing both the feathers of the summoned Nevermore and the weapons fire from the Mistral champion to ricochet harmlessly off her flaming barrier, before blasting the Nevermores out of the sky with a barrage of fireballs.

****

Unfortunately, this provided an opening for Daniel to tackle her out of the air. The armoured man flew directly into the false Maiden with both fists extended. As they flew through the air, Daniel’s fists unclenched into open palms and he fired dual repulsor beams, blasting the renegade Maiden into the ground.

****

Even as Daniel began blasting her impact area to make sure she stayed down, Cinder flew upwards to re-engage, this time summoning a burst of wind to throw his suit off balance with the turbulence. Daniel still held firm, unleashing a barrage of repulsor blasts at the woman in front of him, while Pyrrha sniped at her from the ground with Milo.

****

Cinder grit her teeth. Well, if this wasn’t cutting it, she’d need to try something else…

****

Evading the next barrage of repulsor blasts, Cinder dodged and weaved for a few moments before surrounding herself in a flaming shield and shooting straight at the Specialist, once more summoning wind to augment her speed. It was too fast for the Sentinel to react, and Cinder slammed directly into the suit, her sheer momentum throwing it backward while her Aura protected her from harm.

****

Daniel cursed and tried to shake her off, only to feel heat building up on the outside of the suit. Cinder had gripped onto the armour in mid-air and superheated her hands with her powers, that heat was spreading to the rest of the suit quickly. While Daniel himself was protected, the outer components weren’t so lucky.

****

“ _Warning_ , _temperatures reaching critical levels! Repulsors and thrusters shutting down, systems malfunctioning!_ ” The AI informed him.

****

“Ahhhh shit!” He cursed, before a joint blast of fire and air sent him careening uncontrollably through the air, to land in a heap amidst the lower levels of the stadium. The armoured Specialist struggled to get up, but the malfunctions had frozen his suit, he was stuck. “FUCK!” He cursed angrily. He could only hope that Winter and Jaune had better luck.

****

As for his opponent, she flew back to her still-standing enemies, touching down in a three-point landing and standing to face them. Winter gripped her rapier and strode forward, while Pyrrha did likewise. Jaune hung back, readying the Gravity Dust in his blade, just in case.

****

No words were exchanged anymore. The trio simply met in combat, Winter’s rapier and Pyrrha’s Milo (in xiphos form) clashing against Cinder’s blades. It was quite a sight to behold, Winter’s glyphs would spring up whenever Cinder attempted to attack them with her flames, or simply to bounce her around and knock her off balance. While the half-Maiden was distracted, Pyrrha took advantage of the time glyph formed underneath her to dash into a shield-charge against Cinder’s back, flinging the woman forward into once of Jaune’s inertia waves. 

****

Cinder finally managed to right herself, only to be assaulted by a summoned Usra before she could counter attack. Though it was dispatched easily, it opened her up to a half-dozen slashes from Winter’s rapier, ending in a burst of lightning Dust that sent the electricity all through her body. The temporary impairment allowed Pyrrha to jab at her chest thrice with Milo’s spear form at lightning speed, chipping at her Aura.

****

Cinder rallied quickly, blasting the champion away in a gust of air, then re-engaging Winter, this time pelting the Specialist with a storm of glass shards and fireballs.

****

Though Winter was indeed a mighty and skilled combatant, enough to keep up with Cinder in hand-to-hand, there was a key disadvantage between them.

****

Cinder’s Maiden powers, even if she only acquired half the total magic, still offered an endless well of energy to draw from for her elemental attacks.

****

Winter’s Aura, though powerful and quite large, was still finite in reserve.

****

Eventually, the Specialist’s Aura began to weather and crack under the sustained combat. Nonetheless, she still pushed forward, slashing and parrying relentlessly to drive her opponent back as much as she could. If she was to fall, she would fall as the Atlas Specialist she was, fighting the enemy to the bitter end.

****

It didn’t take long for the telltale fizzling sound to ring out, the fading glow around Winter’s body telling her that her Aura was broken. She barely had time to register anything else before Cinder dashed behind her and wrapped an arm around her neck in a chokehold, the Specialist struggling for a moment before she felt the tip of a glass blade press lightly against her neck. Not enough to break the skin… not yet.

****

“WINTER!” Daniel roared, the Sentinel having cooled down enough to allow him to return to the fight. Pyrrha approached from the ground, Milo in rifle form and Akouo held up to provide both protection and a stable rest for her rifle. Neither attacked, for fear of hurting Winter.

****

“Well now… it seems we are at a stalemate.” Cinder purred, pressing the blade a little deeper, enough to finally draw a drop of blood this time.

****

“I will _not_ surrender to you.” Winter snarled as best she could. “A Specialist of Atlas does _not_ negotiate or compromise with terrorists.”

****

“Oh, I know that _you_ won’t… what a good little soldier you are… but your _partner,_ on the other hand.” Cinder’s smile turned into a smirk. “Would YOU care to bargain, Daniel?”

****

The young man grit his teeth tight at that MONSTER using his name, but nonetheless powered down his weapons and sighed.

****

“DANIEL, NO!” Winter cried. “Do NOT bargain or compromise with her! That is an ORDER!!”

****

Despite that, Daniel still wavered.

****

“Well… what’ll it be, Daniel…?” Cinder raised an eyebrow. “Your partner… or your duty?” She pressed the glass blade gently against Winter’s throat again, this time drawing more drops of blood.

****

Daniel clenched his fists, growling angrily and struggling with himself for a few moments. Before opening his faceplate to address Cinder.

****

“What is it you want?” He asked, over Winter’s furious objections.

****

“IF you want your partner to live… you will hand over Arc immediately.”

****

“NO!” Both Winter AND Pyrrha snarled out in unison.

****

“... how do I know you’ll keep your word, hmm? You’re a criminal and a sociopath, we’ve got no reason to trust you.” Daniel insisted.

****

“Your concern for your partner’s LIFE should be more than reason enough, hmm?” Cinder questioned.

****

“Yeah… but you’re asking me to gambled the life of my best friend with the life of my g- my _partner._ I need SOME assurance here.” The Specialist tilted his head as he spoke.

****

“I don’t think you’re in any position to make demands of _me_ , dear Daniel.” Cinder chided. “Unless you’d like me to spill the blood of your partner across this field.” She pressed her blade against Winter’s throat once more, drawing more blood from the steadily worsening wound as Winter hissed in pain.

****

“You’re right… I can’t really make demands of you, or threaten you.” At this, Daniel grinned a little as his faceplate kicked back into place.

****

“But he can.”

****

A loud caw took Cinder’s attention from the armoured man, as she twisted her head to look, she saw a large crow diving directly for her. Cinder raised an eyebrow, preparing to fry it with her powers…

****

Until the crow spontaneously morphed into a suited man with a red tattered cape at his back, whose boot collided directly with her face.

****

Qrow rolled into a crouch, then jumped up and landed in a ready stance. Cinder’s sword was torn from Winter’s neck as the woman was flung onto the ground, bouncing from the impact a few times until she came to a halt and sprang up. This time, she and the new arrival glared at each other.

****

Crinder’s auburn eyes narrowed angrily as her mind recognised this man, it was _him_ … the same man who interrupted her when she was trying to take the powers of the Fall Maiden for herself and saved the woman in question. He was Ozpin’s man, no doubt.

****

“ _YOU…”_ She hissed angrily. He’d interfered for the last time, much like Arc himself.

****

Qrow unlatched Harbinger from his back and twirled the blade into a ready position in the process. Glancing toward Winter and Daniel, the latter of whom had rushed to his partner’s aid as soon as Cinder had been forced to let her go, Qrow now addressed them.

****

“Hey Iron-brat, get Ice Queen out of here.” He ordered. “She can’t fight anymore without  Aura.”

****

Daniel simply nodded once, scooping up Winter is his arms before turning to Qrow.

****

“Try not to die Bird-Boy.”

****

“Yes, it wouldn’t be right for you to die before I can punish you for those drones you destroyed.” Winter huffed, though there was concern in her eyes. Qrow simply smiled and winked.

****

“Don’t worry about me, love birds.” His gaze and expression hardened as he turned to Cinder again. “I’ll handle little miss fire-britches here.”

****

Daniel nodded, then took off with Winter in his arms. He turned to head for Beacon and quickly vanished out of sight. Qrow blew out a breath, at least Oz would know what was going on soon enough.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

There they stood, a dusty old crow and a usurper, sizing one another up.

****

“You got _lucky last_ time, you drunken fool.” Cinder hissed. “But you won’t stand in my way… nobody will. Not the champion, not you, not Ozpin, not the Atlas Military… and _especially_ not YOU.” The woman was practically frothing at the mouth as she addressed Jaune himself, the knight still standing exactly where he was when the fight had started.

****

“Heh… so you plannin to fight, or you just gonna bore me to death instead?” Qrow snarked.

****

Cinder didn’t respond verbally, she simply charged at him with a screech… getting about halfway before her lead foot caught on some loose dirt and sent her crashing to the ground. Qrow’s well placed kick sent her tumbling backwards in turn.

****

“Heh, watch your step.” The man sniggered a little, his crimson eyes crackling briefly as he re-engaged.

****

The pair met in combat, Qrow almost _dancing_ around his opponent, as he twirled Harbinger expertly to block her swords. He lashed kicks into her chest and slashed at her legs to keep her off balance. Pyrrha moved to assist, only for Qrow to warn her off.

****

“No! Don’t come any closer, kid!” He growled out, before shoving Cinder away again. Pyrrha didn’t waste a moment, switching Milo to rifle form once more and peppering Cinder with shots as she and Qrow clashed.

****

Cinder growled in frustration, beginning to summon fireballs and more glass shards to hurl at her opponent. Qrow twirled his blade and lightning speed in reply, slicing almost every projectile out of the sky. Those that he didn’t block, he just dodged. The verteran Huntsman and the terrorist clashed once more. He was putting up a far better fight than Winter did, he was graceful, experienced and deadly in combat.

****

But he was still losing.

****

No matter how many times he got close, Cinder had wised up to this trick, employing radial bursts of flame to keep him away and on the defensive. The proto-Maiden’s powers, limited as they might be, still augmented her Aura significantly, being able to artificially recharge it with but a minute or two of intense concentration.

****

Qrow, meanwhile, had no such advantage. No matter how much damage he did to his opponent, and he did plenty, she eventually forced him back with flame blasts once more and used the opportunity to recharge. It was a losing fight from the start… but the man did not give in, he would fight on regardless.

****

Eventually, however… Cinder launched a large flame wave right at Qrow, exactly as the man leapt toward her to attack from the air. Unlike a certain immortal wizard, Qrow didn’t manage to dodge in time and the flame beam hit him head on. He was thrown to the ground, bouncing and rolling for a good 20 metres before coming to a halt. His Aura was broken, his clothes and skin were slightly charred from the tail end of the fire.

****

Unlike the others, he made no effort to stand up. He didn’t move at all.

****

_“Qrow, oh gods… QROW!!”_ Summer screamed in Jaune’s mind, her voice full of concern and worry for her teammate.

****

_Damn it._

****

Jaune’s attention was pulled back to the events in front of him, as Cinder strutted forward once more. Pyrrha took up a combat stance, shifting Milo to xiphos form and standing protectively in front of Jaune.

****

“Well, well, well…you’re all that’s left, are you?” Cinder almost _giggled_ a little. “Alright then… I had hoped we would fight, girl. How appropriate that it would be now. On the eve of my victory…”

****

“You’re not going anywhere _near_ my partner.” Pyrrha hissed through gritted teeth.

****

“Come then, show me what the ‘Invincible Girl’ can do.” The dark-haired woman challenged, assuming her own combat stance and beckoning with her hand.

****

Then they both charged.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

 It was quite the sight to behold, Jaune had to admit.

****

Pyrrha’s movements were deliberate and graceful, each minimalist and efficient. She flowed and weaved between the storm of Cinder’s attacks, before dashing forward and uppercutting the woman under the chin with Akouo, sending her stumbling back. Pyrrha took the opportunity to slash at her a few times before backflipping away to avoid the flame nova that Cinder inevitably summoned.

****

She had been watching Qrow’s fight against Cinder, she had seen the tricks the Maiden had up her sleeve. She had been watching… _and_ learning. She wouldn’t allow the woman any reprieve, not after everything she’d done. 

****

Pyrrha’s face was set in a stern scowl the whole time as she thought about the atrocities her opponent had committed, all for the sake of gathering power. The attack on Amber… the murder of Daniel’s team… her assassination attempt on Ozpin and Amber… trying to _kill Jaune._

****

Pyrrha was not normally a violent person. She was normally calm and kind to everyone, even the most persistent of fans and most abhorrent of admirers, she would always try to be polite to them, if not kind. But now… this woman in front of her deserved no kindness, no clemency either… all she deserved was _punishment_.

****

Pyrrha was more than happy to answer the challenge. To provide that punishment.

****

The instant she landed from her backflip, the spartan had Milo at the ready. She took aim and began to pepper Cinder with a short burst of rifle fire. The bullets weren’t enough to break the skin or pierce her Aura very much… but what they WERE useful as was a distraction.

****

Distraction enough to break the concentration the woman needed to recharge her Aura.

****

This cycle had repeated a few times before Cinder finally wised up. She stopped trying to recharge and simply began throwing out a storm of fireballs. Pyrrha dodged all of them with a grace that made it seem like she was _dancing_ around the battlefield like an expert ballerina.

****

Despite the severity of the situation, Jaune couldn’t help but gape at his partner.

****

_I never knew Pyrrha could be so… so graceful. Wow…_

****

Cinder growled, incredibly frustrated. She had JUST beaten three hardened criminals, two Atlas Specialists AND one of Ozpin’s personal lackeys! And yet here she was… losing to a SINGLE GIRL. HOW WAS THIS POSSIBLE!?

****

The woman levitated herself upward, before summoning a gigantic flame blast in her raised hands. She’d show this little tournament fighter exactly how outmatched she wa-

****

Her thoughts were cut off by the champion’s shield bashing her square on the head, the momentum knocking her out of the sky. A black flickering aura surrounded the metallic disk, summoning it back into the hand of the owner. 

****

Pyrrha leapt forward, capitalising on the opportunity, twisting into a mid-air spinning kick that caught the terrorist on the chest. The spartan followed up with another shield bash across the face, then a second spin kick with her _other_ leg.

****

The girl landed gracefully, the woman landed in a heap, tumbling a little bit before righting herself. 

****

When she opened her eyes, the flames of the Fall Maiden were lapping at her eyes. She was thoroughly pissed off now, as angry as she’d been when she’d lost to Jaune in the Vytal tournament. 

****

Summoning her swords again, Cinder started forward. This little girl might be a prodigy… but she would fall to her might like all the rest.

****

They charged one another once more, Cinder flipped over Pyrrha’s leg sweep this time, though this left her open to the Mistrali girl’s shieldi-assisted uppercut to her stomach in the process. Cinder recovered quickly enough to slash at the champion, who blocked the first few with her shield, the next few with her sword, then was sent stumbling a little as Cinder’s leg met her chest.

****

Pyrrha recovered nigh-instantly, narrowing her eyes as she approached her opponent once more. This time, the pair attacked with swords, their blades a blur as Cinder’s dual swords met Pyrrha’s xiphos. The fact that the redhead could block about 85% of her enemy’s slashes with just her single sword alone was a feat in itself, her shield did the rest.

****

Cinder pressed the attack, steadily forcing her opponent to give ground through the sheer _ferocity_ of her attacks. It was a ferocity powered by her hate, her hate of the setbacks she’d suffered, her hate of the treachery of her associates, her hate of Ozpin… of Beacon… and of _Jaune Arc._

****

Unfortunately, CInder was so engrossed in the girl in front of her, she’d neglected to keep an eye on the boy behind _her_.

****

A wave of inertia caught the woman and threw her off her feet, with Pyrrha taking the opportunity to kick her twice in the chest before she was flung away. Landing heavily yet recovering quickly, Cinder straightened up to a sight that set her blood on fire all over again.

****

Jaune moved to stand by Pyrrha, reading his sword as Pyrrha readied her weapons. The knight and the champion stood side-by-side against their enemy, as the partners they were.

****

“Thank you Juane.” Pyrrha smiled sweetly at the boy in question. “That was getting a bit much, even for me.”

****

“Heh, no problem Pyr… anything for my first girlfriend.” The Arc leaned over to kiss her on the forehead. Despite the fact that they were in the middle of a fight, Pyrrha _still_ let out a small squeak as her cheeks flushed.

****

_“Girlfriend,_ hmmm _…_ I see.” Cinder practically snarled out. “You wish to fight together? Then you can DIE together! On second thought…” She looked from Jaune to Pyrrha, then back again. “I’ll kill her first, just to make you _watch_ . Just so that you understand that her death is _your fault._ Only when your screams of despair have ceased will I end your worthless life!” Once more, the woman was almost frothing at the mouth as she finished.

****

The two in front of her said nothing, they merely readied themselves.

****

_“Good luck, Jaune… be careful.”_ Summer whispered.

****

_Thanks, I’ll try my best._ The knight assured her.

****

All three stood still for a moment, then they charged.

****

Cinder brought up both blades to defend herself against the dual assault, Pyrrha’s blade was faster than her partner’s, but Jaune’s crackled with lightning, making his more dangerous. Cinder was forced onto the defensive, constantly blocking and dodging, never allowed to attack.

****

Pyrrha’s leg caught her calf and sent her stumbling directly into an energy blast from Jaune’s sword, followed up by a shield bash and another inertia wave to send her flying. The terrorist didn’t even wait to right herself this time, she just began hurling glass shards and fireballs at them.

****

Jaune leapt in front of his partner, taking the entirety of the barrage in her stead, the sheer intensity forced him to his knees by the end, his Aura flickering, close to collapse.

****

Until the device on his wrist began to whir and hum, a bright while light spreading from the central unit all over Jaune’s body. In a few moments, his Aura was glowing as brightly as ever, fully repaired.

****

“Heh, guess it really does work just fine.” Jaune smirked up at Cinder, who looked positively shocked for a moment before the usual rage took over.

****

“Hide behind that new technology all you like Arc! It won’t change what I’m going to do to you once I’m through with your partner!” She snarled angrily.

****

“We’re not going to lose to you, as long as we fight together!” Jaune declared, Pyrrha standing alongside him once more, weapons ready. “We’ve got each others’ backs, that’s what partners do!”

****

“Is that so…?” Cinder’s angry look morphed into a devilish smirk of her own. “Well then… let’s see what happens when you’re no longer together, shall we?”

****

Jaune was about to respond, until the sudden gust of wind summoned by Cinder swept him off his feet, flung him high into the air, then sent him flying straight onto the very roof of Amity colosseum. He landed hard, struggling up as quick as he could.

****

“Oh god, Pyr! Just hold on!” He called frantically, hurrying to find an exit, _something_ that would let him get down there…

****

But Pyrrha didn’t hear him, the champion was already re-engaging the proto-Maiden, both fighters slashing and hacking at each others’ Aura with equal ferocity. Pyrrha flipped directly over Cinder’s head, landing a kick on the back before the woman could turn. 

****

Cinder made to turn around, but was seized from behind by the champion, who began applying steadily increasing levels of pressure to her throat in an effort to choke her unconscious. Cinder struggled a little, before getting another idea. Despite her constricted throat and steadily fading vision, the woman still summoned her powers one more time…

****

Pyrrha found herself flung back, forced to raise Akouo to stop the fiery nova from hitting her directly. The champion landed and rolled backward into a crouch. By the time she’d stood up again, Cinder was coming after her once more.

****

Pyrrha managed a backflip kick to her opponent’s head, but was surprised when, instead of being knocked back, Cinder focused her Aura to withstand the blow before kicking Pyrrha in the chest to send her sprawling. 

****

The champion gritted her teeth as the other woman began to levitate again, her body surrounded by a glowing orange energy field as flames began to swirl around her.

****

_This isn’t enough. I need to do more damage… think, Pyrrha, think!_

****

A quick glance around the arena, the largely _metal_ arena, gave the girl her answer.

****

Reaching deep within her soul, Pyrrha drew on her magnetism, she had perfected its use after so many tournament fights, fine-tuning every small shift of her own equipment and minor nudge of her opponent’s weapons to ensure that she remained unhit, remained invincible.

****

But that was then, in a controlled environment, against an opponent who would _not_ kill her where she stood if given the chance.

****

This was now, she may have perfected her Semblance, but she’d never pushed it this hard before.

****

Cinder was preparing her flame blast to turn the troublesome Nikos girl to ash… when she was hit in the head with a small can. It bounced harmlessly off her Aura. Cinder simply smirked condescendingly.

****

“Hmph… is that the best you ca-” She began, before being interrupted by another can, then another, then another… and then a chair. _This_ sent her through the air a ways.

****

Cinder snarled, preparing another blast, until she heard the loud screeching sounds.

****

Looking around, the woman gaped as she saw that every seat, almost all the metal in the front rows, even the outer layers on the stadium walls… it was all engulfed in a shimmering black magnetic field.

****

And it was all coming from the girl standing a few feet from her, her gauntlets… her armor… hell, her whole _body_ was surrounded by the same field. Her face was frozen in a look of determined concentration, emerald eyes glaring at her enemy.

****

The mass of metal was slowly tearing free of its moorings, rising into the air… and Cinder had a good guess as to what they would be used as.

****

The woman hurriedly summoned a wave of flames, intending to burn the girl where she stood…

****

Five seconds later, a wall of metal smashed into her.

****

First the chairs, then the heavier benches, and finally a few of the pylons surrounding the arena, all of them came crashing straight into Cinder before she could move. The orange glow of her flames was swallowed in the tide of steel and iron. Just to hammer the final nail into the coffin, long sheets of metal from the walls wrapped themselves tightly around the existing mass and began to crush and constrict the whole pile, until it resembled a tight, thin and tall pillar of metal.

****

Pyrrha, finally finished channeling her Semblance, slumped to the ground, her weapons clattering to the asphalt beside her. The champion was breathing hard, her skin glistening with sweat as she greedily sucked in air. Her body was shaking from the exertion, her Aura was dangerously low after that stunt… but at least it was done. It was over… that Cinder woman would never threaten anyone again, especially Jaune.

****

_I can’t believe that worked… I can’t believe I did that…_

****

Pyrrha allowed a small smile to cross her face at that thought.

****

A smile that faded when the metal in front of her began to glow and melt, right before her eyes.

****

Before the Invincible Girl could react, the pillar exploded outward in a hail of molten metal, a thoroughly enraged Cinder rising from the inferno, surrounded by flames. Upon seeing the spartan on the ground, her anger turned to triumph.

****

“Was that your last card, girl…?” A cruel smile crossed her face as she manifested her glass bow. “It _wasn’t good enough.”_

****

Pyrrha scrambled to retrieve her weapons, determined to fight until she couldn’t even stand anymore…

****

Until a sharp pain erupted in the heel of her left foot, dropping her to the floor on her hands and knees.

****

The champion gasped in pain, reaching behind with trembling hands to remove the glass arrow from her foot. It hadn’t gone too deep so it wasn’t too hard to pull out, it still hurt like absolute hell.

****

By the time Pyrrha had done so, she turned around, still kneeling.

****

Only to find herself face-to-face with Cinder, bow drawn, arrow knocked and aimed directly at her.

****

It was over… she was beaten.

****

“A valiant effort, girl.” Cinder acknowledged. “But you stood no chance against my might, like anyone who dares to stand against me.”

****

Pyrrha glared at her, determined to remain defiant.

****

“Tell me…” She took a breath, maybe her last.

****

“... do you believe in destiny?”

****

Cinder’s face crumpled into a scowl.

****

“I do.”

****

With that, Cinder raised the bow and drew the arrow back…

****

_I’m sorry Jaune. I’m so sorry…_

****

… and released, the glass arrow flying directly for her.

****

_I’m sorry I failed you Jaune… I love you._

****

This was it, the arrow was almost there, Pyrrha closed her eyes, simply waiting for the end…

****

…… 

****

……

****

…… 

****

“I DON’T!!”

****

Only for them to slam open as her whole body was tackled to the side. Landing heavily, Pyrrha’s emerald orbs stared upward… 

****

And met the deep azures of her leader, Jaune Arc.

****

Her saviour.

****

“Hey Pyr… sorry I’m late.”

****

Her heart skipped a beat at the sound of his voice.

****

“J-Jaune…?” She breathed.

****

“Yeah.” He chuckled. “You know, usually it’s YOU that pulls MY ass out of the fire, guess it’s time I returned the favour, eh partner?”

****

A loud scream of disbelieving rage interrupted Pyrrha’s reply, mostly a profession of eternal love for him and how she wanted to just pounce him here and now, maybe even have his babies.

****

Jaune sighed, before pushing himself off her.

****

“Get out of here, Pyr… while you can.” He gave her a sad smile. “Go warn the Headmaster and the others.”

****

“Jaune…” Pyrrha felt a cold icy lance stab through her heart. “W-what about you…?”

****

The knight looked towards the only other person still standing.

****

“I’ll buy you the time you need. Now go, Pyr. That’s an order from your leader.” 

****

Emerald eyes brimming with tears, the champion scooped up her equipment, then took off in a sprint toward the opposite exit.

****

Jaune, on the other hand, merely remained where he was.

****

“This… this is the _last time_ you _ever, EVER_ , outwit me **EVER AGAIN ARC!!** ” Cinder practically roared, her bow replaced by the typical swords once more as she stalked towards him. “Enough games, enough minions and pawns and tiptoeing around and hiding behind others!! I’LL SKEWER YOU MYSELF!!!!” This time, she really _was_ foaming at the mouth, spittle flying from her jaws and staining the tips of her dress as the woman ranted.

****

Despite himself, Jaune managed one last quip.

****

“So… are you going to fight, are you just gonna bore me to death?”

****

Then, as the enraged woman threw herself at him head-on, the knight of Beacon went to meet his fate.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

The arena was filled with the sounds of clashing blades.

****

Jaune staggered backward as another blow from Cinder sent him stumbling. He swiped his blade in an arc, letting loose a wave of ice to try and slow her down.

****

Cinder simply smashed through the wall with her superheated form, fury blazing in her eyes as an almost feral scream crossing her lips.

****

There was no form to her movements, no intelligence or strategy, not anymore. After everything she’d been through, all the setbacks and all the taunts… she couldn’t even keep up her facade anymore.

****

Every move was simply fuelled by rage, the uninhibited and animalistic rage of a predator lashing out. While this meant that her attacks were easy to avoid, it also meant that when she DID hit him, those hits _hurt._

****

It also meant that, contrary to all her previous fights, Cinder no longer made an effort to avoid his attacks, or even defend herself. She simply stormed through everything, still frothing and boiling with anger, determined to butcher her hated enemy where he stood.

****

She didn’t care if he hurt her, she didn’t care even if he took one of her limbs… if that meant that she could finally rid herself of this annoying pest once and for all, then it was worth it. ANY sacrifice was worth it.

****

The battle didn’t last too long, it couldn’t. Even with the Atlas Apollo Reactor to reinforce and recharge his Aura, Jaune knew that he was done for.

****

The only reason he survived this long was thanks to that handy device regenerating his Aura near constantly, but it was still only holding back the inevitable.

****

Cinder was too strong. The skill gap between them was far too large to bridge, even with Atlas tech to back him up. Her strikes were too damaging, while his strikes were too weak to do any meaningful damage in return.

****

The fact that he couldn’t use his Semblance to even the odds was just icing on top of the shit-cake that was his current situation.

****

And, of course, unlike the last time they’d met in combat in this arena, Cinder was no longer posing as a Haven student, no longer forced to hold back her abilities for fear of discovery.

****

As a result, Jaune had found himself on the receiving end of what most gamers would like to call a ‘Curb-Stomp Battle’, an especially painful one at that.

****

He found himself smacked around the arena like a football for about a full minute, thanks to a combination of Cinder’s elemental powers and the fact that her kicks _really_ hurt. His shield had been lost a while ago, cleaved in two by a superheated and flaming blade wielded by a homicidal terrorist.

****

Jaune barely had time to raise his sword before a blast of flame sent him to the ground again, for the fifth time that fight no less.

****

The boy righted himself, getting to his feet, his own azure orbs burning with determination as he prepared to defend himself…

****

Only to gasp as his own sword was shoved back by the glass blade. He pushed against it as best he could, holding his ground despite the odds… while coming face to face with Cinder’s enraged snarl.

****

Jaune pushed with all his might, determined to hold her off as long as he could…

****

Then his right arm was seized a vice-grip and torn from his left, and since it was his dominant hand, it took Crocea Mors with it. He was defenceless.

****

A moment later, a sharp pain erupted in his gut as a glass blade lacerated his armor, then his skin, then the muscle beneath.

****

Jaune choked out a gasp, steadily dropping to his knees in the artificial asphalt, both hands grabbing weakly onto the arm that held the blade.

****

Look up with heavy breaths and small, choking gasps, Jaune found Cinder’s face again, though there was only triumph in that gaze… the anger was gone.

****

“Ggrrhhkk…” He sputtered out, speaking was difficult thanks to the blood he could now taste.

****

“There, there…” She soothed, in an oddly comforting voice. “You put up a good fight, Jaune. You’ve managed to foil me, time and time again, that’s not an easy feat.” She stroked the knight’s forehead with her free hand.

****

Jaune simply wheezed and spluttered in reply.

****

“I admit… we are alike, you and I. We never give in, we are resourceful and tenacious, we let nothing stand in our path to greatness… it was inevitable we meet in battle like this.” Cinder continued, gazing down at the wounded trainee Hunter. “I applaud your efforts… to fight against the inevitable. You have proven yourself worthy once more… of my respect, this time.”

****

Jaune glared up at her, determined not to show any fear, any weakness in his last moments.

****

Cinder raised her free hand, summoning a large flame as she drew on her powers one more time.

****

“And when my work is done… when the new age has been ushered in… I do hope that they remember you. Goodbye.”

****

The hand became a fist, and Cinder prepared to put the boy out of his misery.

****

……

****

…… 

****

That is, until a large gust of air slammed into her like a Bullhead at full speed, followed by a lightning bolt striking her square in the chest and flinging her to the dirt.

****

The woman struggled to her feet, anger blazing in her eyes.

****

“Who dares-” She began, shortly before her voice cut off in it’s own strangled gasp. Followed shortly by a loud, hysterical “WHAT!?!?!”

****

She barely jumped to the side fast enough to avoid the hailstorm of icicles that impaled the ground where she’d been standing.

****

Glancing up, Cinder could only stare open mouth at the maelstrom that had manifested above her head.

****

Fireballs… icicles… even LIGHTNING BOLTS, all swirling around within a gale-force tempest. At the eye of that tempest floated a single figure, a figure that Cinder would recognise anywhere.

****

After all, it’s hard to forget the face of someone you steal powers from.

  
“You’ve got something that belongs to ME.” Amber snarled, her eyes glowing bright. “I’ll be taking it back now… _whether you like it or NOT_ .”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, Jack here.  
> With this chapter, we are now over 250k words for this story, woooo!!!  
> Well then, who's ready for a good old throw down between two powerful and sexy Maidens?  
> This was the longest fight scene I've EVER written, I hope you liked it.  
> As always, reviews and comments are welcome!


	50. The Battle Of Beacon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The time has come. In the midst of Cinder's foolish gambit, Salem plays her last card. Blood is shed, sacrifices are made, and Beacon fights to protect it's students. This is the beginning of a war.

The two Maidens stared each other down, the true inheritor versus the false usurper. 

****

A swirling vortex of elements engulfed the former, a firestorm surrounded the latter. Amber’s eyes flicked to Jaune, who was till laying feet away, a shocked expression on his face.

****

In all his wildest dreams, he hadn’t expected to be saved last minute, in a rescue straight out of a comic book.

****

“I recommend you get out of here..” She advised him, before smirking and winking. “But feel free to enjoy the lightshow. You did a good job, just let me take things from here.”

****

With that, Cinder _roared_ in rage and a wave of flames rushed forward, intent on swallowing the new arrival.

****

They never reached her, a concentrated tunnel of air swept the flames aside to dissipate harmlessly in the atmosphere, followed by a sharp bolt of lightning that slammed into Cinder full force and sent her tumbling backward.

****

Before the false inheritor could fully right herself, a boot caught her in the side, then a staff swiped against her head, before another burst of air sent her flying.

****

“You’re not very good at this, are you?” Amber commented, as she nonchalantly dodged a flame blast, then blocked the next one with an ice shield. “I can’t believe _you_ had the gall to call yourself the Fall Maiden all this time.”

****

“Shut up you interfering little PEASANT!!” Cinder spat, eyes blazing once again as she hurled a wave of fireballs. They simply dissipated as razor sharp, criss-crossing air currents manifested to swipe them in half at least four times. All before they got halfway near her opponent. “That power is MINE, I DESERVE that power!!”

****

At this, Amber simply scowled and frowned.

****

“Why? Who are you to decide that hmm?” She swiped away another wave of flames before enshrouding her opponent in a thick veil of mist before continuing. “You really are quite the character, aren’t you? You’re all ‘I deserve this’, ‘this should be mine’... rough childhood?” She asked, this time a sly grin on her face and Cinder snarled.

****

“That is NONE of your concern weakling!”

****

_“Weakling_? Heh… that’s a funny joke.” At this, Cinder’s vision returned as the choking mist was lifted… only to be hit full force by a spinning kick from the other woman, then dashed to the ground by the force of another half-dozen lightning bolts. “The way this fight’s been going so far… I’m not the weakling here, am I?”

****

Her face turned rather sour now.

****

“Then again, I can understand why you’re so arrogant… you’ve spent so long just _bullying_ and _abusing_ people weaker than you with your powers, power than you _stole_ , that you can’t handle it when a REAL challenge comes along. I heard from Oz how he handed you your ass in the vault a week ago. That must’ve been _quite_ the blow to your fragile ego.”

****

“Shut up. SHUT UP!!”

****

“WHY!? When you attacked me, I don’t recall you ever shutting your big mouth when YOU had the upper hand! What’s the matter ‘Cinder’, you can dish it out but you can’t take it, eh? That it? Or maybe you know that I’m right, that deep down… you’re just some pathetic little _fraud,_ who’s so _desperate_ to be special, you’ll just _steal_ what you want instead of working to get it!” Amber snarled, her own eyes glowing brightly enough that her pupils and irises were swallowed in the inferno.

****

Cinder let out another shriek of rage, only for it to transform into a rather loud scream as dozens of lightning bolts hammered at her position, she blocked most of them with a flame shield, only for it to be torn to shreds by the same blades of high-pressure air that Amber had used before. Cinder barely managed to raise her arms as the ice hit her, freezing her to the spot.

****

The woman frantically attempted to melt the ice as Amber finally landed a few feet away. As the staff-wielder approached, Cinder finally managed to shatter the ice and summon her blades… only to drop them as a sharp pain erupted in her chest.

****

Look down, Cinder could only choke as she spotted the cause for the pain.

****

Two large ice spears, impaled through her stomach.

****

Cinder dropped to her knees, the energy leaving her eyes and her body shivering and shaking, trying desperately to repair itself.

****

As the ice encroached up her arms and legs, before engulfing her whole body and freezing her to the spot once more, Cinder couldn’t help but note the rather karmic irony in this situation.

****

Here she was, at the mercy of the same woman she’d attacked years ago.

****

Her panic began to increase as an ice spear formed in the outstretched hand of the true Maiden, positioned directly at her throat, in the other hand was a ball of lightning, also aimed at her head.

****

“Go on then… do it… kill me. P-prove yourself… s-superior.” The words dragged themselves out of her mouth, it was torture admitting herself second best but, well… in this case, she was.

****

She had lost. Failed. Now she was going to die.

****

“No.”

****

The words caused her to re-focus on Amber, who had dispelled the spear and lightning, though the ice remained in place, thickening in case she tried to escape. At least it numbed the pain in her stomach, it fact… it numbed quite a lot else too, even with Aura.

****

Well, what little remained of hers, anyway.

****

“W-what..?” She rasped out in disbelief.

****

“I said no.” Amber repeated. “Killing a defeated opponent… that’s not me, that’s what someone like _you_ would do. And I’m not you, I’m _better_ than you.”

****

Cinder made to protest, purely out of instinct and impulse, before a hand slapped itself over her mouth.

****

“And now…” The young woman’s eyes lit up again. “I’ll _prove_ it.”

****

Then Cinder felt it, the _pull_ , that irresistible _tug_ that began to detach the magical energy that had bonded to her soul years ago. It took her a moment, but she realised what was going on, especially when she glanced up at Amber’s glowing eyes.

****

Her stolen power had never fully synced with her. That _pull_ had always been there, it was how she had been able to figure out Amber’s general location, her stealing of half the Maiden’s powers had fractured the girl’s spirit and soul, as well as the magic itself.

****

It had always been trying to return, to make itself whole once more, and now? With both the false usurper responsible for sundering it and the latest soul to host its energy side-by-side, linked together once more?

****

It recognised its proper owner, and it was trying to return home.

****

Despite the ice constricting about 90% of her body, Cinder began to struggle, but Amber held firm. Frantic amber eyes met pitiless brown orbs.

****

“Like I said, I’m not going to kill you… I’m just going to take away everything that matters to you. You said you wanted to be powerful, be strong, so that’s what I’ll take from you.”

****

“Mmmph! MMRRPPHHH!!” Cinder’s screams of protest were muffled by Amber’s hand over her mouth.

****

Then they began to morph into equally muffled screams of _pain_ , as the magic she’d stolen began to force its way out of her body, flowing up and seeping through her eyes and mouth. 

****

The orange energy latched onto Amber’s arm and flowed back into her body, her orange glow only increasing in brightness and intensity as the magic re-bonded to her soul, filling in the cracks and re-fusing her shattered spirit into one whole. 

****

Before, it was only the excess Aura of Polendina’s Apollo Reactor that held Amber’s soul together, limiting the amount of power she could unleash… but now that her soul and her powers were whole again, her abilities felt… _limitless._ She felt like there was nothing holding her back, as light as a feather and as fast as a lightning bolt.

****

Amber’s euphoric mental celebration was cut off by a snide exclamation.

****

“That power was rightfully _mine,_ and it will be again... _”_  

****

Oh, right. She’d taken her hand off Cinder’s face when she got her complete powers back, now the delusional woman was just talking again. 

****

Even with spears in her stomach and her whole body frozen in ice, she _still_ decided to run her mouth.

****

“When I escape this confinement, I _will_ return, and both you _AND_ Arc will-”

****

CRACK.

****

Her head snapped backward, then sagged in unconsciousness as Amber withdrew her fist. Just to make sure, a coat of ice was applied to her head to shut her up for good.

****

“So _that’s_ what it takes to stop you talking...” The Fall Maiden quipped, sighing a little… only to jump as another voice spoke up.

****

_“Hey! HEY! Nice job Amber, you go girl! You showed that smug meanie what for!”_

****

_Wait… A-Alexa?!_ Amber gasped. _How… how are you talking to me right now, I-I thought I had to be asleep!_

****

_“Not anymore Ami! Not that you’ve got all your powers back and our souls are more in sync, you know… cos we spent those three years talking and bonding, now we can talk whenever we want! Isn’t that great!”_ The blonde Maiden cried out within Amber’s mind.

****

_W-well yeah! This is great!_

****

_“I’d rather not interrupt this reunion.”_ Mira’s composed and businesslike tone came through this time. _“But there appear to be injured in need of medical attention, as well as a defeated enemy to return to your headquarters. You’re not done yet, I’m afraid, they will need an escort.”_

****

_Ah… you’re right, especially Jaune… w-wait, Jaune!_

****

Amber whirled around, spotted the knight, and strode over towards him, the blonde was trying to pull the glass blade out, though he was gritting his teeth and tears were welling in his eyes from the pain, he wasn’t having much success.

****

“Here, let me… this is going to hurt, so brace yourself, okay?” Amber soothed him, placing one hand on his shoulder, the other on the hilt of the blade.

****

“I… I can han- aaarrrggghh!!” Jaune’s assurances were cut off in a loud scream as Amber swiftly yanked the blade from his chest, before he slapped both hands over the wound to stem the worryingly large blood flow.

****

“Listen to me, I’m going to heal your wound, but you NEED to keep your hands in place until I’m done, understood?” After receiving a nod, the Maiden placed her own hands over the boy’s own and began to channel her energy.

****

For the first few moments, there was only the soft glow of Amber’s fingers and Jaune’s pained gasps, but as the glow began to increase and the restorative energy began to seep into the wound, Jaune’s gasps gradually turned to whimpers. 

****

The pain was steadily dying down as the skin, muscle and sinew began to knit itself back together, helped along by Amber’s magic. Soon enough, the blood had stopped flowing, the pain had subsided and the wound was fully closed, leaving only the gap in the knight’s armor and clothes as proof that he’d been stabbed at all.

****

“Hah… hah… t-thanks.” Jaune gasped out, still breathing heavily in an effort to calm his frantic heartbeat, which wasn’t helped when he had Summer still freaking out and hyperventilating over his being stabbed.

****

“Not a problem, you scratch my back, I scratch yours. Or in this case, you save my life, I save yours.” Amber flashed a warm smile at him. “After everything you did for me, it’s the least I can do for you Jaune.”

****

“Hey, don’t ment- wait… how do you know my name?” The knight asked, only for Amber to let out an amused laugh.

****

“Don’t you remember, your little passenger found her way into my head a while ago, then she came back again for another chat! Did you really think we wouldn’t discuss you?”

****

“Oh! Right… you’ve talked with Summer.” Jaune realized.

****

_“She joked and teased me about my love life, more like…”_ A much calmer Summer groused in his mind.

****

“Yeah, we had a lovely chat! She’s very nice, and so easy to tease…” Amber winked, causing the spirit in the boy’s head to start complaining some more. “Well, I’d love to sit here and catch up, but we should probably be getting back. We can talk more once everyone’s out of trouble, can you stand?” She channeled her ‘inner Mira’ for that one, putting as much authority into her voice as she could.

****

“Yeah, but we should help the others first. Guys!” Jaune began to make his way over to the others.

****

_“Well done soldier, you’ve subdued your enemy. Nice work out there.”_ Mira spoke up again.

****

_You know you’re not my handler or captain, right…?_ Amber replied, a small smile in her voice.

****

_“_ **_Someone_ ** _needs to make sure you stay on mission!”_ Mira barked. _“Gods knows you have an annoying habit of getting sidetra-STOP OGLING HIM!”_ The woman abruptly shouted, causing Amber to flinch and shift her gaze.

****

_I-I wasn’t looking!_

****

_“Yeah you were! You were totally checking that blonde boy out! Ooh, is that Jaune, the guy who helped save your life?! No wonder you were staring! I can see why, he’s a cutie, and so brave to fight that woman all by himself!”_ Alexa teased, practically gushing as she continued.

****

_“He has the heart of a true soldier, willing to lay down his life for his cause and his allies, that kind of conviction and courage are rare gifts.”_ Mira observed. _“Regardless, that STILL does NOT give you permission to stare! There are still others in need of help!”_

****

“ _Oh come on Miri, would you just relax for once!?”_ The other woman whined a little, as Amber made her way over to the fallen-but-stirring Neo. “ _She can stare if she wants to, she’s young and beautiful and he’s young and handsome! Besides, he helped save her life! Of course she’s going to stare, it’s natural!”_ Alexa defended.

****

_“They can make all the doe eyes they want at one another when the danger has passed!”_ Mira shot back. “ _I have no issue with our host’s newfound interest in this… Jaune Arc, but she can indulge in it when we are NOT in the middle of combat!”_

****

_“Uhhh, hello Miri, the combat’s over! The smug mean lady’s beaten and Ami’s got her powers back! What’s there to worry about!?”_

****

_“That doesn’t mean Amber can simply drop her guard. Fall’s allies may be nearby, it would be wise to remain on guard.”_

****

_“Urrgghh…. When are you ever going to take that stick out of your butt Mira! Even when you’re DEAD you’re still a drill sergeant!”_ Alexa complained, an image of the blonde Maiden huffing and crossing her arms flashed through Amber’s mind, causing a small smile to cross her face.

****

_“Well… forgive me for wanting to give our host a_ decent _role model for a change.”_ The former captain snapped angrily. _“If you had your way, Amber would barely be able to hold her own in combat! My instruction and training has paid off_ **_far_ ** _more often than your_ **_ridiculous_ ** _gossip about men!”_

****

Amber had finally reached Neo now, she knelt down and offered the stirring girl her hand, intending to help her up.

****

Unfortunately, Alexa chose that moment to respond to Mira.

****

_“Hmph… you’re all work and no play Miri… no wonder that stick in your butt’s the only wood you’ve ever been able to get in you.”_

****

That was it, she couldn’t take it anymore.

****

Neo jolted up sharply as Amber’s raucous laughter rang in her ears. The former enforcer was understandably unnerved to wake up to a cloaked woman laughing so hard she was almost crying.

****

_“_ **_W-WHAT_ ** _!?”_ The captain roared.

****

_Hahahaha…. Oh my god, p-please just stop! I can’t be laughing l-like this! Hehehehahahahaha!!!_ Amber begged in her mind, not that the spirits were listening, too engrossed in their argument.

****

_“You heard me Mira! You might be able to be miss ‘stop-having-fun hardass drill sergeant’ all the time, but Ami needs to be a normal girl! She’s got her whole life ahead of her, she’s young, she’s sexy and if she wants to meet a nice man and have some romance in her life, then dammit she should! Even if that romance is as simple as getting pinned against a wall, getting a big tongue shoved down your throat as you tear each other’s clothes off, then having a hot, thick and throbbing-”_

****

At this point, Alexa’s voice was cut off as Amber finally threw up a mental barrier to block them out, her face was glowing bright red from the… rather _graphic_ acts of intimacy her fellow Maiden had begun to describe.

****

She then noticed a rather shaken and confused Neo watching her, and coughed a little. She needed to get this back on track.

****

Fortunately, she didn’t need to act herself, for right when she moved to open her mouth…

****

“Neo! You alright!?” Came Jaune’s voice once more. The girl turned instantly and jumped up to run toward the blonde.

****

Amber couldn’t help a small twinge of irritation at seeing her practically _glomp_ the knight. Oh sure, it was easy for _him_ to get the girl’s attention…

****

_Calm down Amber! You’re a stranger, remember? Besides, they might know each other._

****

Yeah, they probably did. Jaune knew her name after all.

****

“Urrgghh….” Came a groan from nearby, causing Amber to double-take at the voice, she knew that voice…

****

_Is that Qrow...?_

****

“Hey.” Jaune’s call brought her back to the present. “Can you go help him, I gotta help the others.” Amber nodded in reply, and the knight hurried off while she made her way over to the fallen Huntsman.

****

“Gah… f-five more minutes Sum… jus let me sleep in.” He murmured as Amber shook him.

****

“Hey. Wake up Qrow, c’mon.” Amber gave him a gentle shove.

****

“Y-you’re not the boss of me…” The man grumbled groggily.

****

“WAKE UP QROW!!” Amber yelled at full volume, startling the man awake.

****

“Gah!! Alright you little brat, I’m up! I’m u…” He trailed off as he noticed who it was he was talking to. “Uh… hey there kiddo.”

****

“Hey yourself, old man.” Amber sniped back playfully, a lopsided grin on her face.

****

“Heh… guess blondie kid’s idea actually worked, huh? So… where’s-” His eyes landed on the frozen form of Cinder, still petrified in her kneeling position. “Well… we’ll need to be quick, eventually her Aura’ll recover and she’ll-”

****

“Be stuck in there till I let her out.” Amber interrupted him. Off Qrow’s quizzical head tilt, the Maiden held up a hand and summoned a flame. “She’s got no powers anymore, I took them back before I put her in there."

****

"Not bad kiddo, not bad at all.” Qrow whistled, then winced as he noticed the still-protruding ice spears. “Wow… she’s gonna feel that for a while. Did you have to go that far, kiddo?”

****

“She tried to kill me and steal my powers for herself, I say she’s overdue a taste of her own medicine. Besides… if we leave her in there long enough, the spears will melt on their own.”

****

Qrow shrugged.

****

“Well, we still gotta get back to Beacon from here, I’ll carry popsicle over there, you help the other brats.” As the man moved over to secure their prisoner, he heard Amber behind him.

****

“Don’t you mean a ‘Cind-icle’?” The young woman giggled at her own joke, causing Qrow to groan and slap his forehead.

****

“Gods… there’s two of ‘em now. I can’t deal with another Yang…”

****

As the veteran Huntsman continued to grumble, Amber moved to assist the others, Jaune was already kneeling near one of them to offer help… only to freeze as she recognized exactly who they were.

****

“JAUNE!” The knight in question found himself torn away from Marcie and Emerald by a powerful gust of wind, while a wall of icicles formed between him and the two former criminals. Turning to the source of the voice, he found himself face-to-face an angry Amber. “Get away from them!”

****

“Woah! Hey, Amber… what’s wrong?!” He asked, why was she attacking them like this?

****

“They’re with her! When I was attacked, THEY helped her! They held me down while she absorbed part of my powers, they’re working for Cinder!” The Maiden snarled, her eyes lighting up as the icicles moved closer to the duo. “Put your hands where I can see them, or so help me I’ll turn you into pincushions!”

****

“Woah woah wait a second there!” Jaune moved in front of Amber, putting his hands out in a pleading gesture. “They’re not with her anymore, I promise! They even helped me try and fight her just now!” The knight explained, though Amber narrowed her eyes, still not quite believing.

****

“They’re criminals Jaune! They can’t be trusted!” She argued.

****

“Hey! I never wanted to work for the bitch in the first place!” Marcie interjected, the legless girl glaring up at the Fall Maiden. “I was only ever the second-place replacement for my shitty dad, I didn’t want to work for her, but the choice was ‘join-or-die’, so…”

****

“You still helped her attack me.” Amber scowled down at the ex-assassin, who sighed and looked guilty.

****

“Yeah, I did. And I’m sorry about that, really… I just wanna try and make things right, and maybe punch the smug bitch’s teeth in while I’m at it. I just got one more reason for payback.” The girl indicated her detached and sparking prosthetics.

****

“I-I’m sorry too…” Emerald spoke up, the illusionist looking far more openly nervous to be faced with the wrath for the fully-powered Fall Maiden. “Cinder… she saved me from squalor on the streets. I thought… I thought she cared about me, but she was just using me… manipulating me… a-abusing me…” 

****

At this, the mint haired girl began to weep a little, giving the Fall Maiden pause.

****

_“She seems genuinely remorseful.”_ Mira spoke up, her and Alexa having FINALLY finished their argument.

****

_Really… you think so?_

****

_“Yes, Miss Fall seems quite adept at psychological warfare and emotional manipulation. Based on this girl’s experiences, at least.”_

****

_Hmmm? How do you mean?_ Amber was curious now.

****

_“I have seen this used before, a form of emotional conditioning designed to instill loyalty in the subject, from this girl’s origins, she would be the perfect target.”_ The captain explained.

****

_Hmmm?_

****

_“She said that Cinder ‘saved her from squalor on the streets’ yes? As a street urchin, this girl was likely looked down upon, mocked, belittled, treated as naught but dirt to be ground beneath the boot of her societal betters. I doubt she was ever loved or cared for properly… pitied perhaps, but not loved.”_

****

_So, when Cinder came along, and offered her a better life… pretended to care about her…_ Amber began, catching on to where the old soldier was going with this.

****

_“... she latched on to the first real source of affection she had ever experienced. It was likely accompanied by the promise of financial stability, a roof over her head and regular meals, but the affection was the key. It may have been manufactured, been false affection, but she did not know better. She has never experienced the unconditional love of a parent or lover before… so her loyalty was secured.”_ The Captain trailed off at this, leaving Amber gawking mentally.

****

_How… how do you KNOW this?_

****

_“It was a common tactic in the Great War, useful for recruiting spies to gather intelligence on Vale’s enemies, and even our so-called ‘ally’. The lower class were ripe for choosing, and very valuable to turn to the cause… with a few kind words of favor and praise accompanied by the promise of reward, they would agree to aid us.”_

****

_Did… I assumed you might’ve wanted to turn actual military officers or something. They’re the ones with the intelligence._

****

_“But the lower-class are the ones beneath notice, Amber.”_ Mira admitted. _“The servants and janitors… the cooks… the household staff… they are allowed to go anywhere, yet are utterly invisible to those ‘above them’. A large portion of Vale’s intelligence of the enemy’s movements came from a servingman or janitor overhearing his or her master talking about it to a colleague, and they did so simply because their master refused to believe that their lowly servants would  be valuable enough to be targeted and co-opted by their enemy.”_ The captain fell silent at that, allowing Amber to take in everything she’d heard.

****

She sighed, gazing between Emerald and Marcie. After a moment, she dispelled the icicles.

****

“Alright… I’ll believe you, _for now._ ” She warned them, flaring her power a bit. “You make one wrong move though, you’ll be an ice sculpture for the foreseeable future, _got it?_ ”

****

“Y-yes ma’am.” Emerald stuttered.

****

“Fine.” Marcie acquiesced.

****

“Come on then, we need to get to Beacon. Looks like you all could get some medical attention.” Amber commented, as Qrow came strolling over with Cinder’s petrified form strung over his shoulder.

****

“What’ll happen to her?” Emerald asked.

****

“She’ll be imprisoned at Beacon, Oz needs to see what she knows.” The Huntsman explained. Marcie snarled a little at that.

****

“That’s _way_ too good for her, this cunt deserves a shallow grave, not a prison cell!” The ex-assassin snarled.

****

_“WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE!!”_ Mira roared in Amber’s mind, the Maiden barely preventing herself from flinching at her sheer _volume._

****

“Look, we can talk about this later.” Jaune offered as Neo made her way over to the group. “Everyone okay to walk?”

****

Everyone nodded in affirmation, except Marcie, who pointed at her still-severed prosthetics.

****

“Alright then.” Jaune snapped his fingers. “I got it! Neo, pick up her legs please?”

****

The short girl nodded, scooping up the prosthetics while Jaune made his way to Marcie, stooping down beside the girl.

****

“Hey Jaune, what are yo-waahh!!” The girl cried out as Juane scooped her up, holding her close to his body as her arms looped around his neck on instinct. Marcie felt her face heat up at the close contact, at Jaune’s strong arms holding her up so easily… and best of all, her lack of legs meant that Jaune’s hand had to clamp onto her rear instead. Oh yeah… she could get used to this.

****

“Comfy?” To his credit, Jaune was utterly unphased by the close contact.

****

Maybe that was because he’d already had several other girls’ naked and lithe bodies pressed against his own as he thrust into them with his-

****

_Stop! Stop thinking about that!_ The grey-haired girl frantically attempted to calm herself down, though the blonde knight was as oblivious as ever in that regard.

****

“Right, we all set?” Everyone else nodded, though Neo and Emerald were trying not to hide their jealousy at the fact that Marcie was getting _carried_ by Jaune, the whole way back. Qrow, watching the whole exchange, was trying not to grin _too_ hard, while Marcie sneakily stuck her tongue out at the other two.

****

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep you safe.” Amber assured them, as the group began to make their way out of the stadium.

****

Unbeknownst to any of them, however, they were not the only things leaving Amity. The other creature in question had a large bulbous head, from which emerged almost a dozen tentacles.

****

Unnoticed by any of the Humans, the Seer found a dark corner to hide itself in, then began to broadcast the conversation it had memorized to the Alpha Seer.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

_How interesting…_

****

This was the prime thought that dominated the mind of Salem, Queen of the Grimm, Mistress of the Dark and enemy of all sentient life as she stared at the latest message her Alpha had picked up from one of the Seers in the field.

****

Her Maiden candidate was beaten, defeated, she would likely be in the custody of the authorities soon…

****

That was disappointing. 

****

She _wanted_ to say that she had expected more from Cinder. But in truth… her only expectation was that the girl would fail.

****

For all the potential she had seen in Cinder Fall, for all her tenacity, all her determination, intelligence, ruthlessness and resourcefulness… Salem still could not overlook her flaws.

****

And what grievous flaws they were.

****

Cinder, for all her efficiency, could not resist the opportunity to cause more pain, to lord her superiority over others. That cost her dearly here, her taunts and superiority complex allowed that boy to bait her, to lure her into a trap.

****

That brought Salem to her former pawn’s second problem, her ego. Cinder’s ego far exceeded her capabilities, and it was also what had allowed the boy to lure her into the ambush. His apparent previous triumphs against her had stoked her rage, as well as set her against him personally.

****

Had she ignored his challenge, proceeded directly to Beacon to dispose of the Maiden and Ozpin, she would currently be in possession of the completed Maiden power, Ozpin would be dead, and the relic would be theirs.

****

As it stood, the Fall Maiden had made a full recovery, and Cinder had been the one to lose her portion of the power, being defeated and captured by the Maiden girl shortly thereafter.

****

Salem should be angry at her puppet’s failure, but the only feeling dominating her mind was… curiosity.

****

The boy, he intrigued her.

****

What was his name again? Jaune Arc… yes, that was his name.

****

He clearly had the determination, the quick thinking and resourcefulness to keep up with Cinder… she would need to keep an eye on him in the future.

****

Salem turned to gaze upon her blighted lands once more, a cruel smile growing on her face.

****

Well, her puppet Maiden may have fallen, but she still had a card to play.

****

Reaching out with her mind and magic, Salem focused not on Vale this time, or even the Emerald Forest… but on the mountain range nearby.

****

Good, it was still there. Her mind linked with that of the creature currently slumbering beneath the earth.

****

_Awaken… your mistress has need of you._

****

As she sensed the creature’s slumber end, Salem smiled once more as she sent her next command.

****

_Make your way to the Kingdom of Vale… and_ **_destroy EVERYTHING._ **

****

Far away, too far for her to hear, a deafening roar sounded through the landscape of Mountain Glenn, as a Grimm Dragon, a Wyvern, burst up through the earth, and turned it’s sights to Vale, to Beacon, and to **Ozpin.**

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

Daniel was out of the Sentinel when Ozpin and Glynda arrived in Beacon’s Medical Ward. Ironwood had stayed behind to organize his Specialists and get a sitrep from Ms. Pollendina. 

****

“Mr Wilson, is Specialist Schnee stable?”

****

Daniel nodded, still clutching the hand of his partner, who was now unconscious. 

****

“She’ll be alright, sir. I...I just wanted to make sure.” Ozpin patted the man’s shoulder comfortingly, but before he could comment further, the crash of the ward’s double doors being thrown open echoed through the halls, followed by ragged huffs of breath and rapid footfalls. Pyrrha Nikos suddenly appeared in the doorway to their room, her eyes wide and frantic.

****

“Ms Nikos? Are you al-” Glynda began, before Pyrrha took a step forward and nearly fell into her arms. Both Ozpin and Daniel took a step forward at this point, but the Mistral Champion quickly righted herself, shaking her head.

****

“I’m-I’m alright, ma’am.” She stuttered, before her gaze flew to Ozpin. “B-but Jaune, he’s all that’s left against Cinder. He-h-he made me leave him behind…” She whispered, her voice laced with emotion. Ozpin practically felt Daniel’s stress skyrocket, the Specialist walking to the corner of the room, where his suit was currently stored, and hurriedly typing in a code to open it.

****

“I gotta get back to him, before it’s too late!” The man hissed, practically jumping into the suit as it clicked and opened for him to step in. As he did so, however, Ozpin held up his hand.

****

“Calm yourself Mr Wilson, I believe that Mr Arc is in good hands.”

****

“Good hands?! GOOD HANDS!?!? What the hell are you on about!? He’s out there alone, fighting that murderous bitch all by himself… WITHOUT HIS SEMBLANCE! He won’t last five minutes, HE’LL BE TORN APART!!!” The young man roared.

****

“Then I suppose it’s fortunate that help is on it’s way right now.” The headmaster mentioned, stopping Daniel in his tracks. Pyrrha looked distinctly hopeful.

****

“Really!?” The Spartan asked brightly. “Oh, they’ll be able to help Jaune!”

****

“Yes, she will.”

****

“Wait… _she_ , as in, just _one person!?”_ Daniel spluttered. “It’s gonna take a lot more than ONE PERSON to fight Cinder, Professor! Who in the hell would be crazy enough to go take her on one on one!?” Noticing Pyrrha’s look, he added. “I mean… besides Jaune and all.”

****

“What’s her name Professor, is it anyone we know?” The crimson-haired Mistrali looked worried, thinking that one of her friends was going to be rushing headlong into danger to protect her leader.

****

“Her name, Miss Nikos, is Amber Autumn.”

****

Daniel and Pyrrha did a double-take at that.

****

“Who?” The armored man asked, though the Champion’s eyes widened in recognition.

****

“W-wait… y-you mean that Jaune’s idea really worked!?” Pyrrha cried.

****

“Yes, Miss Autumn awoke from her three year long coma just twenty minutes ago.” Ozpin explained, a small smile on his face. “She seemed remarkably energetic and invigorated for someone who spent so long slumbering.”

****

“So, what I’m hearing is that the chick who can basically control the elements AND has a massive bone to pick with Cinder is Jaune’s backup?” Daniel asked, tilting his head for confirmation.

****

“You are correct in your assumption, Daniel.” Ozpin confirmed, his smile still present.

****

“...Well shit.” Daniel said, his smirk audible. “Now I just wish I had a camera.”

****

Any satisfaction felt by the four, however, was lessened as a deafening, feral roar filled the air. The smile instantly vanished from Ozpin’s face, and his scroll rang a moment later. He tapped the screen, and Ironwood’s voice thundered through the speaker.

****

“Did you hear that?!” The General hissed, an edge of fear to his voice that was terribly uncommon.

****

“Indeed I did, general.” Ozpin stated, the slightest waiver to his voice. “Contact your forces, prepare for Grimm hostiles.” After a confirmation from the general, Ozpin hung up and turned to Glynda, his expression tense. “Glynda, gather whoever you can, and get to the courtyard. If what I believe is happening is truly occurring, then we will need all the firepower we have.”

****

Glynda nodded wordlessly, and immediately left the room. Daniel began to leave as well, before Ozpin put a hand on his shoulder. “Mr Wilson, I have a plan, but it might require your expertise.”

****

Daniel glanced at Winter, who was now stirring lightly, with Pyrrha at her side, clutching her own wounded leg. “Say the word, boss. Whatever you need.”

****

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

****

Jaune and the others were only half way back to Beacon when the roar pierced the calm night air. Jaune glanced around, and while confusion was evident, the fear on both Amber and Qrow’s faces told them everything it needed to. “What was that?”

****

“Nothing good, kid.” Qrow responded, scanning the skies until something on the horizon caught his eye. “Amber, we got incoming!” Sure enough, on the edge of the dark night sky, a large shadow growing larger as it approached.

****

“Is that...a **fucking DRAGON?!** ” Marcie hissed, her grip tightening on Jaune’s neck. Sure enough, the shape of the Grimm Dragon became clear as it grew closer, before the sound of large engines roaring to life caught their attention. They turned to see Atlas’s navy turning to face the beast, with three frigates moving forward, their weapons humming before an experimental shot was fired. The dragon easily swerved around the shot, and roared once more in evident rage.

****

While the battle above began to heat up, a growl from the treeline drew the hunters attentions back to the ground, as a hoard of Grimm approached. Granted, there was nothing bigger than an Ursa Major… **_yet_ **, but their numbers were still significant. Amber gripped her staff, and brought it up in a defensive stance. “Qrow, Jaune. Get moving.”

****

“We’re not leaving you behind!” Jaune insisted, ignoring the muttering from Marcie insisting that that was a great idea.

****

“I can handle myself, You’re preoccupied carrying someone, as is Qrow, and _those two_.” Amber flicked her head in the direction of Emerald and Neo. “Haven’t got any Aura left, so they can’t fight. Now… are you going to argue, or are you going to do as I ask?”

****

“... just stay safe, okay?” Jaune asked, before he turned and led the others away, in the only direction that _wasn’t_ swarming with Grimm.

****

“I should be telling you that!” Amber called after him, before facing the horde once more.

****

_“Well done, you took command of the situation quite admirably, now to dispatch these creatures.”_ Mira’s voice sounded in her head once more.

****

_“Yeah, go kick some Grimm behind Ami! Show those monsters who’s boss!”_ Alexa cried.

****

Amber stood in the center of an ever-growing horde of Grimm by now, the creatures encircling her, snarling but not attacking… yet.

****

Spreading her arms wide, Amber let a smirk cross her face as she issued a challenge.

****

“So… who’s gonna try first?”

****

The Beowolves rushed her, only to be incinerated en-masse at the radial nova of flames that burst out of her body and charred them all in seconds. The remaining survivors made another attempt, but a 360 degree sweep of the magic-coated staff caved in their skulls in before they touched her.

****

“Come on… this isn’t all you’ve got, right?” She cooed. “Show a girl a good time, at least!”

****

The Ursae was next up, all of them spacing their numbers out to make sure her flame blasts couldn’t hit them… which only made them easy prey for the thick pillars of ice that sprang up to impale them from the ground, it took a few tries, but they all fell into dust soon enough.

****

Amber hadn’t even moved yet, even as the ground around her was littered with dust from her slain foes.

****

_“Wooo!! Yeah!”_ Alexa was cheering. _“You’re no match for her!”_

****

_“Watch the skies, soldier.”_ Mira interjected. “ _Prepare for an aerial assault as well.”_

****

_Got it._

****

The advice came just in time, Amber turned her head to the sky just in time to notice the barrage of feathers coming in from the Nevermore swarm that had flown within range while she was 

distracted with the ground creatures.

****

Thanks to their surprise attack, the Nevermores’ feathers were close already.

****

Close, but not quite close enough.

****

A yellowish-orange shield sprang up around the Maiden at a flick of the staff, the feathers disintegrating on contact. The Nevermores made to launch another attack, only to be swept up into the miniature tornado Amber had created from the winds. The creatures swirled around helplessly in the vortex, screeching and cawing yet unable to free themselves as Amber swirled her hand around lazily.

****

Then the hand curled into a fist, and the screeches were cut off by a cacophony of sickening crunches as the vortex constricted around the Nevermores, crushing their bones and pulping their muscles.

****

As Amber flicked her hand to dispel the winds, a cloud of dust was all that floated down to the ground.

****

The Maiden glanced around, ready for another wave, but it seemed there were no more Grimm on the way.

****

_“THAT WAS AWESOME AMI!! YOU WERE AMAZING OUT THERE!”_ Came Alexa’s loud, _loud_ voice cheering and screaming her praises.

****

_Heh… thanks, it was nothing really._

****

_“You should return to the group now, they may need your escort again.”_ Mira spoke up.

****

_You’re right, on my way._

****

Instead of walking, Amber levitated herself into the air, taking a moment to reach out and scan for nearby Auras using her magic… there they were! And no Grimm nearby… perfect, she must’ve dispatched them all.

****

Smiling, Amber took off in the direction of her new companions, from what she could see from her new vantage point, Beacon was close by. There was not much further to go now.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------  
Amber had only made it a few yards before the sounds of combat began to echo in the air. She crested the next hill just in time to see a second hoard of Grimm attacking the group. 

****

Despite being aura less, both Neo and Emerald were making do with their weapons, taking out scattered Grimm with ease. Jaune had set Marcie down, and joined the fight against the Grimm as Qrow watched over both Marcie and Cinder. 

****

Jaune used the flame rune on his sword to cut through three Beowolves before a fourth knocked him to the ground, a surprised cry exiting his mouth. Amber rushed forward, but before she reached the group, the tell-tale _whir_ of an incoming Bullhead filled the field, followed by the crack of a sniper rifle, resulting in the wolf on Jaune to fall back, before disintegrating. 

****

The Bullhead made a sloppy landing nearby, with five soldiers jumping out, two of whom Jaune recognized.

“Tucker, Sarge, take the left side. Draw the Grimm’s attention!” The man in the middle shouted, his white Atlas armor accented with a light shade of blue. “Grif, help me and Doc get them on board!”

****

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say, blue.” Grif groaned, before noticing Jaune and quickly walking over to him. “Oh, hey man. Enjoying your rest?”

****

“Not...really…” Jaune answered, before taking Grif’s hand and being lifted to his feet. “Where did you guys come from?”

****

“General Ironwood sent out a mass message to sweep the area for both civilians and Grimm.” Grip explained, walking with Jaune as he picked up Marcie once more. “Blues offered us a ride.”

****

Jaune was suspecting the “blues” were the other soldiers, who had managed to force the Grimm back. The first one turned to Jaune, his armor accent with a teal or seafoam green, and gave a two finger salute. “Hey, knight in white! Need any help?” 

****

Before Jaune could answer, Sarge interrupted, yelling angrily. “By God, it’s you! I remember you, dirtbag!” He shouted, before Grip sighed, facepalming despite his armor, and shook his head.

****

“I’m sorry about him, and yes, he’s always like this.”

 

Amber finally made her way over to the group, approaching Jaune first. “Jaune, is everyone okay?” She asked, her eyes flashing in concern.

****

“Yeah, we’re good.” Jaune confirmed, before the soldier with light blue accents came over.

****

“Alright, we gotta move fast in case any more Grimm decide they want a snack.” He said, gesturing to the Bullhead. “Everyone get on! Doc, see what you can do about those three’s auras once we’re in the clear.”

****

Clearly, there was no time for arguments, and the group quickly entered the ship. As they got on, the teal soldier cocked an eyebrow at the Cinder, who was still on Qrow’s shoulder. “What happened to her?”

****

“Let’s just says she got her ass clapped, and keep it simple.” Qrow said. The soldier smiled, but before he could speak again, the blue soldier turned to him with a scowl. 

****

“Tucker, no.”

  
“Church, c’mon. It was literally handed to me!”

****

“Just be mature!”

****

“Fine, geez!”

…

…

…

“Aw screw it, BOW CHICKA BOW-”

  
“TUCKER!”

\--------------

Line Break 

\--------------

By the time the Bullhead touched down at Beacon’s grounds, the entire area was practically in chaos. Half the fields were full of Atlas troops mobilizing, and the other half was full of students either attempting to find out what was going on, or forming defensive phalanxes around the area. The Reds and Blues quickly joined their Atlas comrades, while Jaune, the trio, and Amber approached Goodwitch, with Qrow and Cinder in tow.

****

Glynda noticed their approach, and started towards them before a red blur beat her to it, crashing into Jaune, who landed with an _umf!_ After he recovered from the sudden blow, Jaune realized that the shape now perched on his chest was that of Ruby Rose, who was practically shaking as she hugged him.

****

“Oh, Jaune! I’m so glad you’re okay!” The reaper cried, practically attaching herself to him like a barnacle.

****

“YEAH!” A _loud_ voice called out from _right_ _beside_ them, making the pair jump. “I’m glad you’re alright Fearless Leader! Because nobody could find you so we started to get worried, then we all heard this loud roar so we all came down here with our weapons ready to kick ass!! THEN Ruby saw you and jumped on you so I came over and here we are!!”

****

Nora Valkyrie had entered the scene.

****

“Urrgghh… hi Nora.” Jaune grunted, managing to sit up, despite the presence of a small Rose on his chest. Ruby graciously shuffled back to let him sit up, but still kept hugging him.

****

“Hey there Lover Boy… looks like Rubes found ya.” Yang commented as the smirking brawler entered the scene. “You know, we should be mad at ya… but at this point, we’ve sort of expected you to run off in a crisis… so, where was the OTHER danger then?” She asked.

****

“Huh?”

****

“Jaune… you’re one of the most danger-prone people we know.” Blake cut in, as she and Weiss entered the scene. “If we’ve learned anything… it’s that if there is danger anywhere, you’re never far from it.”

****

Jaune made to reply, only to be cut off as Weiss hit him in the shoulder.

****

“You dolt!” The heiress cried out. “Stop running off like that! Where were you!? We were all so worried!”

****

“Yeah… sorry about that.” Jaune apologized, rubbing his head a little. “But it’s okay… we stopped it! Well… _that_ danger anyway.”

****

When the girls cocked their heads, Jaune simply thumbed in the direction of the still-frozen Cinder. Most of them gaped a little at her petrified form.

****

“After everything she did… I’d say that’s almost karma, right?” Yang recovered first. “Still… _those_ are gonna be a pain to get out.” She observed, pointing to the ice-spears still lodged in her stomach.

****

“Don’t sweat it Firecracker, we’ll patch her up real good before we stick her in a cell somewhere..” Qrow assured her, the man making his way over, before addressing Jaune. “Gotta say kiddo… that took real balls to take her on alone like that. Nice work.”

****

He offered a hand, which Jaune shook.

****

“Thanks.”

****

“Don’t get cocky.” He chided, before staggering back as Ruby zipped off Jaune to tackle her uncle instead.

****

“UNCLE QROOOW!! I’m glad you’re okay!” The small girl wrapped herself around the man’s left arm, as Yang walked over and hugged him as well.

****

“Yeah… it really would suck if you’d died out there Qrow… I mean, one of us would HAVE to take up drinking, just to keep it in the family.” Though her words were light, there was an undercurrent of worry in the young dragon’s tone.

****

“Hey… don’t worry about me, this old bird’s tougher than he looks.” Qrow ruffled her hair, then turned and patted Ruby on the head as well as he swung her from the arm she’d latched onto. Ruby made a few small ‘wheee’ noises that Jaune found to be _adorable_.

****

Guess they finally forgave him for that stunt at the docks, it had been some time now…

****

“Hey Jaune. These your friends?” Came Amber’s smooth voice, as the Maiden made her way over to the group…

****

Only to be startled when a wild Nora appear right in front of her.

****

“Hey there new girl! Are you a friend of Jauney’s too? Wowee, you’re tall, at least a bit taller than Fearless Leader… and wowza! Look at those! How do you manage to walk with those, they’re not even sagging at all! Hey Renny, look! We’ve finally found a girl with bigger boobies and better curves than all of us, isn’t that weird!? Are you jealous, Renny? I’m a bit jealous!” Eventually, Nora needed to breathe, so she zipped over to her childhood friend and began gesturing right at Amber’s chest instead.

****

“I… I… I am _so_ sorry about Nora…” Jaune apologized profusely. “She… doesn’t really have a filter…”

****

“She isn’t wrong though… man, even I’M jealous of your melons, new girl.” Yang commented shamelessly. “And I’m sure Weiss-cream over there would KILL to have tits even half the volume.” She winked cheekily, over the Schnee’s furious screech of “YOU BRAZEN BLONDE BIMBO!”

****

The Fall Maiden herself, meanwhile, was frozen in both shock and mortification at just how _brazen_ this girl was with her observations. She’d tuned out most of the following conversation for some introspection.

****

_Am I… I-I mean I was always considered a… a ‘big girl’ in my home village, and I did get lucky in puberty but… a-am I really that big now…?_ She whispered mentally, resisting the urge to feel up her chest.

****

Just to check if they _had_ grown, that’s all!

****

_“You bet you are Ami!”_ Came the cheerful voice of her more upbeat fellow Maiden, causing Amber to flinch a little. _“I mean yeah… you were always a bit bigger than most girls your age, but now… WOW! You’re like a perfect supermodel! With that juicy, firm ass and those wide hips and those boobs like melons. MELONS Ami! You have any idea how many girls would KILL to get boobs like that?! I mean, even I-_

****

_Wait wait wait! Stop! Stop! Just… please, I get it…_ Amber was fairly certain she was about ready to die of embarrassment at this point.

****

_“My fellow’s rather… ‘unfiltered’ observations aside…”_ Mira cut in, her tone far more composed. _“You DO appear to have undergone a significant physical enhancement…. Yes, your… ‘feminine assets’ have been enhanced, no doubt… but so has your body overall, your muscles in your extremities are more developed, as are the ones in your chest and back especially. I suppose this is why you can still walk normally, despite the… added weight.”_ At this, the captain coughed a little. Amber blushed.

****

_“You mean because of those HUGE boobs that Ami’s toting around, right!? I mean, look at those things, they’re practically got their own gravitational pull at this point!”_

****

_“Y-yes, Alexa! That_ **_is_ ** _what I meant!”_

****

_“Aaaww, there’s no need to be jealous Miri! You can have the same thing if you want to! We’re in the mindscape remember?”_ The perky Maiden cooed.

****

_“That is NOT my primary concern here!!”_ The soldier thundered. _“Ahem… now, your lither and curvier frame seems to have made you more agile and aerodynamic, so you should be able to more easily avoid enemy fire, especially when you are flying.”_ The explanation was mostly sound, but Amber was still confused about one thing.

****

_So, that explains all those changes, but… w-what about… um…_

****

_“What about your, to quote my companion… ‘juicy, firm ass, wide hips and boobs like melons’?”_ Mira’s voice sighed.

****

_Uh, yes…_

****

_“Your physical changes seem to have derived from a subconscious desire to be seen as attractive and desirable. At least, that is my theory. When magic is involved… the mind is a powerful thing, Amber. The likely cause is your healing magic being pushed into overdrive by the artificial Aura you were infused with, thanks to that device attached to your casket. When you were being rejuvenated, your enhanced magic likely reflected your desire to be an attractive young woman, and gave you the form to match. That certainly explains the age difference…”_

****

_W-wait! What age difference!?_ Amber was thoroughly confused now.

****

_“You are, biologically and physically, several years younger than you were when you fell into your coma. You look to be about 19 to 20 years old… though your sexual development is certainly more advanced…”_

****

_MIRA! I get enough of that from Alexa, you don’t need to pile on too!_

****

_“I am simply advising you, nothing more.”_

****

_So… what do you mean by ‘desire to be seen as attractive’, I mean… I’ve never really thought about romance before…_

****

The Maiden sensed the captain sigh in her head, even ‘tsking’ a little before she answered.

****

“ _Not before, but you are doing so now, it would seem.”_

****

_I… I-I don’t underst-_

****

_“She means you’ve totally got the hots for Jaune!”_ Alexa burst out, the bubbly woman unable to stay silent any longer.

****

_What!? N-no I don’t!_

****

_“Amber is right, Alexa. She is not in love with him…  but there_ **_is_ ** _a definite interest present, a desire to get to know him better.”_

****

_“Oh, that’s how it starts though! Especially since he saved her life by coming up with that idea! Just you wait, it’ll be a fairytale romance, the Maiden and her Knight in Shining Armor!”_ Alex was flat-out _squeeing and gushing_ now, unable to contain her excitement.

****

“....ey, Amber. Amber? AMBER?” The voice of the ‘knight’ in question brought her back to the present. Blinking twice just to get her bearings, Amber found Jaune staring worriedly at her. “You...okay? You spaced out for a minute.”

****

“Huh… oh, fine! Perfectly fine!” She assured him. Jaune didn’t look wholly convinced.

****

“Are uh… are _they_ distracting you?” He asked, in a quiet voice to make sure no one else overheard them.

****

“You mean… the other Maidens?” Amber looked a little shocked. “Uh… h-how do you-?”

****

Jaune simply tapped at his own head twice.

****

“I’ve got my own ‘voice’, remember? And she was the one who jumped into your head, she told me about your… voices.” He explained. Amber actually giggled a little at that.

****

“Yeah, guess that’s one thing we’ve got in common, right?” The Maiden chuckled. “We’re both as nuts as each other.”

****

“Oh yeah, we’re both nuts alright!” They shared a laugh together. “And hey… if you ever need to just… tune them out for a bit, you can come talk to me if you feel lonely or something. I promise I won’t get on your nerves.” He winked playfully, getting another sweet laugh out the girl.

****

“Thank you Jaune, it can get tiring having those two screaming at each other all the time, I mean… Alexa can be a bit loud sometimes, and Mira just can’t switch off… it’ll be nice to have someone else to talk to.” She admitted, flashing a small smile.

****

It was a sweet moment of trust between them… that was promptly ruined as another loud roar sounded through the air.

****

“WHAT THE-!?” Most of them yelled out, cut off as they saw an Atlas Frigate explode into a fiery ball of twisted metal as the Grimm Dragon attacked again, the creature’s flame breath causing critical damage to the already damaged vessel.

****

“Children, I suggest you form up into your teams and form a defensive phalanx with the others.” Professor Goodwitch advised, readying her riding crop.

****

“But why? What the heck can we do against something like that!?” Ruby cried out.

****

“It is not the Dragon you need to worry about, Miss Rose.” The combat instructor informed her. “It is the Grimm that will be summoned by its very presence here, as well as the creatures it creates itself. They must not be allowed to overrun Beacon Academy, is that **clear**?” The teacher ordered.

****

Every student nodded, already pulling out their weapons and readying themselves.

****

The Grimm Dragon swept past the Altas vessels, weaving between their fire to circle around Beacon’s central tower, forcing the central Battleship to withdraw to a safe distance. A viscous black liquid soon began to drip down from the Dragon’s leathery wings, forming into puddles on the ground.

****

As the first Beowolves began to emerge straight from the puddles, Jaune, NPR, RWBY, Emerald, Neo, Qrow, Glynda and Amber prepared for yet another fight.

\--------------

Line Break 

\--------------

In the skies above Beacon, Admiral Sage Carmine was starting to sweat. Since the Wyvern had entered their airspace, it had destroyed two frigates, and damaged the third severely. Now it was circling Beacon tower, eyeing up the rest of the fleet angrily. 

****

“Fenix, can you get a lock on that thing’s heat signature? We could sync up with the other ships and unload our collective arsenals.” He asked, only earning a shaky denial from his second in command.

I

“Negative, sir. It’s signature...it fluctuates too much!” She explained, desperately attempting to lock onto the dragon. “Our shots wouldn’t make it.” 

****

Carmine nodded grimly, before opening up an open channel to the rest of the fleet. “All ships, be advised: do not attempt to lock onto the Wyvern, the target’s signature is unstable, I repeat, the target’s signature is unstable.”

****

Suddenly, a crackle of static passed throw all channels, followed by a younger, new voice. “And if you had a smaller, faster, stable target?”

****

The muffled hum of thrusters was all it took for the admiral to look outside, and spot the Sentinel suit flying in front of his ship. “Whatcha say, boys?” The suit hummed, raising its arms expectantly. “Who's up for some target practice?”

\--------------

Line Break 

\--------------

Shockingly, the defense against the Grimm was going well before the Deathstalkers arrived. Two of them, both of whom charged the students first. The Atlas soldiers did what they could to draw the beast’s attention, but their weapons, advanced or no, couldn’t pierce the durable armor of the Grimm’s shell.

****

“Nora, Yang! Top right, aim for its eyes!” Jaune called, before cutting down an Ursa minor heading for Weiss. “Ruby, get up high! Look for weak points!”

****

“On it!”

****

Jaune turned back to the battle, just in time to see Amber smite a cluster of Beowolves, and Glynda send an Ursa flying through the sky. “Nice job, ladies! Keep it up!” He yelled, before stabbing another Ursa as it charged at him.

****

“This isn’t going anywhere!” Blake cried, cutting down a Beowulf with Gambol Shroud before dodging, ending up next to Weiss. “We need to get to that dragon!”

****

“Blakey, I love ya, I really do.” Yang quipped. “But how are we supposed to fight a freaking DRAGON?”

****

The world seemed to answer her as a sudden sound filled the air. It wasn’t the roar of Grimm, nor the gunfire of Atlas guns. Instead, the sound of a familiar tune of “ _Shoot to Thrill_ ” filled the air, and the sight of Daniel’s Sentinel suit flew into view. “I think the cavalry's here.” Jaune said, grinning at the sight 

****

Daniel swooped in and  blasted both of the Deathstalkers full force, making the beasts screeched before fading away. He didn’t even land, instead taking off and heading for the dragon.

****

In the suit, Daniel put all power to his boots, before asking his A.I. a question. “Hey, you have a name, computer?”

“Negative, sir.” It hummed in response, it’s female voice neutral in tone. “I was never assigned one.”

****

“Huh. Well, we can’t have that.” Daniel said, a small smile on his face. “When were you created?”

****

“I was first developed on Friday of-”

****

“Friday, huh?” Daniel interrupted the likely lengthy information dump. “What do think of that name?” 

****

The computer was silent for a moment, likely processing his question, before responding, her voice noticeably a bit more pleasant. “I...like this name.”

****

“Awesome!” Daniel said, before his smile slipped slightly and he signaled the Admiral. As the call went through, he asked Friday one last question. “Hey, Friday? You ever hear the one about Jonah and the whale?”

****

“I… would not consider him a role model, sir.” Friday advised.

****

Then the two of them vanished, straight into the Dragon’s mouth.

\--------------

Line Break 

\--------------

“He’s done it, the crazy bastard’s actually gone and done it.” Admiral Carmine furrowed his brows, before issuing his orders.

****

“All ships, lock on to the Sentinel’s heat signature and open fire, all the heavy ordinance we’ve got! This is our chance, let’s make use of it!”

****

With that, the sky became alight with the might of the Atlas Navy. Missiles, bullets, dust, all of it. All directed at the heat signature of the Sentinel armor. The dragon noticed the barrage, but was unable to fly, but whether this was because it had just swallowed a suit of metal, or it just wasn’t prepared for the onslaught wasn’t important. 

****

What was important was the barrage slammed into it at full force, the Grimm roared in pain as the ordinance lacerated it’s sides and tore at the bone armor exoskeleton protecting the more vulnerable areas.

****

Soon, it was entirely engulfed in explosions as the heavier missiles, the bunker-busters and capital-ship killers, finally caught up.

****

Every deck officer and crewmember on the lead Battleship cheered and whooped as they wanted the conflagration consume the Grimm, even Admiral Carmine couldn’t hold back a smile. His though was bitter as he realised that the Sentinel hadn’t flown out, and had likely been consumed in the explosion, along with the brave and crazy young man piloting it.

****

“Rest in peace, son…” He whispered, before addressing his deck officers. “Alright, listen up! We’ve still got Grimm to kill, so don’t celebrate just…”

****

He trailed off, shock all over his face, as a large rumbling roar echoed through the air once more.

****

“Oh, Gods…” He muttered as the smoke began to clear… revealing the Grimm Dragon. It was bleeding, it was injured, it was barely flying… but it was still alive.

****

And his ships were all out of heavy ordinance. All they had left were the turrets and energy lance batteries, none of which would do enough damage to bring it down.

****

Clenching his fists, Admiral Carmine looked to the heavens and prayed for a miracle. Just this once.

****

And, fortunately for his ship, and all the other ships in the fleet, his prayer was answered.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

At this point, Jaune had dropped his sword, barely able to keep from falling to his knees as the dragon re emerged from the clouds of smoke resulting from the assault. Daniel was...gone. And his sacrifice didn’t even work.

****

“Well the hell do we do now!?” Yang had yelled, the minute they’d all seen the Dragon emerge still-alive from the bombardment.

****

“We must begin evacuation procedures.” Professor Goodwitch ordered.

****

“What? We’re just gonna abandon the school?!” Ruby cried.

****

“There’s got to be some other alternative, Professor!” Blake insisted.

****

“There IS an alternative, children. Stay here and DIE. THAT is the alternative.” The instructor snarled out, causing everyone to flinch. “There is NOTHING we have strong enough to take that creature on, so we MUST retreat!”

****

“Are you serious?” Came another voice from nearby. “I can take that thing down, no problem!” 

****

Goodwitch swung round to berate the person… until she saw who it was that had spoken.

****

“After all…” Amber continued, batting aside a few Beowolves with a flick of the hand, her eyes glowing as she summoned her powers. “I beat her, didn’t I?” The girl tilted her head in the direction of the frozen form of Cinder Fall. “What’s one Dragon compared to a megalomaniac with some of my powers, hmmm?”

****

“But that thing’s massive!” Ruby called out, the reaper looking worried along with the others.

****

Worry that turned to shock as Amber began to levitate herself off the ground, surrounded by the glowing orange Aura of the Fall Maiden.

****

“Oh really?” She grinned a little. “Well, that just means a much bigger target, doesn’t it? You know what they say, the bigger they are… the harder they fall.” Then she took off into the air, toward the battered Grimm, staff at the ready.

****

“Um… Jaune?” Ren approached him now, the green gunner looking rather awestruck. “Where did you find her, again?”

****

Jaune just grinned like an idiot as he replied.

****

“A fairytale, Ren. I found her in a fairytale.”

****

The Dragon, by now, had noticed this new challenger approaching. It was miniscule compared to the Atlas armada floating before the beast.

****

The armada that the Grimm promptly ignored, in favour of the much greater threat. It could smell the magic this one carried. Similar to the magic of the Queen, in fact.

****

That was dangerous, very dangerous indeed. The Grimm flapped its steadily-healing wings furiously, generating a large wave of air intended to send the new challenger reeling.

****

That was a mistake, the onrushing winds curved and bent, swirling around the girl as she held up her staff, the crystal glowing as energy was channeling into it.

****

The Grimm decided on a different approach, opening its mouth and disgorging a blast of flame to incinerate her.

****

Amber simply directed the swirling currents outward, breaking apart the advancing fireball into harmless embers, quickly swept away by the howling winds.

****

“Heh. My turn now, buddy.”

****

The dragon roared in pain as the wind itself lashed out on the Maiden’s command, slashing at its wings and shearing them to almost nothing with razor-sharp air currents. The massive being screeched as it began to fall, the large holes in its wings prevented it from keeping steady.

****

The ice hit it a moment later, dozens of large spears manifested out of thin air and driven into its body with the force of a sledgehammer. The dragon was in agony now, screeching and wailing as the ice began to spread, creeping up its outer armor steadily despite the creature’s frantic efforts to summon its fire. 

****

Soon enough, the creature’s outer shell was frozen solid. It was only a few seconds later that about a dozen lightning bolts struck the helpless dragon. With the fragile ice coating the protective armor, making it just as fragile, it didn’t stand a chance.

****

The dragon exploded into shattered shards and large chunks, that rapidly began to disintegrate as it fell to the ground. All that was left to reach the students was a thick layer of black dust.

****

Amber smirked, proud of her handiwork, before the strangest feeling that she was forgetting something sank in. 

****

The sudden gust of air as the Sentinel suit fell past her alerted her of what it was. 

****

She hastily summoned her powers once more, guiding a gust of wind under the suit as it fell. If the descent was slowed, she didn’t see it as the suit crashed through the roof of Beacon’s mess hall.

****

Jaune had watched the suit fall from the ground, and was now sprinting towards the mess hall, ignoring the cries of both Goodwitch and his friends. He arrived in a few moments, practically kicking the door down as he entered. The interior was filthy, splintered wood and broken metal stew about, with Daniel in the center of it all. Jaune rushed over to his friend, crouching over the suit as it’s reactor flickered, the usually-glowing blue suit eyes already dark.

****

“Daniel? Daniel, c’mon man. This isn’t funny!” Jaune cried, doing his best to try and open the helmet. Suddenly, a hand emerged from behind him, and practically tore the faceplate off, chucking it somewhere Jaune couldn’t see. 

****

Daniel’s eyes were closed, a steady stream of blood dribbling from his nose. Jaune began to choke on tears as it started to set it. Daniel was...dead. He was gone. His best friend, the one who took care of him, the one who always believed in him...was never coming back.

****

“No...please, no.” he whispered, tears streaming down his face. “Gods, don’t let this be real.” A hand landed on his shoulder, and before Jaune could stop himself, he launched into the person’s arms, bawling freely. Amber was surprised at the sudden gesture, but returned the hug, whispering a quiet apology. 

****

By this point, the rest of the girls, as well as Glynda and Qrow had arrived. The sight of Daniel’s body was one none had been prepared for, and they reacted as such. Ruby approached jaune, who had exited his hug with Amber, only to enter a second one with the red reaper. 

****

“Damn it…” A growl pushed its way through Yang’s teeth, as her eyes flicked red. “God fucking DAMN IT! After all the shit we’ve done, the fighting, the setbacks, all that SHIT, we still don’t get to FUCKING WIN!” 

****

With her last word, Yang punched one of the remaining banisters standing, making it shift and loosen some rubble on the ceiling. A piece of cement no bigger than a golf ball fell from above, landing square on Daniel’s forehead. Suddenly, he lurched forward with a shout of pain and surprise, making everyone jump. 

  
“HOLY SHIT WHAT THE SHIT I’M ALIVE!” He spat out, before falling back into his crater and groaning. “Ohoho, ok. Now I wish I was dead. Owwww.”

****

Ignoring the shocked looks of everyone around him, he continued.

****

“So… what happened?” His face grew a little nervous. “Please tell me nobody kissed me.”

****

He then glanced at Amber, and smirked slightly. “Nice combo, Little Miss Chastity” He quipped, lifting his arm to give a lazy thumbs up. “Helluva party trick you got there. Next time, don’t fry me with it.”

****

Then Daniel looked at Jaune, and noted the tears on his face. “Hey, you ok, buddy?” He asked, doing his best to keep his smirk up despite the growing pain in his...everywhere. “Look on the bright side, at least you’re not the only one with a tally in the “Almost died!” section anymore.”

****

Jaune let out a noise somewhere between a laugh and a cry, before falling to his knees and laughed brokenly. “Gods, your an absolute dick, Daniel.” He finally muttered, looking up to see his friend smiling at him earnestly.

  
“Missed you too, bud.”

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

Jaune watched the clouds roll over the bright blue sky with a sense of peace he truly hadn’t felt in what felt like forever. It had been three days since Cinder’s capture and the attack of the dragon. 

****

Cinder was currently in the custody of both the Headmaster and Atlas. Marcie, Neo, and Emerald had all been taken to the Medical ward, alongside Daniel, and they were all recovering nicely. Jaune giggled a bit as he recalled Winter fretting over Daniel’s wounds, before snapping at him for being so reckless, then going right back to worrying about him. 

****

Luckily, with the permission of General Ironwood, Penny had been able to develop a new set of prosthetics for Marcie, as well as a thin, rapier-esc weapon for Neo. As for Pyrrha, she had practically dragged Jaune back to their dorm and showed him **_exactly_ **how worried she was about him. Jaune’s legs ached like hell, but it was one hell of a night.

****

As if summoned by his thoughts, Jaune felt a hand touch his shoulder, followed by his partner’s arms wrapping around his waist. “Hey, Pyrrha.” He greeted, beaming. “How was your morning?”

****

“Wonderful, Jaune.” Pyrrha hummed, before releasing him and standing at his side. “The others were wondering if you’d like to have lunch together today.”

****

“That sounds great, Pyr.” He said, still smiling. His smile didn’t falter as a distant call of “Jaune!” Made him turn around, this time prepared for the red blur that hit his chest. “Hey, Rubes.”

****

“Hi, Jaune!” She greeted, her silver eyes wide and happy. “So, are you coming with us to lunch?”

****

“Yeah, c’mon Lover Boy!” Yang called, making Jaune look up to see the rest of RWBY, JNPR, Coco and Velvet waiting for him. “You don’t seem the type to keep a girl waiting!”

****

“Yang…” Weiss said warningly, waiting for the brawler to make some sort of innuendo.

  
“Relax, Weiss-cream! Not everything I say is a sex joke!”

****

“Only the loud stuff.” Blake mused, quirked an eyebrow at her partner, who just smirked back.

****

“Oh, me and Jauney get up to plenty of loud stuff~” She said, promoting a growl of frustration from Weiss and a “Ditto” from both Nora and Ren. Jaune chuckled at his friend’s antics, but paused as a familiar voice filter from behind him.

****

“Mr Arc.” Ozpin greeted the knight, a small smile on his face. “It’s good to see that you’re doing well after the events of the last few days.”

****

“Thank you, sir.” Jaune responded, before waving to both Amber and Qrow, who flanked the headmaster. “Is there something you need, Professor?”

****

The man's smile dimmed slightly, and he nodded. “Unfortunately, yes. There is.”

****

Jaune was surprised, but nodded in acceptance, prepared to hear what the man had to say. It...wasn’t what he expected. 

****

“Miss Fall is currently awake, she has recovered from her… injuries sustained in the fight against you and your team, as well as against Amber.”

****

“Is she saying anything?” Jaune asked.

****

“That is the problem… she has refused to speak to anyone regarding her plans or any other associates.” 

****

Jaune frowned, as did the other girls.

****

“We could make her talk.” Yang suggested, cracking her knuckles.

****

“That is… until now.” Ozpin’s words brought them out of their violent thoughts toward a certain terrorist. 

****

“Really? Well, that’s good news, right?” Ruby asked, the reaper snuggling up to Jaune.

****

“Yes, unfortunately, she will not speak to us.” This time, his gaze turned squarely to the knight.

****

“She will speak… but only to Mr Arc.”

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

_This is fucked._

****

This thought had been playing on repeat in Roman Torchwick’s head ever since he’d been picked up by that Bullhead. 

****

It was crewed by some moustached doctor of some kind, who was also flying the thing (what, he was a pilot now too? What’s next, fixing things?). 

****

There was a massive hulk of a man who’d said absolutely nothing the whole journey. He merely spent it looking at some locket, and muttering something about ‘ _making him pay_ ’.

****

Finally, there was some psychotic scorpion Faunus who turned out to be _quite_ the chatterbox. Except, he was also a glorified religious nut, since he’d spent the _entire trip_ rabbiting on and on and on _and on and on_ about some ‘Goddess’.

****

Okay… not touching that with a ten-foot pole, thank you.

****

Roman had tried, as politely as possible, to tell the guy that he wasn’t interested. Those attempts had ended when the psycho’s tail had stabbed through the cigar clamped between his teeth, the guy accusing him of being an ‘unbeliever’ and ‘in service to the false shepard’.

****

Right, so he was psycho _and_ he was homicidally violent. Should’ve seen that coming.

****

Which brought them to right now, with the Bullhead touching down outside some creepy fucking castle, inside what could only be described as Hell on Remnant.

****

It wasn’t the fact that the sky was blood red.

****

It wasn’t the fact that the castle just _screamed_ ‘crazy comic book supervillain lair’.

****

It was the Grimm, it was the fact that they were surrounded by Grimm, thousands of them… _hundreds of thousands,_ potentially MILLIONS…

****

And _none of them were attacking._

****

WHAT.

****

As Roman was trying to keep from shivering in terror, he heard the psycho’s voice again, the guy was standing at the entrance to the castle, the hulk and the doctor already shuffling inside, he was _bowing_ like some fucking butler as he talked.

****

“Welcome! Welcome! You are the two fortunate enough to have been chosen!!”

****

“C-chosen?” Roman ignored the way his voice had lost all of it’s smugness at this point. He was too scared.

****

“Yes, yes!” The man cackled madly. “Chosen to be blessed with the Goddess’ presence! Now come, come!” he beckoned them forward, a chillingly large grin on his face the whole time, before _bounding inside on all fours._

****

Oh yeah, that’s not creepy at all…

****

Roman turned to the only other person still present on the landing platform at this point.

****

“This is _fucked._ ” The thief hissed. “I don’t know what the hell you signed up for, but I did _not_ sign up for _this shit!”_ He cursed angrily.

****

The figure merely grunted, and made their way inside.

****

“Fat lot of help you were!” The suited man raged, though he quickly followed suit, lest he find himself facing ‘death by fanatic’ anytime soon.

****

The corridors were even creepier than the outside, there were no modern lights, just… dozens and dozens of _candles_ to light the way.

****

_How ancient is this castle?_

****

Oh god… they were here already. The creepy man, the doctor and the hulking mass just stopped outside the double doors.

****

“What? You’re not coming in with us?” Roman was proud of the way he stopped his voice from skipping and stuttering that time.

****

“Alas, we have not been chosen…” The psycho seemed to _wilt_ , Roman could swear he saw the guy _tearing up_ … jesus…

****

“Our presence is not requested, it’s you she’s waiting for.” The suited doctor spoke, holding out a hand to indicate the door.

****

Both the new arrivals made to enter, but a large hand reached out to block the black-clothed figure.

****

“Not you.” The large man grunted.

****

“Indeed… _you_ on the other hand…” The doctor turned to Roman once more. “... can go right on in.”

****

“Well… don’t I feel special?” Roman gulped the shivering only growing worse as he pushed open the door. Melodic Cudgel clicked across the ground as he advanced into the meeting room.

****

“Uh… hello? Uh… don’t suppose you’ll answer to… ‘your Majesty’?” Was this the ‘Goddess’ that Faunus psycho had been chattering on about?

****

“Welcome… welcome…” A smooth, silky voice whispered from the darkened room. Roman jumped a little, mostly because he couldn’t tell just where it was coming from.

****

“I’ve been waiting for you.” The voice continued. It was a woman speaking, that much he could tell.

****

“You h-have?” The thief trembled a little more at that, something about this voice was just… _terrifying._

****

“Of course. Now that dear Cinder has failed me and my replacement plan has been thwarted… I need a new associate to fill the void left by her absence. I believe you will do just fine.”

****

_Shit… that wasn’t good, so Cinder was gone… and HE was her REPLACEMENT?_

****

No. No no no no nonononono NO NO NO. FUCK NO.

****

“You seem nervous, dear Roman… why is that?” The woman questioned.

****

“Well… it’s a little creepy having a conversation with an empty room, aren’t we gonna talk face-to-face?” Roman asked, still quaking a little, gripping Melodic Cudgel to try and steady himself.

****

“Ah… you’re quite right. How rude of me to introduce myself in this manner… come forward.”

****

As Roman obeyed, he could just make out the silhouette of a feminine figure standing over by the windows, though the light was angled in such a manner that it obscured her entirely. Almost as if… it was purposely bending away from her.

****

_But that’s impossible, right…?_

****

“So, uh… you gonna tell me your name or… I mean, you clearly know who I am… if we’re gonna be p-partners then… s-surely I should know w-who you are, right?” Roman stuttered. The figure swayed a little, seeming to acknowledge this.

****

“Yes… one moment, let me dispel the light dampening spell first. I’ve grown so accustomed to keeping it active that it slips my mind sometimes.”

****

_Spell? As in… a_ **_magic_ ** _spell?_ **_What the hell_ ** _!?_

****

There was a small flash, and the darkness was lifted, allowing light to stream onto the figure by the window as she turned around, showing Roman what she looked like.

****

Now… he wished that he hadn’t asked.

****

Roman was not a religious man… not by any stretch. But as the woman stepped forward toward him and he took in all her features, her red eyes… the chalk white skin… the silver hair… the sickly, blackened and corrupted veins that travelled the length of her arms and her cheeks…

****

As he took in her form in its entirely, Roman Torchwick, crime lord of Vale, felt for all the world as if he were standing in front of the Devil herself.

****

“My name is Salem.”

****

Roman could only shake on the spot, doing all he could not to scream.

****

“And we have much to discuss, _you and I_.”

****

Roman screamed in terror.


	51. Interrogation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaune is assigned to interrogate Cinder, and ends up getting closer to her then he expected to.

“So… she’s just sitting in there?”

****

“Yes, Mr. Arc.” Ozpin replied, as he led the sole male Arc scion down the corridor to the holding cell. “Don’t be too worried, her restraints are designed to suppress her access to Aura. Even if she did manage to escape, she would still have her Aura disabled for approximately one hour, the guards would have more than enough time to subdue her.”

****

“Right… so, any questions you really want me to ask?” The knight raised an eyebrow. “I mean… besides the usual ‘who sent you’, ‘what do you want’, ‘what motivates you’... that kind of stuff.”

****

“No, I leave the questions to you.” The headmaster and the boy turned a corner, to see a few Atlas robots, Amber, Qrow, Professor Goodwitch, General Ironwood, Winter Schnee and Daniel Wilson present outside a fortified door.

****

“Thank you for your assistance in this matter, Mr. Arc.” Ironwood began. “We appreciate your efforts to get her to cooperate with us.

****

“We will be outside this door to supervise.” Professor Goodwitch assured him. “If she attempts to break her restraints, we will intervene.”

****

“Don’t sweat it kid. We got your back.” Qrow gave his own assurance.

****

“I still think this is _way_ too risky…” Daniel muttered with folded arms. “Why’d she even want him in the first place?”

****

“I’m sure that Mr. Arc is fully capable of handling himself, Daniel.” Winter soothed him. “He has held his own in combat with her before, perhaps she has come to view him as a worthy challenger for her.”

****

“That doesn’t make it better!” The man cried. “My friend’s still going in there for one-on-one time with the murderer who killed my team!”

****

“Don’t worry Jaune.” Amber stepped forward, putting a supportive hand on the knight’s shoulder. “I’ll be there with you, if she tries anything, I’ll keep you safe.”

****

“Thanks, Amber.” Jaune reached up to pat the hand.

****

They were interrupted by Qrow’s snickering, the man trying and failing to hold back his laughter, only to stop when Goodwitch elbowed him in the ribs, hard.

****

“What are you laughing at old man?” Amber raised her own eyebrow.

****

“Oh… nothin kiddo, just a funny joke I remembered.” Qrow assured both of them, though he still snickered a little even as the combat instructor glared him down.

****

“Well… no time like the present, right?” Jaune asked. Off the nods of everyone else present, he stepped toward the door, while Ironwood input the security code into the nearby panel to open it up.

****

It took a full 15 seconds for the door to open fully, heavy locks disengaging and multiple layers of metal peeling back to open the heavy security door.

****

As Jaune stepped inside, followed closely by the wary Maiden, he saw her.

****

She was chained to the table, hands and legs bound in cuffs, cuffs which seemed to be emitting a slight glow. Well… those must be the Aura-suppressing restraints…

****

Cinder’s gaze had flicked upward as she’d heard the door opening, now her eyes met his own as he approached.

****

“Arc.” She greeted, well… more like _spat_ at him. It might not have carried the burning rage it used to, but there was a definite hostility there still.

****

“Cinder.” The knight replied, taking a seat opposite the woman. “Well… you look better.” That’ll be a good way to start things off.

****

“Why is _she_ here?” Cinder asked acidly, jerking her head aggressively in Amber’s direction.

****

“She wanted to supervise.” Jaune replied. “Keep an eye on you.”

****

“I believe I said I would speak _only_ to you.” The former Maiden replied, eyes narrowing at the matured girl. “Here on Ozpin’s orders are you girl?”

****

“I’m _here_ because I want to make sure you don’t do anything to hurt Jaune.” Amber shot back tersely. “Last time I saw the two of you together, you’d stabbed him with a glass sword and were on the verge of killing him, so you can forgive me for being a bit _uneasy._ ”

****

“Hmph… so you’re coddling him, are you? Are you that desperate for-” Cinder’s snide remark was cut off by a gust of air hitting her in the head, jerking her backward and upward a little, though her restraints ensured she remained at the table.

****

“How _dare_ you…” She started, amber eyes glaring at the perpetrator.

****

“ _Easily!”_ The Fall Maiden countered harshly, summoning a few ice shards that floated menacingly in her hand. “Keep pissing me off, go on! We can repeat what happened at Amity, only this time I _won’t_ freeze you solid, I’ll just watch you bleed out right here, right now!”

****

Before either could continue, Jaune slammed a hand down on the table, startling them.

****

“Alright, stop! Just stop, both of you!” The boy snarled, before rounding on Cinder. “You asked for me for a reason, and I’d rather you tell me what that is BEFORE you start killing each other! Cinder, stop pissing off Amber! Amber, I can’t get much out of a corpse or a popsicle, can I? So both you, just STOP ARGUING!!” He finished with a yell, slamming his hand on the table once more.

****

“Sorry Jaune. I lost my composure, it won’t happen again.” Amber murmured, both mollified and a little embarrassed at the same time.

****

Cinder, on the other hand, was uncharacteristically quiet. The raven-haired woman averted her gaze… when Jaune did get a glimpse of her eyes, he saw a flicker of something he never expected from her.

****

Fear.

****

It was brief. So brief that Jaune was sure he’d imagined it, especially since Cinder straightened and regained her usual air of confidence-bordering-on-arrogance a mere moment later.

****

“Very well, but call off your _attack dog_ first, I requested a private conversation.” She snapped.

****

“You don’t get to make _demands_ here…” Amber began hotly.

****

“Amber.” Jaune’s soft voice caught her attention. “It’s fine.”

****

“Jaune… are you sure?” She asked, concerned.

****

“If you two are going to argue like this every time we’re in the same room, we won’t get anywhere, will we?” The knight stated. “It’s fine Amber, really. I’ll be okay.” He smiled at her reassuringly, and Amber struggled not to smile back.

****

“Okay… okay.” Her voice was tight. “But if you need me…”

****

“I’ll shout for you.” Jaune finished. With that, the Fall Maiden moved to the panel to open the door, though she kept shooting glares at Cinder the whole time the door was opening. Casting one last worried look at Jaune, Amber departed, the door closing behind her.

****

“Now then…” Cinder leaned forward. “Shall we begin?”

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

Amber let out a frustrated sigh as she stepped out into the corridor, the heavy security door clanging shut behind her.

****

What was Jaune thinking!? Just staying in there alone with that psycho bitch, after she tried to kill him a few days ago, no less! Did he have a deathwish or something? Or did he just not value his own life?

****

Her hands clenched into fists a little as she kept thinking about it.

****

“Hey, kiddo.” Qrow came over to her. “Why’re you out here?” The other adults looked over to her as well.

****

“She wouldn’t talk with me in there, so Jaune asked that I leave.” Amber explained.

****

“So he’s all alone in there?” Goodwitch huffed and folded her arms. “I will be teaching that boy about self-preservation after this.” 

****

“Hey, we’ll keep an eye on them for ya, why don’t you go take a walk or something? You look like you need to cool off a bit, kiddo.” Qrow observed.

****

“Yeah… okay.” With that Amber strode off, leaving the adults behind.

****

_Gah! I can’t believe him! Just staying in there with that woman, after everything she’s done!_ She raged in her mind.

****

_“I believe he made the right decision.”_ The voice of Mira, her fellow Maiden, spoke up once more.

****

_Oh you_ **_do,_ ** _do you!?_ Amber challenged, still a bit steamed.

****

_“Yes. You were, and still are, emotionally compromised. You cannot remain objective around Cinder.”_ Mira insisted. _“Your presence was a hindrance in that situation.”_

****

_Hmph. I was just there to make sure she didn’t try anything!_

****

_“That does not change the fact that it took a mere few sentences for you two to begin arguing, baiting and threatening one another. Jaune will have far more success with you no longer present. There is far too much animosity between you for you to be effective.”_ The captain lectured.

****

_What about Jaune then!? She’s tried to kill him at least three times by now! I’m pretty sure that qualifies as ‘animosity’ between the two of them!_ The current Maiden argued.

****

_“Jaune is apparently capable of putting his animosity and hostility to Cinder aside, purely for the sake of successfully obtaining information from her. That is the dedication of a professional soldier.”_ Mira seemed to nod approvingly in Amber’s mind.

****

_He_ **_isn’t_ ** _a soldier, Mira._ Amber bristled.

****

_“No, he is not… a shame really, were he born in my time, he would have done well as an espionage agent during the war.”_

****

_“Oh come on, Mira!”_ Alexa cut in. “ _Stop talking about soldiers and wars, that’s not gonna help Ami right now! Hey Ami, why not go visit those friends of his? You’re Jaune’s friend now, so they’re your friends too, why not learn more about them?”_

****

_Hmmm… good idea Lexi. But we’ll have to do it later, I should get back to Jaune now._

****

A loud squeal erupted in her mind.

****

_“AAAAWWW!! You finally gave me a nickname! I knew we were really best friends!”_ The blonde Maiden crowed happily.

****

As Mira began to rebuke Alexa for her unnecessarily excessive excitement and volume, Amber couldn’t help but smile. She may not see the other Maiden spirits all that often, but Mira and Alexa were more than enough to keep her company on their own.

****

Her smile widened as her thoughts drifted to Jaune and his friends. Hopefully, they could be her friends too.

****

For now though, she had a knight to return to. Hopefully he and Cinder hadn’t ripped each other’s throats out already.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

“Yeah, we should start.” Jaune muttered, before realizing that he didn’t really have anything to write on or with. _So, mental checklist it is._ He grumbled, before asking his first question. “So, um, who do you work for?”

****

“That’s what you’re leading with?” Cinder asked, her tone close to mocking, but not quite there.

****

“It is.” Jaune answered, only earning a nod for the woman before she leaned back, and answered his question.

****

“I work for Salem.”

****

Jaune stared at Cinder blankly for a moment, before she laughed. Once again, the laugh was mocking, but the typical condensation just...wasn’t there.

****

“Oh, right. You don’t know who that is.” She hummed, before her face fell back into a scowl. “Here’s the cliff notes version: Angry lady who can control Grimm. Hates your headmaster. Wants to start the world over. Is that simple enough, _Arc_?”

****

“ _I think it’s sufficient, Fall._ ” Summer growled suddenly, almost making Jaune jump. The former huntress had been quiet all morning, so her sudden appearance was startling.

****

_Summer, don’t let her get to you. She’s just mad she lost her magic hands._ Jaune quipped, only earning a “hmph” from his mental companion. 

****

“Yeah, that works for now. Thank you.” Jaune answered, silently relishing the look of surprise that crossed her face briefly, before her natural scowl returned.

****

“Next question, Arc. While I’m still young.”

****

“Ok, where did you get the bombs you used during your first attack?”

****

Cinder actually nodded in what seemed to be approval before answering. “Well, the explosives came from my contact with the White Fang, as did most of my equipment.”

****

“Roman Torchwood?” 

****

Cinder actually laughed at that, eliciting another growl from Summer in Jaune’s head. _Man, she’s really mad…_ Jaune thought, before listening to Cinder’s response.

****

“Hardly! Torchwick could boss them around, but the Fang that worked with us were under the leadership of another faunus.”

****

Jaune cocked his head, mentally storing the information before continuing. “Could you give a description of this person?”

Cinder shook her head. “I’m afraid not, I have never met her face to face. We either talked through Torchwick, or over the scrolls. All I can tell you is that she is a cow faunus. Roman mentioned that once, during one of his numerous blubbering sessions.”

****

Jaune nodded again, before asking a more...personal question.

****

“Cinder? Why would you only talk to me?”

****

Cinder face went neutral for a moment, before she leaned back in her chair and held up three fingers.

****

“Everyone who entered this room to interrogate me was either aggressive, smug, or both.” She explained, dropping a finger with each example. “I knew that if you were the one to ask the questions, you’d treat me...decently.”

****

“ _Better than you deserve. Far,_ **_FAR BETTER_ ** _”_ Summer hissed once more, despite Jaune telling her to ease up.

****

“I mean, do you really deserve decent treatment?” Jaune asked, once again surprising Cinder. However, instead of snapping on him or getting hostile, as he expected, Cinder instead just sighed and sank lower into her chair, almost pouting.

****

“No, I don’t.” She said, her voice softer than usual. “I...I suppose I owe you an apology?”

****

Jaune arched an eyebrow, making Cinder scoff. “You suppose.” He stated, before shrugging and gesturing to her. “Okay. Go ahead.”

****

Cinder sighed again, but lifted herself up, at least trying to look civil. “I’m sorry for trying to kill you.”

****

“Three times.”

  
Cinder huffed, but nodded. “Yes, three times. I can count, Arc.”

****

“Apparently.” Jaune quipped, before resuming his questioning. “Alright, last question for today...why are you being so cooperative?”

****

CInder rolled her eyes, before lean forward so her arms were folded on the table, and explained. “It’s not like I have much else I can do. I don’t talk, they kill me. I can’t escape, and I know that Salem won’t be sending anyone to break me out. So...here we are.”

****

“But what about you’re whole, “strength is the only thing that matters” shtick? Wouldn’t you want to resist us?”

****

Again, Cinder slouched a bit into a pout. “I have...discovered some flaws in my beliefs…”

****

“Oh, no kidding?”

****

“Suck a railroad spike, Arc.”

****

“You first.”

****

The two glared at each other for a moment before relaxing once more, their momentary spat having eased some tension.

****

“You and your friends were able to defeat me, even with my abilities-”

****

“ **Amber’s** abilities.”

****

“Yes, **_Amber’s_ **abilities.” Cinder ground out before continuing. “Even with Amber being the one to put me down, the rest of you were formidable adversaries...because you worked together.”

****

“So in other words, I was right. A team is stronger than an individual.” Jaune said, an inkling of smugness entering his voice. Cinder scowled at him, but stayed silent. Jaune shrugged, and stood up. “Well, I guess we’re done for today. See you tomorrow, Cindy.”

****

“Go to hell, Jaune.”

****

“See you there.”

****

Once more, the semi-hostile exchange seemed to defuse the pair as Jaune left the room, joining Ozpin and the others waiting outside, breathing a sigh of relief as the door closed behind him.


	52. The Turncoat Trio

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaune takes Marcie, Emerald, and Neo out for a day in Vale.

“So….. how’s it going with the psycho in the basement?”

****

Jaune sighed, staring at the girls around him, it was just Ruby and the trio today. CVFY was on a shopping trip in Vale, the rest of his team had decided to go out for some more weekend supplies, promising they’d bring him back something. The rest of team RWBY had been invited out by Yang to Junior’s club.

****

While she had told the others it was to give them a taste of Vale’s entertainment options, Jaune was unaware that she was actually intending to check out and talk to their ‘competition’, in the form of the Malachites.

****

Amber, meanwhile, was with Ozpin and his allies discussing the next step now that Cinder had been captured.

****

As always, Marcie got straight to the point.

****

“It’s going… well. Surprisingly well, actually.” Jaune admitted. “We’re not yet past the death threats and demeaning insults yet, but other than that… she’s been more-or-less co-operative.”

****

“ _Seriously?_ Wow… sure she’s not just been feeding you bullshit the whole time?” Marcie questioned, the Mistrali girl tilting her head skeptically. “Bitch’s a pathological liar, remember?”

****

“Well, even if she’s lying to me… at least she’s not trying to kill me anymore.” Jaune admitted.

****

“Why don’t you let her out of those cuffs for a moment, see how long it takes her to start choking you? Hell, just let her legs out and she’ll suffocate you with her thighs.” Marcie snarked.

****

“Sounds like a good way to die, honestly.” Jaune joked, only to yelp in surprise as Ruby swatted his arm and glared up at him, she meant to be threatening, but she just looked endearing.

****

“Stop joking about that Jaune! You could’ve died you know!” Ruby insisted, the red reaper glaring at the knight.

****

“C’mon Rubes, I’m fine…” He began to reassure her.

****

“I know that you got stabbed!!” Those words cut through his reassurance like a dagger through butter.

****

“Uh… w-what?” Were the only words that came to mind.

****

“Don’t you try and lie to me mister!” Ruby jabbed him again.

****

“Alright, alright… I’m sorry… but, who…?”

****

“Amber told me.” Ruby clarified. “She told me about what she found when she got Amity.”

****

The other three girls didn’t look too happy at the news. Emerald looked shocked, while Neo and Marcie both looked enraged. The former enforcer had started sharpening her new parasol, while the ex-assassin began to check the weapons on her new legs with murder in her eyes.

****

“Um, girls… let’s not do anything hasty now…” Jaune began, sensing that what they had in mind.

****

“Oh don’t you worry Jauney.” Marcie ‘reassured’ him, though the fire in her eyes did not abate any. “This isn’t an impulse decision or hasty at all… I’ve been wanting to put rounds through that bitch’s head for a long time now.”

****

“Look… as much as you might want to kill her… we still need to learn what she knows about her allies and things like that. She told me she worked for someone called ‘Salem’...” Jaune explained, the last bit catching Marcie’s attention.

****

“Probably that creepy corpse-lady I saw the bitch talking to once. She was…. She was fucking terrifying, Jaune.” The girl actually looked a little scared when she spoke. “I mean… she got CINDER to _shut up_ , the cunt that NEVER shuts her mouth… EVER.”

****

“Wait… you’ve _seen_ her!?” Jaune gaped, as did the others.

****

“Only on that weird-ass jellyfish Grimm.” Marcie admitted, the girl checking her boots and legs again. “Has a real hate boner for Old Man Ozpin, though… she wouldn’t shut up about how much he _needed to die_ **_right now_ ** _.”_

****

“Yeah… Cinder mentioned as much when she told me about her… what little she DID tell me, anyway.” Jaune agreed.

****

The grey-haired beauty raised an eyebrow at that. “Huh… guess the bitch was being truthful this ONE time, huh?”

****

“Do you HAVE to keep, s-swearing like that?” Ruby asked, a little uncomfortable with the other girl’s filthy mouth.

****

Marcie reached across and patted the younger girl on the head, a small apologetic smile on her face. “Sorry bout that Red, I get amped up and I start cursing, ya know?”

****

“Apology accepted!” Marcie simply grinned and patted her head a little more firmly.

****

“I’m surprised you two are getting along so well… I thought you and Neo were the ones who hung out, Rubes?” Jaune queried. It was true, Ruby would often gravitate to Neo as a fellow sweet-enthusiast, it was less common for her to hang out with Marcie or Emerald.

****

“What can I say? She’s so cute it hurts.” The ex-assassin admitted. “Just look at that face, you can’t say no to that face, right? It’s like… we’re sort of a family now, a little one. Neo’s the cheeky pintsize that teases and flirts…”

****

Neo winked cutely and stuck her tongue out at Jaune.

****

“Emerald’s the bitchy hard-ass who won’t stop nagging…”

****

“HEY!!” The street urchin cried out angrily.

****

“I’m the smoking hot sex-bomb, obviously…”

****

“Way to make the rest of us feel bad,  Marc…” Emerald muttered.

****

“Ah, c’mon Emmy! Not my fault the rest of us have these juicy racks.” The other girl deliberately bumped her bust against Neo’s, which caused the green-haired girl to fume.

****

“Um… what about me? Did that thing about, uh… ‘racks’ really include me” Ruby asked, a little red-faced at the brazen displays of the older girls.

****

“You’re the cute younger sister that we just want to protect, red.” Marcie laughed, throwing her arm around Ruby and giving the reaper a little affectionate noogie. The younger girl pouted.

****

“Stooop!” She practically whined. “I don’t need you doing this to me! Yang does this enough! I don’t need more older sisters!” The red Huntress squealed desperately.

****

“Well, don’t you worry kiddo. I’ve seen your sister, so you’ll go from ‘cute’ to ‘hot’ in no time, with _those_ genes in the blood!” The older girl reassured her, Neo moving to sit by her other side, Ruby flushing redder as they both shamelessly bumped their chests against hers.

****

“R-really…?” She was very embarrassed right now. Were older girls so… open about these kinds of things all the time!?

****

“Hell to the yeah!” The ex-assassin gave another soft noogie. “You’ll grow up to be sex on legs in no time, I’m sure there’s one guy here who’s gonna appreciate that, right...?” She and Neo winked at Jaune. “Heh, what d’you say Jauney? You been looking at her recently? I bet you have, _this_ flower’s _definitely_ in full bloom.”

****

“N-no I’m not!” Ruby squealed, pulling her hood over her head now. Neo simply patted her on the back a little in reply, while Marcie just ploughed on without embarrassment. Jaune on the other hand, looked luminescent at the… _descriptions_ of his first friend.

****

“Yeah you are, don’t try and deny it Rosey, I’ve seen you naked in the showers. Gotta say you’re looking more like your sis, and yours truly, every day. You might not pay much attention to yourself, but you’ve definitely got a curvier ass and bigger tits. Trust me, I notice these things.” The girl proudly indicated her own assets as she spoke.

****

“Y-you actually compare our breast sizes!?” Emerald cried out, instinctively covering her own chest in embarrassment. Neo also looked a little stunned at the information, but refrained from covering herself.

****

“Oh I compare _all three_ sizes Em…” Her partner smirked and tossed her head casually. “Gotta keep tabs on the competition, don’t I?”

****

“Ghrrk!” The group turned their attention to the strangled sound that Jaune had just let loose. The knight’s hands were clapped over his face… more specifically, his _nose._

****

“Jaune… you okay?” Emerald asked, the concern plain the in illusionist’s voice.

****

“I-I’m fine!” He squeaked out. In his mind, however...

****

_“A-are… are you actually thinking about my daughter in the shower!?”_ Summer demanded, the Huntress’ hands on her hips in a disapproving manner.

****

_I… I can’t help it! Did you hear Marcie talking about her like that?! I-I’m sorry but how am I supposed to ignore that!?_ The knight pleaded.

****

“ _Y-you’re still ogling my little girl, Jaune! S-she’s still underage!”_ Summer’s stuttering made Jaune curious… was she…?

****

_Hey, woah-woah-WOAH! Just stop and think for a bit Sum! I KNOW Ruby’s underage, that’s EXACTLY why it’s weird thinking about her like this, and why I DON’T normally do it!_ Jaune defended.

****

Besides, with Ruby usually being as adorable and cute as she could be most of the time, when she wasn’t slaying Grimm, he’d found it difficult to think about her as being, well… _sexy._

****

At least, he had until Marcie had opened her mouth and started talking just now. Sometimes, he cursed that girl’s utter lack of a mental filter. Speaking of the girl herself…

****

“Oh yeah, I bet you’re _just fine_ , aren’t you Jauney…?” A _very_ Yang-like grin formed on the kick-based fighter’s face as she stared at him like a predator. “Thinking about Red here doing that much for you? I can’t blame you, you’ve banged her sister already, so it’s probably not a stretch for that imagination of yours to mix and match the two, right…?” She raised an eyebrow.

****

“Jaune…?” Ruby whispered, the dual-haired reaper peeking out from under her hood to gaze at him with small eyes. God she looked really cute when she did that…

****

_And it won’t be long before that cuteness turns into something el- no! NO! STOP IT! STOP THINKING ABOUT HER LIKE THAT!!_ He raged inwardly, trying to quell the borderline inappropriate feelings he was getting for his first friend.

****

“Y-yeah Rubes…?” His voice was soft, his mouth was dry, his stomach was rolling with unease.

****

“I… um…” The girl seeing to wiggle a little for a minute.

****

Oh god, she was gonna yell at him for thinking those thoughts, wasn’t she-

****

“I don’t mind.” She whispered.

****

WHAT.

****

Error. Error. Does not compute...

****

“Uuuhhh… w-what?” Jaune asked, his voice practically hoarse, since his mouth had been hanging open while his mind rebooted. The knight couldn’t stop from gaping at this point.

****

“I said I… I don’t mind.” Ruby repeated, more confidently now, the girl looking him in the face with both silver eyes now. “It’s… it means you actually like me, a-as a girl… it feels really nice that you look at me like that Jaune.” Her sweet smile and dark red blush had the boy in question gaping even harder, while Summer…

****

_“Oooohhhh… my little Rosey really is growing up if she’s okay with you thinking about her like that… “_ The motherly spirit admitted. _“I, um… I suppose that… if she’s okay with it, then I suppose I’ll just have to, to… p-put up with you… f-fantasizing about my daughter.”_ She continued, stuttering so badly that Jaune was getting a little concerned. This wasn’t normally like her.

****

Before he could ask her what was wrong, Marcie’s little whoop of triumphant laughter pulled the knight back to the wider world.

****

“Ha! I knew you were thirsty for him, Rosey!” She cheered, she and Neo wrapping an arm around the younger girl and giving her more soft noogies. “Can’t say I blame you though, with that bod and those guns… jeez I’m getting horny just THINKING about them… especially that ‘second sword’ of yours. I’ve got the perfect sheathe for it, if you’re willing...” She licked her lips and rubbed her thighs tactlessly with Jaune, Ruby and Neo all blushing up a storm at her words. Emerald huffed loudly and crossed her arms.

****

“Goddammit Marc! She’s underage still!” The illusionist cried. “Can’t you get a filter for your mouth for like 5 minutes!?”

****

“Look Em, don’t get fucked off just ‘cause you can’t give him a hard-on with words like I can.” Her partner replied. “Besides, Rosey here’s only got, ohhh… a few months to go, till she’s legal? Then she and Jauney here can FINALLY go at it like animals! God knows with all the sexual frustration between you two, a nice long shag will be just what’s needed.” She capped it off with a roguish grin.

****

Emerald grew hot with anger and embarrassment.

****

Neo fanned herself rapidly with her parasol.

****

Ruby dipped her head and began squeaking out denials.

****

Jaune choked on air and spluttered for a full half minute. 

****

Summer flat-out _fainted_ , the spirit unable to stand hearing such insinuations about her baby girl anymore.

****

“D-d-do you have _any_ self-control whatsoever?!” Emerald shrieked, finally getting a hold of herself. “Ruby doesn’t need to hear things like this!!”

****

“Aaaww, what’s the matter Emmy? Scared that Red here will get a date with Arc before you? Scared that if you wait long enough she’ll get to him first? C’mon Em, we’ve all seen each other naked here at least once in the showers, if her half-sister’s any indication, Ruby here’s gonna get even sexier than she’s gotten already.” Marcie flashed Emerald a smirk once more. “Scared of her getting hotter than you, are you Em?”

****

Neo cackled a little and high-fived the grey-haired girl, while the mint-haired thief began to sputter and shake with indignation.

****

“As _IF_ I’m scared, you trashy, mouthy little bit-” She began.

****

“I-I’m growing up already! I drink milk!” Ruby interjected hotly, mostly to stop the darker girl from potentially attacking her prosthetic-wearing partner.

****

It was Neo who replied this time, with actual words as well, a small smile on her face.

****

“If you really want to grow where it matters… eat ice cream. All the time. It goes right to the important places.” The small ex-enforcer demonstrated by simultaneously shaking her curvy hips and pushing out her bust. Jaune felt his gaze drawn inexorably to the entrancing jiggle.

****

“See? He’s looking already.” Neo whispered to Ruby, winking at her newest friend. The shorter girl blushed harder as the diminutive ice-cream lover continued. “He’ll be looking at you too if you do what I say, wouldn’t that be nice to have him look at you like that?”

****

“Eeep!!” Ruby squeaked, burying her face in her hood in embarrassment.

****

“Speaking of looking at hot things…” Marcie interjected, the assassin now looking squarely at Jaune. “How about a date?”

****

“Uh… whuh?” _Wow, great use of your intellect there Jaune!_

****

“C’mon, we’ve seen you date all those other badass, intelligent and sexy pieces of ass you’ve attracted, where’s the love for the bad girls?” Marcie drew in Neo and Emerald, the latter in a headlock even as she struggled, and flashed him a winning smile.

****

“I uh… wouldn’t exactly call you ‘bad’ anymore…” Jaune admitted.

****

“Not in public maybe… but you’ve not seen us in the sheets yet, have you?” Another lip lick.

****

“I…. um…. N-no, I’ve not….” _You’re on a roll, aren’t you brain?_

****

“Exactly! So, how about a date with us? _All three of us.”_ That cheshire grin was back again.

****

“Are you… are you sure…?”

****

“Ah c’mon Arc! It’s not like we’re all gonna jump you and involve you in a fourway when we get back, is it?” A sly grin and a third lip lick. “I mean, unless you _want us to…_ I dunno about you, but I don’t mind some lesbian action if that’s what we need to get you off.” 

****

“Ghhrrkk!!” Emerald finally wrenched herself free, before rounding on the ex-vigilante. “Are you SERIOUSLY dragging us all into some twisted foursome without even ASKING US just because you THINK it might arouse Jaune!?” She screeched incredulously.

****

“Uh… **yeah** .” Her partner fired back. “I dunno about you, but pintsize and I are just fine with getting a little hot and heavy in the name of getting that Arc sword _extra long and thick_. Ain’t that right, Neo?” She turned to the shorter girl.

****

Neo didn’t reply with words, she just shoved her lips against the other girl’s as they practically smothered each other.

****

“Oh for GOD’S SAKE.” Emerald growled, turning away with gritted teeth.

****

“Eeep!” Ruby, who had only just recovered from her earlier embarrassment, promptly dived into her hood again.

****

_“O-ooh my gods… this is just like me and Raven at Beacon that one time…”_ Summer practically whispered, her projected form’s face growing hot in the mindscape.

****

Had Jaune not been so focused on the scene in front of him, he might have stopped to question Summer’s comment about her former teammate. As it was, his eyes were glued to the spectacle of Neo and Marcie.

****

They weren’t just kissing anymore, or even making out… they were practically trying to _suck each others’ faces_ _off_ now. Their tongues pushed against each other at the same time as their lips, both girls practically groping each others’ behinds and squeezing their large busts together firmly. Jaune thought he could even see saliva dripping down their chins and coating their mouths, they were really getting into this.

****

_Oh my Gods… is this seriously happening right now!?_

****

It was, he knew it, but more importantly… his body knew it too.

****

And it was reacting accordingly. VERY accordingly.

****

_No! NOT NOW!!_ He practically snarled, but his ‘second sword’ simply decided to unsheathe even further in reply, as if to deliberately fuck him over.

****

_Just like how those hot girls are practically_ **_begging_ ** _me to fuck_ **_them_ ** _ov- no! NO NO! STOP IT!!_ The knight forced his traitorous thoughts down once more, thought it was getting significantly _harder_ to do with every moment the two girls kept swallowing each others’ saliva. Finally, the pair separated, turning their lustful gazes to Jaune.

****

“Enjoying the view, Jaune~?” Marcie asked, before her gaze flicked lower and her eyes widened. “Certainly seems like a part of you is.” 

****

Before Jaune could protest, Marcie bridged the gap between them and ended up in his lap. Jaune almost yelped as she shifted in his lap, grinding against his member, which was still growing harder.

****

“M-Marcie!” He hissed, finally gaining proper control of his voice. “What are you doing?! We’re in public!”

****

“Oh, I’m well aware.” She answered smugly, wrapping her arms around Jaune’s neck. “So, how about we give them a show?”

****

Before Jaune could answer, two arms looped around Marcie’s and yanked her off Jaune’s lap. The silver haired girl turned to face her sword-blocker, coming face to face with a scarlet-faced Emerald.

****

“Marcie, have some decency for 5 seconds!” She growled, before turning away and averting her eyes. “Besides, what happened to your _plan_?”

****

Marcie’s anger morphed into confusion, before a look of realization crossed her face, and a knowing smirk followed. “Ooooh, I see.” She hummed, looping an arm around her fellow bad girl. “Glad to hear you’ve warmed up to the idea.” 

****

She turned to Jaune and winked, grinning wickedly. “Looks like we’re going to have to postpone our little party. Regardless, you still interested in that date?”

****

“Well… yeah.” Jaune admitted. “What’s there for me to lose?” Despite the former villainesses’... eccentric habits and quirks, there was nothing bad about going on dates with them, was there? Assuming they didn’t decide to try and go Grimm-slaying in the emerald forest or something…

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

“Huh...not what I expected, honestly.” Jaune stated as he stood with Marice, Emerald, and Neo outside of Vale’s Gaming Emporium.

****

“Well, we started discussing ideas for where we should go for our dates.” Neo explained, shrugging at the knight. “Turns out, we all love arcade games.”

****

“Yup. Any time I got off from my dad’s “training”, I spent in the local arcade.” Marcie remarked smirking slightly. “Some of the few happy memories I have not involving my mom.”

****

“I couldn’t go to the arcade often, I was never in a great state money wise.” Emerald admitted. “The only time I could go to the arcade was when I…” She trailed off in embarrassment and guilt, with slightly red cheeks.

****

“Stole from some poor shmuck on the street?” Marcie continued for her.

****

“Y… yes…” Emerald squeaked when Jaune put a supportive arm on her shoulder, giving the girl a reassuring smile.

****

“Look, no don’t do that anymore, right? No need to get so worked up about it. That’s your past now… that’s not who you are anymore, right?” The knight insisted, causing the mint illusionist to blush more at his support. She’d never had anyone support her like that before…

****

“Um… thanks Jaune…” She whispered, avoiding eye contact.

****

All in all, it was a sweet and tender moment of comfort for the streetwise ex-thief.

****

Pity her partner had to ruin it.

****

“Now make out.” The grey-haired girl ‘whispered’ in her ear, conveniently loud enough that Jaune could hear her as well.

****

Both knight and thief shot apart, their faces glowing at the other girl’s suggestion.

****

“MARC!” Emerald cried out.

****

“What?!” Her partner shot back. “That was a golden opportunity for you right there! Not my fault if you’re too spineless to take it.”

****

“Oh just… just shut up!” She seethed, angry at Marcie’s ill-timed interruption.

****

“Do we have to make out again?” Marcie asked, as Neo joined her and the two laced arms around one another. “Would that help? If we made out right here would YOU finally just KISS ALREADY?”

****

“MARC!”

****

“Alright, fine! You don’t have to kiss him… but we’re still making out.” Her partner insisted, pausing to french Neo for about 10 seconds. Emerald gaped at them, Jaune turned away in shock, though there was a noticeable protrusion in his jeans as he did so…

****

“Did you _have_ to do that?” She questioned in exasperation as the pair separated, wiped their mouths and rejoined the other two. Neo just grinned, Marcie raised an eyebrow.

****

“What did we do, Emmy?” That grin again…

****

“You… you know what you did.” She wasn’t going to be baited, not again…

****

“You mean had a hot lesbian makeout sesh with my boob buddy here?” Marcie asked cheekily, while smacking the shorter girl’s behind playfully. “What about it? Don’t tell me you wanted to get in on that-”

****

“NO!” She denied angrily. “It was awkward as hell!”

****

“Was it because we ruined your chances at kissing Jaune?” Neo asked ‘innocently’, before practically groping the ass of the taller girl next to her quite casually.

****

“It might’ve be-WOULD YOU STOP FEELING EACH OTHER UP!?” She yelled, thoroughly irritated by the pair’s casual groping in public.

****

All eyes in the street turned to her at her exclamation, while Marcie and Neo had conveniently moved away from one another, standing at a comfortable distance now. Both sported cheshire grins.

****

Emerald shrunk in on herself, the orphan incredibly uncomfortable at feeling so many eyes on her.

****

“O… oh gods…” She whispered, ducking her head with glowing cheeks.

****

“Bet I could make you scream that out in the bedroom.” The assassin challenged, an undeniably lewd grin spreading across her face.

****

“Urrggghh!!” She snarled, flailing her hands vertically in a brief fit. “You… you’re just insufferable! Both of you!”

****

“Ah, c’mon Emmy… it was just a bit of fun between good friends.” Marcie soothed her, though the illusionist was having none of it.

****

“No! No no no! Frenching each other just to get a reaction out of me is NOT just ‘good fun’!” She seethed, jabbing her finger at both her teammates.

****

“It wasn’t just for you…” Neo admitted quietly, indicating the still-facing-away Jaune. “Jaune seemed to like it…”

****

“W-wait… Jaune, a-are you… _excited_ r-right now?” The green-haired girl stammered uncertainty. He’d been quiet since they’d started, so… oh jeez was he actually getting turned on by their antics!? That wasn’t fair! 

****

“Um, n-no…” His response was so quiet and wavering that even Emerald didn’t believe it.

****

“By which he means ‘fuck yes’, and why wouldn’t he get hard? I mean, he just saw a pair of fit and juicy girls with firm asses and great racks just making out in front of him!” Marcie declared happily, before approaching Jaune with a lecherous smile on her face. “You know Jauney, I’d be happy to take care of that problem of yours, if you want… we can even do it _right here_.”

****

“Marc, what the hell! We’re supposed to be here for a date, not you just fucking around all the time!” Emerald hissed, thoroughly fed up at the other girl’s brazen suggestion. Before either of the others could respond, the illusionist surged forward to grab the knight by the wrist and drag him toward the arcade.

****

As she stormed off and away, her partner threw one last sentence Emerald’s way.

****

“Oh I get it! You wanna be the one to whack him off instead, don’t you? Well played Em! Well played!”

****

Emerald refused to turn around and forged on, heedless of her burning ears and cheeks.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

The arcade was filled with the various noises of games, shouting, and pop music as Jaune and Emerald entered, followed closely by the other girls.

****

“So, who wants to do what first?” Jaune asked, scanning the rows of games for something to catch his eye. Marcie smirked as another lewd remark entered her head, but before she could speak, Emerald pointed to a nearby game.

****

“What about that one?”

****

Jaune tilted his head to look at said game, larger than most of the others on that row. The name of the game hung above the machine in bold capital letters: **Misdirection**.

****

“Huh. Looks interesting.” Jaune hummed, before pulling out a small bag of lien and distributing it amongst the four of them. “Well, go wild ladies. I’m going to check this game out with Em, feel free to play whatever catches your eye.”

****

The girls nodded, and scattered throughout the arcade to have some fun. Jaune and Emerald approached the Misdirection game console as Neo and Marcie wandered off in other directions. As the two got closer, a directional video played on the console’s screen.

****

“ _Trust no one, not even yourself. Find the patterns, uncover the secrets, and solve the mystery of the Jacobs Mansion.”_ A voice hummed from the machine, pictures of a dark, twisted mansion in a raging storm accompanying the narration. “ _The higher the difficulty, the better the prizes!”_

****

Sure enough, below the console’s screen, a glass box showed of a number of prices in various stages. Small plushies, jewelry, and assorted toys and trinkets lined the lower shelves. On the higher ones, there were headphones, gift cards, and even a few small video game consoles. Jaune turned to Emerald, and held up two lien in a questioning manner.

****

“You interested in a game?” He asked, earning an enthusiastic nod in response. He slipped his lien into the coin slot, and the game took them to a difficulty menu. “Which one should we-”

****

Emerald didn’t even wait for Jaune to finish before she hit the maximum difficulty, shooting him a smirk that could rival her partner’s. “Let’s see if you can keep up with me.” She teased, an edge of confidence to her tone that Jaune didn’t hear often. He liked it.

****

However, he was soon to realize that Em was confident for a reason. She blasted through the levels like they were nothing, solving riddles and puzzles in under a minute, while he mostly just watched in awe. He was able to help her every now and again, but she mainly drove the show. They beat the game in ten minutes, a new record apparently. 

****

Emerald had been pretty ecstatic about their victory, even giggling a little at their new record being proudly displayed on the front of the game cabinet, it was so child-like it had Jaune almost squealing from the adorable scene.

****

The knight decided that he needed a good gift to cement this occasion. Instead of a stuffed animal or a cash prize (both of which were available) Jaune decided upon a simple bracelet to fit onto her left wrist, with an inscription reading ‘for my dear friend’.

****

It was cheesy as hell, but that didn’t stop the mint-haired ex-thief from tearing a little as he slipped it on.

****

“Hey… you okay?” It was his automatic response to a girl crying, it always had been and always would be.

****

“Yeah…” Emerald sniffled a little as she responded. “Just… I have friends now… people who actually care about me. It’s a little much to take it… I-” She was cut off as Jaune reached out and hugged her, earning a blush and a squeak from her.

****

“Well, now you do.” He reassured her, as Emerald wrapped her arms around him and pressed herself against his body, forcing the knight to look around the arcade to distract himself from the rather _sizable_ mounds pressing against his upper body.

****

_I mean… I don’t know what Marcie’s talking about. Em’s actually… stacked, j-jeez…_

****

“Hey Jauney! Come over here would ya?!” The voice of Emerald’s ever-confident partner rang through the small arcade. This prompted Jaune to separate from the minty-haired illusionist and seek out the grey-haired girl instead, thankfully before any… issues could arise from his close contact with the surprisingly busty girl. Perhaps she’d found a game she wanted to play?

****

His suspicions were proven correct when he found Marcie. She was standing by another cabinet, the pictures and title marking as some sort of sci-fi based shooter game, something about killing hordes of alien  bugs that assimilated what they ate. The knight couldn’t help but notice that there were in fact _two_ controllers set up, meaning that it was potentially a two-player game.

****

Well, at least now he knew why Marcie wanted him over here.

****

“So, wanna play with me? I know that you’ve never held a gun in your life, but I think we’ll be okay.” She winked at him cheekily as she spoke.

****

Jaune simply walked up to the cabinet, motioning for the ex-assassin to join him while taking up the gun-shaped controller. The girl strolled up and took the other controller in her hands, gazing over at Jaune.

****

“Sure you don’t want any pointers Jauney? I’d be happy to show you how to hold that properly, if you want…?” Another wink told the boy that her method of teaching would involve the prospective teacher getting intimately close with her student.

****

“Let’s just play the game, okay?” He suggested.

****

“Well, your loss.” She smirked a little, shaking herself as she inserted the required lien to start the game. “Try and keep up, okay dork knight?”

****

As the game started, Marcie moved to shoot the first few enemies that appeared on screen…

****

Only for her gaming partner to blow them all away with pinpoint accuracy.

****

As her head whipped around to take him in, she saw that he’d easily slipped into a ready stance, holding his gun-controller in front of him with a confidence and ease she’d not seen before. Jaune noticed her staring and actually _winked_ at her.

****

“So… fast enough for you?” He asked her casually, before returning to blowing the hordes of aliens away with a casual ease that had Marcie stunned.

****

It also turned her on a whole lot. Who knew this Dork Knight could be so good with guns?

****

It had her wondering what _other_ gun he was good with, rawr… 

****

_Down girl, focus on the… game…?_

****

As Marceline returned her attention to the console, intending to do just that, she found that Jaune had already completed the level for her. He was currently holding out her winning tickets.

****

Had she really spaced out that long, or was Jaune just THAT GOOD? Wow…

****

“Hey? You okay? You uh… spaced out a while there.” Jaune scratched his head and shrugged a little. This made Marcie smile a little, though with a tinge of embarrassment on her face.

****

Ah… there was the dork she knew.

****

“Yeah, all good.” She finally responded, before smirking. “Just wasn’t sure if you were that good with your hands.”

****

Jaune just rolled his eyes at the flirt, but found himself smiling anyways. After a few more rounds of the shooter, Jaune felt someone tap his shoulder. He turned his head, and spotted Neo waving to him.

  
“Oh, hey Neo! What’s up?” He asked, receiving a point in response. Jaune followed the girl’s hand to a dancing game setup down the row. “You want to play that one with me?”

****

“Yup!” Neo answered, smiling at the knight. “You good with that?”

Jaune nodded just as he and Marcie finished the last level, the silver haired girl whooping as they did so. 

****

“Hell yeah, we kicked those bug’s asses!” She crowed, before noticing Neo and nodding. “Oh, you can go hang out with pintsize now. I’ll just get our tickets.”

****

Jaune followed the short ex-enforcer over to the dancing game, both took their positions and Neo reached over to insert the lien required to start the game.

****

“Ready to lose?” Neo asked, playfully shaking her firm hips in Jaune’s direction with a little wink.

****

To her surprise, Jaune was focused wholly on the game screen now, his feet already in position and his eyes narrowed. He didn’t so much as look at her the whole time. He scrolled through the song selector until something finally caught his eye.

****

“That’ll work.” He said, selecting the song. With the song starting up, both knight and ex-criminal began to move, planting their feet on the buttons gently at first, since this was just a warmup song. Every move was in time, every key was kit, and the tune that flowed from the speakers on the game cabinet was smooth and melodious.

****

They started to move, matching the beat as they got into it. Neo kept sneaking glances at the knight as the song started to ramp up, and admired the way he moved. There was a fineness to his movements that she hadn’t expected. What made it worse was every now and then, he’d glance at her, either smiling or winking at her while still dancing _perfectly._

****

The two did three songs, and were absolutely wiped by the end of the third. Neo got excellent scores all three times, while Jaune got perfect scores twice and excellent on the third, only messing up because Neo may-or-may not have slapped his ass mid step. Regardless, as they stepped off, Emerald and Marcie greeted the pair.

****

“Hey, you two.” Marcie hummed, still clutching their tickets. “Quite the show you put on. Ready to check out?”

****

“Yup!” Neo answered, smiling at the blonde next to her. “Nice moves, Jaune. You’ll have to show the rest of them at a later date~.”

****

Jaune chuckled, and winked at the girl playfully. “Sure thing, Neo.”

 

With that, the four headed to the checkout counter, resulting in Neo walking away with a plushy Ursa, Marcie earning small buildable soldier kit to tinker with, and Jaune grabbing some candy for them to eat as they waited for their ride.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

“Well, thanks girls… I had fun with you tonight.” Jaune admitted, staring at the trio seated across from him.

****

They were currently on the Bullhead back to Beacon, the walk back from the arcade had thus far been fairly quiet. Well, except for that one time where a guy tried to grab Marcie’s ass, prompting the girl to kick him hard enough to break one of his teeth.

****

Neo and Marcie would likely have done worse to the pervert, except that Jaune had hastily grabbed both of them to lead them away from the area, a steamed but more controlled Emerald following along.

****

He’d listened patiently to the trio’s heated comments about what they’d do if another person tried that. Emerald had decided on a covert pickpocketing of every valuable they had, Neo on intimidation and Marcie on all-out violent assault. Not surprising though, given their backgrounds.

****

What was rather surprising was how quickly the grey girl had switched into reassuring Jaune that, unlike the man from earlier, _he_ was perfectly free to touch and feel her ass any time he wanted. Complete with accompanying flirtatious winks from her and Neo.

****

Emerald had, once again, abstained from the more overt flirting of her teammates. But the way she kept bashfully staring at Jaune and blushing, with a small yet happy and contented smile on her face, spoke volumes as to her mood.

****

The knight had acquiesced, and even helped along, their efforts to get closer to him during the night. Emerald, shy as she could be sometimes, simply restrained herself to shivering in the suddenly cold weather, Jaune had been gracious enough to lend her his hoodie. He caught the ex-thief snuggling into it as he moved away, a happy smile on her face. 

****

Neo’s resulting pout had encouraged him to slip an arm around her shoulder and walk with her a ways, much to the shorter girl’s delight, as she developed a noticeable skip in her step the rest of the way. Marceline, ever confident and tactlessly blunt, had simply asked for her own ‘snuggle time’ right up front.

****

“I mean, c’mon… you’re gonna give those two some time with you and not me? Where’s the love for good ol’ Marcie?” Her words had been light and joking, but the spark in her grey eyes and her tightened posture indicated that the assassin girl was undeniably jealous about her teammates receiving affection from Jaune first.

****

The knight had obliged, though she had pulled his arm from it’s position around her shoulders and moved it to her shapely waist first. They had walked like that for a while, Marcie threading her own arm around Jaune’s back and leaning her head on his shoulder, a contented hum passing her lips in the process.

****

“Mmmmmm… you make a nice and firm body pillow Jauney…” She mumbled happily. Well, at least she wasn’t doing anything lewd-

****

“I wonder what _else_ will be nice and firm… just for me?” He’d spoken a little too soon there.

****

Emerald had been shaking her head at that.

****

“Can’t you go five minutes without a suggestive comment, Marc?” She’d asked, exasperation coating her voice.

****

“Not my fault I’m so good at it…” The girl in question had mumbled back, still content in resting her head on Jaune’s shoulder.

****

“Probably the only romantic thing you’re good at, right…?” Neo had put in, a cheeky grin on her face.

****

“Mmm… go fuck yourself pintsize.” Was the predictable reply.

****

“I’d rather Jaune take care of that for me…” The ex-enforcer had replied, her heterochromatic eyes growing a rosey pink tint to them as she gazed at the knight in question, her voice husky and inviting as she licked her lips.

****

Jaune had felt it necessary to disengage from Marcie at that point, lest she notice his… _growing problem._  

****

“Heh… think you got him all riled up pintsize, look at that tent down there…” Oh, she’d noticed anyway.

****

It had been a mercifully short trip to the Bullhead docks from there, so the knight had not had to endure the inevitable teasing and suggestive comments from the more mischievous of the trio for too long. Emerald, bless her, had done what she could to make sure Neo and Marcie didn’t take it too far… even if that meant making her partner walk into a few lamp posts with some unfortunate flare-ups of her Semblance.

****

While it might have stopped the Black scion from making suggestive comments at Jaune the whole time, it DID get her to argue with Emerald the rest of the way to the Bullhead they were now on. It had been a two-minute walk at best, yet Emerald and Marcie only needed 30 seconds for their arguing to get loud enough to attract quite a lot of attention.

****

Thankfully, they’d calmed down since boarding the Bullhead, all three sitting across from the knight.

****

Which brought them to now.

****

“Well, thank you Jaune. I had fun too.” Emerald said, that contented smile still on her face. “I’ve not had fun like that since, well…” She trailed off slowly.

****

“...you agreed to join up with Bitch and help her out with being a terrorist?” Marcie stated dryly.

****

“Yeah… I’ve not been able to have fun since joining up with Cinder-”

****

“Bitch.” Marcie corrected, a stern and cross look flashing across the ex-assassin’s face as she spoke.

****

“-since joining up with _her_.” Emerald continued, ignoring her partner’s interruption, though leaving out the name of their former employer this time. The grey-haired girl sat back, temporarily appeased. “It was… nice, to just be a normal girl doing what normal teens do for a change.”

****

“Hey, no problem Em.” Jaune insisted. “I’m just happy that we all had fun.” The illusionist blushed a little at his usage of her partner’s nickname for her, while said partner raised a cheeky eyebrow and elbowed the mint thief gently in the chest.

****

“Yeah, we had fun alright Jauney, I didn’t know you could bust moves like that on the dancefloor!” Marcie spoke up, a more pleased grin on her face this time, though it soon turned suggestive as she continued. “If you’re that limber on the dancefloor, makes me wonder how flexible you are in the bedroom… I can’t wait to find out.”

****

“You can’t just call dibs like that.” Surprisingly, it wasn’t Emerald who spoke up against her partner’s lewd antics, it was Neo. The enforcer was staring intensely at Marcie with narrowed eyes.

****

“Can’t I, pintsize?” Marcie challenged.

****

“No.” She replied. “If anyone should get ‘dibs’ on him, then it should be ME… I’m the first one of us he brought into this relationship, after all…” The shorter girl asserted, a steel behind her gaze that wasn’t there before.

****

Marcie and Neo narrowed their eyes at each other, a spark passing between the two girls as they stared one another down. The twitching in their limbs showed that they were at the very least _thinking_ about turning this verbal confrontation into a physical one, Jaune wouldn’t put it past them.

****

Before they could move, the dinging sound alerted them to the fact that the Bullhead was landing. Jaune sighed slightly in relief as he made his way off the transport. Thank goodness his medication had lasted long enough for the whole trip, he’d not wanted to throw up on any of the girls thanks to his motion sickness, that would have been a less than ideal end to a date…

****

The other girls disembarked after him, and the journey to the dorms was made in silence. Neo and Marcie’s little tiff had quelled the desire for conversation for now, it seemed.

****

It was at the door to the trio’s new dorm room that they paused, all three girls facing Jaune with smiles on their faces, their previous spats put aside as they bade the knight farewell.

****

“Thank you for the date Jaune, it was really nice to have fun with you…” Emerald insisted, a small blush on her face.

****

“Maybe we can do it again some time?” The knight suggested.

****

“Hell yeah we’re doing this again sometime, Jauney.” Marcie asserted, before taking a step toward the knight with a small smirk on her face. “You know… there’s usually a kiss at the end of a date, and this was a date with all three of us so…”

****

Jaune didn’t reply with words, he just shrugged with a smile and opened his arms slightly, inviting all of them to take this at their pace.

****

Emerald, of all people, was the first. The dark-skinned beauty was nervous and shy and blushing the whole time, Jaune simply waited for her to get close enough before putting his hands on her hips and stepping closer. A short gasp came from Emerald as a result and she averted her eyes a little, but soon found the confidence to place her own hands on Jaune’s shoulders and lean in.

****

The kiss was nervous and searching, but also tender and sweet. It was obvious to Jaune that this was Emerald’s first experience with kissing, so he simply pressed his lips gently against her own and let the ex-thief decide the pace. He wanted her to be comfortable with and enjoy her first kiss.

****

It didn’t last long, and when they broke apart the girl’s face was flushed and she was panting, but still looked very happy with what had just happened.

****

“U-um… t-thanks for the d-date Jaune…” She stuttered, before turning and bolting into the room. A muffled but noticeable squeal rang out a few moments later, making all present smile.

****

Jaune’s distraction at Emerald’s giddy antics left him surprised when he found himself ensnared by the cute ice-cream lover of the group, who slipped her arms around his waist and hugged him, though making sure to rub herself against his body in the process of ‘getting comfy’. If the grin on her face any indication, she was definitely doing it on purpose.

****

Jaune just smiled at her boldness, before tilting her head up with his hand so that he could lean down and kiss her.

****

Neo’s shock at the knight taking the initiative didn’t last long, and the girl responded by wrapping her arms around his neck and pushing her mouth against his. Neo’s kiss was slightly more passionate than Emerald’s tender and searching lip-lock, but since he and Neo HAD kissed before, that didn’t exactly surprise Jaune.

****

The smaller girl did pull back after a while, but the kiss had lasted longer than Emerald’s. She blew Jaune one last kiss and gave him a flirty wink, making a ‘call me’ gesture in the process, before turning and skipping merrily into the dorm room.

****

Jaune didn’t have time to turn back fully before arms snaked around his neck and shoulders, turning him to face a grinning Marcie. The ex-assassin licked her lips, a fire resurgent in her eyes as she faced him directly.

****

“Don’t hold back with me Jauney…” She whispered huskily. “I want you at your best, kay?”

****

“Well, if that’s what you want, then alright.” Jaune shrugged a little, before he placed his hands on the girl’s waist, as he’d done with the other two.

****

His companion had anticipated him doing that, but what she hadn’t anticipated was the knight suddenly pushing her against the opposite wall, pinning her there with his own body as he pressed his lips against hers.

****

The surprise and aggression from the knight took the grey-haired fighter by surprise at first, but she soon responded, threading her arms over Jaune’s own and tangling on hand in his hair, the other snaking around his neck and other shoulder as they began making out. She also lifted a leg to wrap it around the boy’s own, to pull him closer.

****

Jaune responded by deepening the kiss and applying some tongue to their makeout, which Marcie was eager to return, while also moving his hands from her waist to her shapely and firm rear end. This earned him a hum of approval from the girl as Jaune gave into the temptation to squeeze it.

****

Both teens were lost in their kiss so much that they began rubbing their hips against each other, moaning gently into each others’ mouths for at least a minute as they did so. Unfortunately, this meant that they forgot to breathe regularly through their noses while kissing, forcing them apart when they ran out of oxygen.

****

Both were panting heavily, faces flushed and mouths coated with saliva from their heavy kissing, thought they still had pretty goofy grins on their faces as well.

****

“Hah… hah… wow.” Jaune managed to gasp out, wiping his mouth as he did so.

****

“Hehehe… wow indeed Jauney.” Marceline replied, a twinkle in her eyes as she let go of the boy and strode past to her dorm door. Turning to face the knight once more, she gave a parting shot before entering the room.

****

“You know, we _will_ be doing this again… and next time, I want to go _all the way_ with you. That good for you?” A teasing smirk appeared on the busty girl’s face as she spoke.

****

“Yeah… guess I’ll see you around then.” Jaune waved her off.

****

“See you around… Lover Boy.” With that, she turned, pushed open her door and strode into her dorm, leaving the knight alone in the hallway.

****

“Well, I think that went quite well.”


	53. Memory Lane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cinder has a breakdown after an incident reignites a piece of her past, while Amber tells the girls about her own past, inadvertently revealing the existence of Jaune's soul-bound partner to two particular sisters.

Jaune sighed and placed his hand on his head, leaning on his half of the table as he blew out a heavy breath.

****

“Are you listening to me?” Came the voice of the only other occupant in the room, clear as day in his ears.

****

Azure eyes flicked to meet the amber ones staring at him.

****

“Oh… I heard you fine.” He muttered, mostly to himself.

****

“Then what is your answer?” The woman pressed.

****

“To… you getting out of here?” He asked, hesitantly, wanting to make sure she’d said what he thought she said.

****

“Yes.” Her eyes narrowed. “I have been co-operative thus far, I believe I deserve far more than these pitiful lodgings.”

****

_“What you_ **_deserve_ ** _is a hole in the ground, especially after everything you’ve done.”_ Summer’s hostility to the once-Maiden had not abated any since they’d started, in fact it seemed to be getting _worse_.

****

He did his best to stay on track, refusing to let the spirit’s hostility seep into his voice via their soul-link.

****

“Well, you’ve given us quite a bit of information, yeah… but I think we’ll need more before anyone thinks about giving you a better place.” He answered diplomatically.

****

Cinder scowled and raised an eyebrow, snorting through her nose and folding her arms… at least, as far as she could given she was cuffed to the table.

****

“What _more_ would you care to know then? What _more_ could you possibly want from me?” She snapped.

****

“ _Oh, I don’t know… maybe names and abilities of your fellow terrorists and murderers… where your base is… that kind of thing._ ” Summer snarked. Even Jaune resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the biting sarcasm in that statement. He didn’t know the mother could GET that snarky.

****

“Well, the names of your other, um… ‘colleagues’ would be a good place to start.” Jaune rephrased the bonded soul’s remarks, he had a feeling Cinder might not appreciate her brand of sarcasm.

****

The woman snorted again, but relented and leaned forward.

****

“Very well… you might have already met two of them, the night that this school was attacked. A scorpion Faunus named Tyrian Callows and a man named Hazel Rainart. They serve the same mistress that I ser... _used to serve.”_ She corrected the last part.

****

“I… think I might have run into them actually… geeze that guy hits hard…” Jaune winced as he remembered exactly how strong and durable Hazel was, and how agile and fanatical Tyrian was.

****

“I don’t know of Tyrian’s Semblance, but Rainart is capable of blocking out pain with his own. He likes to take advantage of this by injecting himself with raw Dust crystals during combat.” Cinder explained. Jaune winced once more, Hazel had been bad enough WITHOUT any augmentations, if he’d powered up like that back at Beacon…

****

Jaune didn’t really want to think about what might have happened.

****

_“It’s alright Jaune, at least you’re still alive. Though not for lack of effort on_ **_some people’s part._ **” Summer’s reassurance tapered off into more anger at Cinder. He’d have to address that sooner or later.

****

“I… I see. Anyone else we should know about?” He prompted.

****

Luckily, Cinder did have more to offer, taking a breath and leaning forward again.

****

“There is one last person, a former Atlas scientist by the name of _Arthur Watts.”_ Jaune didn’t miss the disgust in her voice as she said that name. He tilted his head and leaned forward himself.

****

“So… I take it you’re not too fond of him then?” Cinder just barked a laugh in response.

****

“Hmph… _no._ I despise that man… despite his usefulness with technology, his ego is titanic and he very much enjoys stroking it. What a pompous blowhard.” She snorted.

****

Before Jaune could comment about the utter hilarity of CINDER, of all people, complaining about another person’s ego problem, the heavy door into the room began to click and whirr. Someone wanted to enter… perhaps Ozpin or Ironwood?

****

It was neither, actually. The security door’s layers peeled back to reveal Amber,  the Fall Maiden walking into the room. She’d shed her cloak and overcoat, leaving her in only the white and brown blouse and trousers, though it was a more casual affair this time. She still made it look good though.

****

“Hi Jaune, Oz asked me to tell you that they’ve got enough information for now. You can go back to your team now if you like.” She smiled at Jaune, while pointedly ignoring the other person in the room.

****

“Thanks Amber.” Jaune rose from his seat and began to leave the room, intending to meet up with his team for a chat. Specifically, about Ruby’s upcoming birthday. He was so engrossed in thoughts of what he’d be talking about, that he didn’t notice Amber remaining behind in the room as the door closed behind him once more.

****

Now alone, both women stared each other down as Amber took the seat Jaune had just vacated. For a few moments, neither said anything, till Cinder decided to break the ice.

****

“So… what is it that _you_ want?” She spat the words out as if they were poison, not bothering to stop her face twisting into a mask of disdain.

****

“To keep an eye on you… and to ask you a few questions of my own.” Amber replied tersely.

****

“Why would you possibly want to keep an eye on me now, girl? I’m no threat here, not with _these_ confining me.” Cinder held up the Aura-suppressing cuffs shackling her.

****

“No, you’re still a threat. As long as you’re alive, you’ll be a threat to anyone you come across.” Amber stated plainly. “Aura or not, Maiden powers or not… you’ll still be a cold-blooded murderer who enjoys bullying weaker people than her, just to make herself feel strong.”

****

The former Maiden couldn’t help but let her jaw tighten at Amber’s words, but settled for merely blowing out a harsh breath as she replied.

****

“So you’re here to… what? Kill me? Ozpin won’t like that, girl.” She taunted, raising an eyebrow with a challenging smirk. Amber merely growled and narrowed her eyes.

****

 “No, not kill, maybe just rough you up a bit, but certainly throw you into a deeper and darker cell than the one you’ve got. Besides, Oz doesn’t always know what’s best, and he’s not infallible.” Amber took in a breath, while Cinder smiled  even more smugly.

****

“My my… dissent in the ranks, girl? You’re willing to go against the _Great and Wise Ozpin_? All for the sake of some petty revenge?” The sarcasm was plain in her voice as soon as the subject of Ozpin came up. Amber rolled her eyes a little, but continued nonetheless.

****

“This isn’t just about revenge, you murderous bitch.” She snarled, anger flashing in her eyes. “I don’t care what information you’ve got for us, it’s not worth keeping you here. It’s not worth risking you breaking out and hurting people again.”

****

Instead of flinching or even looking phased by her outburst Cinder simply smiled wider, an even more challenging expression on her face.

****

“ _People_ , girl? Or one _specific_ person in particular… perhaps?” Off Amber’s slight eye-widening and the stiffening of her body, Cinder narrowed her eyes and smirked, leaning forward. “I see… perhaps a boy that you’ve grown some sickening attachment to?”

****

Amber didn’t reply, she only glared harder, which did not stop her attacker in any way.

****

“Hmph… you’re quite pathetic, aren’t you? You’ve known him for what, a mere _few days_ at best, and you’re _already infatuated_ with that blonde weakling?” 

****

“He’s _not_ weak.” Amber refuted, mouth twitching upward in a slight snarl. “He fought against you on his own, didn’t he? Would a ‘weakling’ do that, huh?!” She began to raise her voice a little, almost unconsciously.

****

“Perhaps not… Arc _has_ proven himself to me recently, which is why if I am ever to regain my strength and stand a chance, I’ll need to kill-”

****

She didn’t finish her sentence before a gust of air, powerful enough to send snapping back in her seat and then slamming down into the table, hit her right in the face. Her restraints clanked and rattled noisily as her body was flung up and then came down. Without Aura, the impacts caused quite a bit of pain and even a little bruising.

****

Cinder raised her head again, eyes blazing and snarl plastered on her face.

****

That anger died when she saw the eight large icicles pointed straight at her, as well as the flaming spear held in Amber’s hand as the Maiden started her down pitilessly. Her brown orbs were full of naught but anger and hate for the woman in front of her.

****

“You’re not hurting him, you’re even _touching him_ again, are we **clear?** ” She kept her voice low and terribly quiet, but the intent behind it was clear. “I don’t give a damn if you’re ‘valuable’, you hurt Jaune again and I’ll finish what I started at Amity. Don’t think I won’t.” Amber warned, her eyes flashing with orange flame.

****

“Are you _really_ that attached?” Cinder smirked again. “You really _must_ be desperate if _he’s_ your choice.”

****

“And why wouldn’t I be attached to him?” The Maiden hissed, eyes narrowed to slits now as she leaned forward. “He saved my life, he’s helped me find the friends I couldn’t have when I was on the road, he’s made my life _better_ simply by being _part of it._ He’s done so much for me and not asked for _anything_ in return. So yes, I’m ‘attached’... any sane girl would be if they found someone like Jaune.”

****

Cinder looked a little shocked at the conviction behind Amber’s declaration, through her eyes narrowed and the smirk reasserted itself soon enough, meeting Amber’s razor-sharp glare with a stare of her own.

****

Before either woman could continue the argument or throw more death threats around, their attention was drawn by the sound of the security door opening again. Amber was a little confused, she didn’t think anyone else was going to be coming here today.

****

Her confusion turned to mild surprise as Jaune came hurrying into the room, looking a little winded as if he’d run or jogged his way back here.

****

“Jaune? What are you doing back here?” Amber asked, though a glance at Cinder and then down at herself, coupled with remembering exactly what they’d been doing mere moments ago, gave the Maiden a shrewd idea about why he’d come back.

****

“Ozpin called me… told me you two were getting into an argument… asked me to break it up.” Jaune got the words out with slightly laboured breaths, still not fully recovered from running back here.

****

Amber just sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, she’d let Cinder bait her again.

****

Cinder simply leant back and smirked a little, satisfied at being able to rile up the other girl so easily. Jaune, noticing her expression, began to advance on her as his expression collapsed into a stern scowl. He’d had it with her antics, with her arrogance and her twisted idea of riling people up.

****

“You think is funny, do you?” He asked. “Apparently, Amber here was about 5 seconds away from turning you into a pincushion with her ice before I showed up… and you think that’s _funny?_ ” There was quite a bit of disbelief in his voice.

****

“Why wouldn’t it be?” Cinder questioned, her tone smug and her lips curved upward in a smirk. “She’s so easy to rile up… so easy to antagonise… it’s almost cute.”

****

Jaune couldn’t quite believe it, she’d been literally seconds away from _death_ (or at the _very least_ painful yet non-fatal impalement) at the hands of an enraged Amber, and she _still_ had the audacity to act smug and superior?!

****

No. This had to stop.

****

“Just stop.”

****

“What was th-”

****

“Just. STOP.” He snarled out again, this time unable to keep both his own anger and Summer’s rage from seeping into his voice as he spoke. Cinder seemed shocked (and had Jaune bothered to look at her eyes, he might’ve noticed the slight fear in them), especially as Jaune advanced on her till he was right in front of her. Even Amber was slightly taken aback.

****

“You think this is _funny,_ do you?!” Jaune narrowed his eyes as he continued. “Do you just enjoy pissing people off, even when you’ve got no power whatsoever and you’re essentially helpless? You might think that’s clever, but it’s just _pathetic_. So just STOP IT.”

****

Cinder glared at him, completely ignoring or forgetting the situation she was in and exactly how _little_ power she actually had here, how dare he talk back to her like that!

****

She raised her hand and began to articulate her thoughts. “How dare you-”

****

Then she stopped, her hand seized in a vice grip by the knight as he practically growled out. “If you don’t stop, then I’ll _make you._ I’ve had it with your arrogance, I’ve had it with your demands and I’ve had it with _you. Do you understand_ ? _”_  

****

Cinder would have replied, but her voice was strangled in her throat as her composure, her confidence and her bravery all cracked and shattered. All it took was looking into his eyes.

****

Those angry blue eyes of his, with all that anger directed at her.

****

The memory, one long thought buried, came rushing back to her with the force of a crashing Bullhead.

****

The memory of another man, also with blue eyes, looming over her and holding her wrist. Though there was one key difference…

****

Where there was anger in Jaune’s orbs, the eyes Cinder was currently visualising in her mind were full of boundless arrogance, endless cruelty and a sick pleasure at what the eyes’ owner was going to do to her.

****

It only took a few moments for that difference to vanish, for the fear that she had long buried and suppressed to make a vengeful resurgence and swarm her mind. It was no longer Jaune standing in front of her anymore, it was not the knight who was holding her wrist and looking down at her.

****

It was… _him._

****

Her next actions were based on instinct, based on nothing but the intent to survive the terror and pain that she was convinced were coming her way.

****

“L...l-let go of me.” She whispered, voice so small and quiet that Jaune couldn’t quite hear her.

****

“What?”

****

“Let go of me.” She repeated, a little louder, but still very subdued. She had begun to shake and shiver now, her eyes firmly avoiding those of the others in the room.

****

“Not until you apolog-” Jaune began, intending for Cinder to apologise to Amber before he released her.

****

That intention went out the window when the woman began to scream.

****

“LET GO OF ME!” Cinder practically screeched, as she began to thrash around frantically in Jaune’s grip in hopes of dislodging his hand. Without her Aura, however, her attempts were futile. This only caused the ex-Maiden to thrash even more frantically, hitting Jaune in the arm relentlessly, though the impacts were entirely ineffectual and absorbed completely by his Aura.

****

Such did not deter Cinder in the slightest, she was too consumed by terror to be rational anymore. All she could see in her mind was the face and eyes of the man she’d tried so hard to forget, and all she could think of was what he’d do to her if she didn’t fight back, however she could.

****

Jaune, meanwhile was too stunned to move, as was Amber. They’d seen Cinder angry, they’d seen her smug, they’d even seen her caught off guard or surprised.

****

But they had never, _ever,_ seen her _scared_. It was… disturbing.

****

“LET GO OF ME! LET GO OF ME! LET GO!!” The terrified woman continued to scream, the fear plain on her face as she struggled futilely to free her trapped hand from Jaune’s now-iron grip, frozen thanks to the knight’s utter shock.

****

It took a few moments, but Cinder did eventually free her hand. It was not, however, through brute force, but the fact that Jaune let her hand go willingly out of shock at what she said next.

****

“LET ME GO… PLEASE LET ME GO, JASON. PLEASE!!”

****

That did it, he released his grip, watching as Cinder slumped back in her seat. Immediately, the formerly hardened terrorist began attempting to put as much space between herself and Jaune as possible, her eyes wide and terrified as she did so. It got to the point where she managed to overturn the entire table as she scrambled into the corner, almost holding it up as a shield against the knight as she thrust herself against the far corner of the room.

****

Cinder’s yellow eyes were widened and her whole body was shaking severely, she looked about ready to pass out or have a terror-induced heart attack.

****

“Jaune, we… w-we should go.” Amber prompted, the Maiden herself looked as shocked as Jaune did. “We… should give her time.” A gentle tug on Jaune’s sleeve was all it took for the stunned boy to stumble in the direction of the security door as Amber began to open it.

****

Cinder kept her eyes on them the whole time, until they’d left the room, until she was sure she was safe.

****

Then she lowered her head, bringing her knees up to rest her chin on them as she curled into a ball, the tears running freely down her face all the while.

****

“D… damn it…” She whispered, through her sobs.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

****

“So, you excited about your sixteenth birthday, kiddo?” Coco asked as she, Velvet, Neo, Marcie, Emerald and the rest of teams NDGO, RWBY, and NPR listened diligently at their lunch table.

****

“Yup! I can’t wait to officially be a grownup!” Ruby squealed, beaming at her friends.

****

“Are you guys planning on having an event of any kind?” Nebula asked, earning a nod from Yang in response.

****

“Oh, yeah! I almost forgot! I managed to convince Goodwitch to let us borrow the combat room for Ruby’s party!” She explained, receiving  a few smiles and congratulations. “I also convinced some...friends of mine, lets say, to hook us up with a DJ, catering, the works!”

****

“Wow, you really went all out for this, didn’t you?” Pyrrha mused, impressed with the blonde’s productiveness. While an efficient fighter and a good friend, Yang Xiao-long tended to be a bit...lackadaisical when it came to work.

****

“Of course!” Yang answered, smirking as she ruffled an annoyed Ruby’s hair. “Like I’d do any less for my little sis!” 

****

“YAAANG!” Ruby whined, batting her sister’s hands away and glaring at her. “You know, you won’t be able to tease me much longer!”

****

“I know, that’s why I’m getting it alllll out now.” Yang explained, before releasing her sister. 

****

“So, do have anything in particular you’re looking forward to once you’re sixteen?” Ren asked, prompting the red reaper to blush, and look at the ground.

****

“W-well, there was one thing…” She muttered quietly, a bit embarrassed at the request.

****

“You want your night with Jauney, right?” Marcie interjected, receiving a swift elbow from her partner in response. However, instead of becoming a blushing, stuttering mess, Ruby just nodded, a small smile on her face.

****

“Y-yeah.” She admitted, her cheeks still red. “I just like him so much, I want to show him.”  
  
“That’s...very sweet of you, Ruby.” Weiss commented with a smile, followed by a nod from Velvet.

****

“Should we bring anything for the party, Yang?” Blake asked, before whispering a follow up. “Gifts or otherwise?”

****

“Nah, don’t sweat it.” Yang answered, waving her hand dismissively. “Just bring yourselves, and be ready for one kickass party!”

****

Neo raised a hand, but before she was noticed, Emerald shook her head. “No Neo, you can’t spike the drinks at the party to ‘ _make things interesting_ ’.” 

****

“Booooo!” Neo, Marcie, and Dew all objected, the first two turning to look at the third in surprise.

****

“What? That’s how parties start in Vacuo. Alcohol kicks everything up to eleven and it’s a fight to survive.”

****

“Respectfully, I think we’re gonna keep the danger to a minimum.” Blake said, getting a few chuckles in response. 

  
“Hey, suit yourself.” Dew said with a shrug, ignoring the glares from her teammates. “So, what is the plan, birthday girl?”

****

Ruby, still beaming, just shrugged in response. “I think I’ll settle for the best birthday ever.”

****

“Well, at least you’ve set reasonable standards.” Neo hummed, before standing and stretching. “Well, I’m done for today. Heading back to the dorms.”

****

“We should probably head out, too.” Emerald stated, standing with her teammates as they moved to leave.

****

“See ya later, nerds!” Marcie called as they left, waving goodbye as she walked.

****

“Bye, guys!” Ruby called, followed by a few similar calls from the girls around her.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

Amber stumbled out of the lift from Headmaster Ozpin’s office, still in a daze from what had happened down in the cell with Cinder.

****

Ozpin, Goodwitch and the others had questioned her on it of course, asking her what had happened and why she thought their captive had just gone and broken down like that, in complete defiance of just about EVERYTHING they’d established about her personality.

****

Amber had answered honestly, she didn’t have a clue why Cinder had just flipped her shit like that. Luckily, they’d accepted that explanation easily enough, as they’d been watching the security feed the whole time and were thus just as stumped as she and Jaune were.

****

Speaking of the blonde knight, he had simply… gone quiet, after what had happened in the cell. He had gone for a walk around Beacon’s campus, he still seemed to be slightly in shock from Cinder’s breakdown. Amber couldn’t blame him for wanting to take a few minutes to recover, and thus didn’t try to stop or accompany him.

****

Perhaps she could visit her other new friends to pass the time. Didn’t Pyrrha tell her that they were discussing someone’s birthday today or something?

****

Amber kept those thoughts in mind as she made her way to the cafe, also mindful of the fact that she’d not eaten in at least 5 hours. She could do with some sustenance and luckily Ozpin had been kind enough to unofficially enroll her into Beacon as a student, allowing her access to all the facilities and amenities, which included the cafeteria and all the food and drink it was currently serving.

****

As Amber made her way through the cafe doors, she soon spotted a familiar group of girls chatting at a nearby table. She could make out Jaune’s teammates, team RWBY, team NDGO and two girls she didn’t quite recognise. She moved into line to get some food for herself first, and luckily it was some form of pasta Bolognese today, which she’d enjoyed eating in the rare moments whenever she’d stopped at a village tavern, back when she’d still been on the road.

****

She was a little hesitant to actually approach the table with the girls on it. She may have talked with them before and sort-of gotten on with them, but she still considered them to be _Jaune’s_ friends, instead of her own.

****

In the end, the decision was made for her.

****

“Hey Fairytale Girl, over here!” Amber jumped a little, turning to see the blonde girl, Yang, and the short-haired ginger girl, Nora, both waving at her to come join them. 

****

_Well, that settles that, I suppose._ She thought, a small smile making its way onto her face as the Maiden made her way over.

****

“ _Finally! After all the drama of the past few days, we can just have some nice and simple girl talk with some proper girls!”_ Alexa commented happily.

****

_“And what of me? Do I not qualify as a ‘proper girl’ then?”_ Mira chimed in indignantly.

****

_“Sorry Miri but you’re way too uptight, you need to pull the stick out of your butt and stop acting like a soldier all the time.”_

****

_“Hmph… I see…”_ Mira actually sounded a little hurt by that, prompting the other girl to backpedal frantically.

****

_“Wait Miri I didn’t mean it like that! I just meant that you could stand to loosen up and live a little! Stop focusing on your ‘duty’ and just stop and switch off for a while, appreciate the beauty of the here and now, rather than planning for the future or looking for the next threat.”_ The blonde Maiden pleaded of her fellow spirit.

****

_“Well… I suppose that I could, perhaps… ‘loosen up’ from time to time.”_ The captain admitted, her earlier hurt replaced by grudging acceptance.

****

Amber had to tune out Alexa’s enthused squeal, as she’d reached the other girls at the table.

****

“Oh, hello there… Yang, right?” She asked, just wanting to be sure.

****

“Yep, that’s me! Yang Xiao-Long, punch and pun-master at your service!” The girl stuck her hand out for Amber to shake. “Woah, that’s quite a grip you’ve got there… we’ll have to spar sometime.” She added, a glint in her lilac eyes.

****

“Ah, alright then.” Amber sat down in a free seat and placed her lunch in front of her, though before she could move to eat it, another voice interrupted her.

****

“So you’re that girl who killed that dragon right!?” It was FAR more enthused than the Maiden was used to, and far closer than she’d been expecting, causing her to jump in her seat as a mop of ginger hair and a pair of turquoise eyes filed her vision.

****

“Um, I-”

****

“I knew it! You’re that dragon-killer that Jauney said he found in a fairytale! Did he really, did Fearless Leader REALLY find you in a fairytale, did he!? Did your fairytale have sloths in them? Were you the Queen of the castle who broke the legs of anyone who disagreed with you? Were you-” The ginger force of nature/space-invader was abruptly pulled back by two more girls, one of them a girl with magenta eyes and dark hair in some form of green battle-dress and the other an emerald-eyed redhead dressed like a hoplite.

****

Oh thank the gods… that girl was a little _too_ friendly.

****

“I apologise for Nora’s… excitable nature.” The dark-haired girl spoke up, hand over the Valkyrie’s mouth. “That’s simply her way of greeting you, it takes some getting used to.”

****

“But are you actually some fairytale hero? That would be so cool!” A cute girl with black hair and red tips spoke up, her silver eyes shining. This must be Ruby, then… if she remembered right.

****

“Ugh, come now Ruby, I highly doubt that Jaune genuinely found her in an actual fairy tale.” Her partner, a girl with ponytailed white hair in a blue and white ensemble, spoke up. This must be… Weiss?

****

“You don’t know that Weiss!” The ginger-haired Nora spoke up again, having removed her partner’s hands from her mouth. “Jauney meets all sorts of strange people, is it really so hard to believe that he’d fall into a fairytale and meet some great-looking lady with epic powers?”

****

That last part got Amber to blush a little at the praise. She was still unused to being thanked so openly.

****

“Well, I hate to break it to you, but I’m not from a fairytale.” Amber admitted, a slight smile on her face.

****

“Well, you might not be from a fairy tale, but girl… you’re still extra hot and sexy.” The girl with shades spoke up, tilting them down so that her brown eyes met Amber’s own. “I mean, if I _had_ to french a girl it’d definitely be you… sorry Vel.”

****

“COCO!” The aforementioned Velvet cried, her cheeks pinking in mortification. “Y-you can’t just say things like that in public about some new friend of ours?

****

“What? I can’t tell a new friend they’re smoking hot? Jeez Vel, it’s a _compliment_ , you know.” Her leader shamelessly chided the bunny girl. “You don’t mind, do you Fairytale Girl?” She asked, addressing Amber once more. “I mean… I think I can speak for everyone here when I say that those are some of the biggest melons I’ve ever seen on a girl.”

****

Amber blinked at that, taking a moment to check whether she really just heard that.

****

“So… you always go around talking about other girls’ boobs like that, or am I just lucky?” She asked, semi-sarcastically, though with some genuine curiosity laced in.

****

“Fairy Girl, I think we can all agree that with a figure like that, you _definitely_ got lucky.” Coco insisted, the fashionista whistling approvingly. “Any chance I can get some of whatever it is you’ve got?”

****

“Heh, sorry… but _this_ isn’t for sale.” Amber felt bold enough to push her chest out slightly, and felt a little bad about the surge of happiness she experienced as the other girls blushed or huffed a little.

****

“ _Everything_ is for sale, for the right price. Ain’t that right Schnee?” Coco leaned toward the heiress. “I bet you’d kill for a body like that, eh Weissy? Geez, those things look like they’ve got their own gravity field.”

****

“Urgh! Why do you assume I’m jealous, Adel?!” Weiss snapped, though Coco was utterly unphased, and it was in fact Yang who responded, a cheeky grin on the brawler’s face.

****

“Because you’re flat as a board, while Fairy Girl over there’s got one of the biggest and juiciest racks I’ve ever seen. I mean seriously, I’m not the only one concerned here, am I? Those things look like they hurt to carry around.” Yang’s tone shifted from playful to concerned as she turned to address Amber herself.

****

The Maiden, on the other hand, simply smiled and shrugged her shoulders with a reassuring smile on her face.

****

“It’s fine, they don’t really bother me, or even hurt at all.”

****

“What!? How’s that possible!? Are you some sort of ultra-enhanced supermodel or something?!” Predictably, it was Nora who voiced the question on all the girls’ minds.

****

Amber smirked a little, leaning toward the Valkyrie while taking a mouthful of her bolognaise. After she was finished, she answered.

****

“Do you really want to know?”

****

“Well, I guess so…” Ruby admitted.

****

“Really? _Really?_ ” She repeated.

****

“YES! Just tell us how you’ve got such great boobs!” Coco and Yang both cried out without shame.

****

Amber didn’t answer right away, but instead took another bit of her food and a sip of her drink, just to keep them in suspense for a bit. Once she was finished, the Maiden addressed the other girls.

****

“Becuase I have supernatural powers.” Her answer was honest and blunt.

****

Amber enjoyed the looks of shock on the girls’ faces a bit more than she probably should have.

****

“Seriously!? That’s the answer!?” Yang cried out. “You’ve got a killer figure because you’re _magic_ or something?”

****

“Yes.”

****

“... damn it.” The brawler whispered, seeming rather put out.

****

“Cheer up Yang-arang!” Nora leaned across to pat her friend on the head. “At least we’re all still bigger than Weiss-icle over there! Even Ruby’s got some curves now!”

****

“THAT’S IT!” The heiress screeched, before rounding on Amber. “How much?”

****

“I… I’m sorry?” The confused Fall Maiden replied, quirking an eyebrow. The heiress surprised her once more by pulling out her wallet, then a stack of lien cards.

****

“How much for some of your… your… _m-magic_?” Weiss seemed to struggle with that particular word, likely still a bit sceptical. Amber couldn’t blame her.

****

“You know she said it wasn’t for sale, right?” The leader of team NDGO spoke up.

****

“I don’t CARE!” Weiss snarled. “I have HAD IT with all your jokes about my small chest and lack of… breasts! Well that stops now! All I need is-”

****

“Yo, small snag there Weiss-cream, Fairy Girl’s probably not too keen to part with her powers.” Yang chided, causing the Snow Angel to stop in her tracks, looking a little embarrassed at her recent actions as she pocketed the wallet and lien.

****

“Ah… m-my apologies, miss…”

****

“Amber.”

****

“Miss Amber. I… I just-”

****

“Hey, I get it.” She smiled lightly at the snow-haired heiress. “You’re not the only one here jealous of my boobs, if that helps any.”

****

“It’s okay Weiss!” Ruby called out, hugging her partner tightly. “We don’t care how flat you are, you’re still our teammate and we’ll be there for you!” This got open laughter from Nora, Yang and Coco. Lian, Blake and the NDGO girls were more reserved in their laughter, while Pyrrha struggled to suppress hers.

****

This was made harder by the way Weiss thrashed against her team leader, yelling out “Get off me, you dolt!” Even Amber joined in the laughter on that bit.

****

It took them a while to calm down after that little giggle fit, but eventually the hilarity wore off and the group began to wind down. Coco and Velvet, both having finished their lunches, stood up and snatched up their trays, bidding the others farewell.

****

“Well, this was a hoot and a half. You’re not half-bad Fairy Girl, hit me up sometime and we’ll chat more, ‘kay? Maybe I can snag some of that stuff that gives you such a sexy bod.” She fired off a salute, which Amber returned with a cheeky smile. “See you at your party Red, make sure you wear something nice, I’ll go nuts if the birthday girl turns in up something trashy.” With that, the fashionista turned and strutted away.

****

“Um… bye Amber, bye everyone.” Velvet’s greeting was far more subdued, the bunny Faunus waving goodbye to the group as she followed her leader.

****

NDGO were the next to go, the girls all saying goodbye and introducing themselves officially to Amber before walking off, leaving her with only Jaune’s teammates and team RWBY. Amber simply dug into her food once more, content to sit and eat while the conversation continued around her. She did at least make an effort to listen to what they were saying, but it got a bit hard to keep track of about 3 different conversations all at once.

****

At least, until the conversation shifted to the topic of a certain knight.

****

“... with those weird ‘interviews’” She caught the tail end of what Yang was saying, prompting the Maiden to look up and focus fully on the girls at the table.

****

“Hmm? What’s this?” She asked.

****

“We’re just talking about how Jauney’s been doing talking with that psycho lady in the basement!” Nora replied, in her usual loud volume.

****

“He doesn’t talk about it with us too much.” Ren admitted. “To be honest… we’re a little worried about him being in such close quarters with a woman who has previously threatened his life.” The ninja girl admitted, the mood at the table turning a bit somber at that. Ruby especially, the girl seeming to wilt a little and tear up.

****

Amber frowned, before speaking up again in an attempt to cheer them up.

****

“Well, I don’t think you need to worry about Jaune too much. Cinder’s restrained with special Aura-dampening cuffs that Atlas provided, and I’m usually there to supervise and make sure nothing goes wrong.” The girl assured the two teams, both of whom perked up quite a bit at that news.

****

“Really?” Ruby asked. “You’re really looking out for Jaune like that?” The girl asked, silver eyes shining a little.

****

“Yeah, of course I am.” Amber smiled at the younger girl.

****

“Thank you for looking out for Jaune like that. It seems like he gets into so much trouble and gets hurt so often lately… we can’t help but worry about him.” Pyrrha admitted, the Invincible Girl taking a short steadying breath.

****

“If it’s not too personal…” Blake interjected, the Faunus finally entering the conversation. “You seem to care quite a bit about Jaune’s wellbeing, despite having never interacted with him until a few days ago… so why is that?” The dark-haired beauty asked, curiosity shining in her amber eyes.

****

The Maiden thought about her answer for a bit, looking around at the faces of Jaune’s friends. After deliberating, Amber decided that honesty was the best option.

****

“Because… because I owe him. I owe him an awful lot.” She admitted, her face morphing into a slight frown as she thought about how close she’d come to dying, about the state she’d been in these past few years… and about what might have happened if Jaune hadn’t stepped in with his new idea to help her recover.

****

“Huh… what, you owe Lover Boy your life or something, then?” 

****

“Yes. Yes I do.” Yang’s question was joking, but Amber’s response was entirely serious. The matured girl glancing around at the younger Huntresses surrounding her, all of whom were gaping in shock at her statement.

****

“Uh… wow. That… that wasn’t the response I was imagining in my head.” The dragoness admitted, looking rather mollified.

****

“Um, if it’s okay… could you tell us what happened?” Ruby asked, a little nervously.

****

“I… I can’t tell you everything, but I’ll tell you as much as I’m allowed to, okay?” Amber promised. Off all the girls’ nods of acceptance, she continued. “We can’t talk here, though… is there somewhere more private we can talk?”

****

The girls all nodded to themselves, before Pyrrha spoke up.

****

“You can come to our dorm once you finish lunch, is that alright?”

****

Amber nodded, going back to her lunch, while inwardly thinking about what she was going to tell the girls.

****

…… 

…… 

****

“So… where should I start?”

****

They were all seated in team JNPR’s dorm, Amber took Jaune’s bed, NPR took Pyrrha’s, Blake and Yang took Ren’s and Ruby and Weiss took Nora’s. All of them had their hands clasped and were gazing expectantly at the elephant in the room.

****

Or rather, the Maiden.

****

“How did you meet Fearless Leader!?” Nora _immediately_ cried out, the ginger actually _bouncing_ a little on her teammate’s bed as she spoke. She looked to be _vibrating_ with excitement.

****

“Well, I’ll probably have to start at the beginning for that one.” Amber admitted.

****

“That’s okay, it sounds like you have quite the story to tell.” Lian replied smoothly, the ninja girl sitting calmly and in a meditative position.

****

“Will it explain why you killed that dragon with lightning bolts and icicles!?” And excited Ruby exclaimed, waving her hand in mid-air and shivering with anticipation.

****

“Yeah, it will.”

****

“Well what are we waiting for, come on girls! We’re getting story time!” With that, all the girls moved off their beds and sat down in front of Amber, all cross-legged or otherwise sitting down, all gazing expectantly up at the Fall Maiden.

****

“Uh… wow, I guess you all really want to hear my story, don’t you?”

****

“Yeppers peppers!” Came Nora’s cry.

****

“Of course.” Followed by Lian’s much more restrained answer.

****

“I always enjoy a good story.” Blake spoke up.

****

“I wish we had popcorn.” Ruby whined a little.

****

_“Absolutely, come on Ami, start the story!”_ Wow… even one of the spirits in her head was excited.

****

“Okay… where should I start then?”

****

“... at the beginning?” Yang asked cheekily, getting a smile from Amber and an elbow from her partner.

****

“Well, a long time ago… in a galaxy far, far away-”

****

“Boo! BOOO!!” Yang and Nora BOTH called out at once. “That’s the into to ‘Dust Wars’ and you know it!” Amber couldn’t suppress a laugh at that, chuckling to herself with mirth in her eyes. Jaune had introduced her to that movie only a day after the Battle for Beacon, she’d found herself immersed quite deeply in the story and characters quite quickly.

****

“Nothing slips by you eagle eyed ladies, does it?” She quipped, to which all the girls nodded. She then began again. “Okay, so… once upon a time-”

****

“BOOO!!!” This time, Ruby joined in with her sister and the ginger Valkyrie in their disapproval. “That’s the intro to every fairy tale EVER!”

****

“Well, Jaune _did_ say he found me in a fairy tale, didn’t he?” Amber raised an eyebrow with a slightly cheeky smirk on her face, enjoying the girls getting frustrated.

****

“Ugh! Fine, we get it! Can you _please_ tell the proper story now please?” Weiss practically pleaded.

****

“Alright alright! That was the last one, I promise.” This seemed to mollify the girls, so the Maiden began her tale.

****

“Well… you might have noticed that I can control the elements without using Dust, right?” Off the girls’ nods of affirmation, Amber continued. “I first inherited these… _abilities_ when I was only 13 years old.”

****

“Wow… that’s, that’s a lot of responsibility at 13.” Yang admitted, the brawler looking down slightly. “I sort of know what that’s like, I had to help raise Ruby after our mum died on a mission.”

****

After a moment to allow everyone to process that information, as well as give the Rose/Xiao-Long siblings some hugs, Amber continued.

****

“Yeah, but that’s not really the worst of it.” She admitted, looking down and taking a breath.

****

“What could be worse than inheriting a responsibility you’re not really ready for at 13?” Weiss asked, the heiress’ confusion plain in her voice.

****

“Try inheriting all that because the previous holder died, and the reason you get their powers is because you were the last person they thought of before they died.” That came out with slightly more bitterness than Amber had perhaps intended, she winced at sensing Alexa withdrawing a little into her subconscious.

****

She’d have to make it up to her later.

****

“...what?” Blake asked, mouth open.

****

“That… that sounds very sad… and a little troubling.” Lian admitted, the green gun woman taking a steadying breath as she spoke.

****

“Yeah… I had to live most of my life on the road, never staying in one place too long… or being able to properly connect with anyone. There just wasn’t enough time for that before I had to move on. I just had to keep moving… I spent about 8 or 9 years out there in the wilderness, until…” At this she trailed off.

****

“Until whoever it was that… that killed your predecessor came after you too?” Blake finished for her, the Faunus’ now-exposed cat ears flattening as her expression fell. The other girls’ faces crumpled too, once they realised how badly Amber had actually had it in her life. They, at least, had guaranteed shelter and rarely wanted for anything.

****

Ren and Nora, on the other hand, sympathised with the older girl quite a lot. Her story was eerily similar to their own, even if she had left her village of birth by choice, while theirs had been destroyed.

****

“Yes… they caught up with me, managed to overpower me, then drained part of my powers with a special kind of parasitic Grimm creature. They would’ve taken more if the old man hadn’t stepped in to save me.”

****

“Woah, woah, wait! This guy was working with A GRIMM!?” Yang cried out, with Ruby, Weiss and Nora all echoing her cry. Blake and Lian were no less shocked, but were better at containing it to a reasonable volume.

****

“Yeah… she was.” Amber said, shivering a little at the memory of Cinder’s parasite attaching itself to her… and quite painfully fracturing her soul as it drained her Maiden powers.

****

“Wait, SHE?” Weiss questioned.

****

“Yeah… in fact, you’ve met her before. She…she’s currently locked up in a cell in the basement.”

****

“Wait, the woman coming after you was CINDER?” Ruby gaped, the red reaper’s silver orbs wide with shock.

****

“The same psycho tried to kill Jaune like twice by now!?” Yang continued, her lilac eyes beginning to bleed red. “When I get by hands on that bitch, I’ll…”

****

“So.” Blake interrupted. “Is… is that how you know Jaune? Both of you seem to be her enemies… is that how you got to know each other?”

****

Amber shook her head.

****

“No. In fact, Jaune and I met when he helped to save my life.” Off her audience’s looks of confusion, Amber opted to explain more. “Well, after… after Cinder attacked me, I was left in a coma, and I was in that coma for the next two and a half to three years.” This got the girls to gasp. “I couldn’t move or interact with anyone, I was trapped inside my own mind all that time… though I did have some company from the others.”

****

“Wait, the ‘others’? What do you mean by that, Amber?” Pyrrha asked, the Spartan finally entering the conversation.

****

“Oh! Sorry, forgot to mention it earlier.” Amber looked a little apologetic. “You see… these powers actually allow the previous hosts to, well… ‘linger’ in the mind of the current host. They can actually interact with the hos- uh, well with _me_ , in the mindscape. They can give me advice, or just… talk if they feel lonely. It really did help me get through the boredom at times.” She finished her explanation, only for Blake to speak up.

****

“So, you’re telling us that you… _hear voices_ in your head?” The Faunus girl asked, her ears twitching a little.

****

“When I’m awake, yes. But when I’m asleep, I can actually interact with their mental projections in the mindscape.” The Fall Maiden explained.

****

“Woah… that sounds like the plot of a comic book!” Ruby squealed, the young girl looking distinctly excited. “Who have you got in there to talk to!?”

****

“Well… one of them’s a lot like you and uh… Nora, was it?” The Valkyrie nodded with a thumbs up. “Yeah. Her name’s ‘Alexa’ and she was the one who got the powers before me, she’s… she’s actually not bad company half the time, even if she spends _way_ too long obsessing over my love life…” That last part came out like a whiny grumble, with Amber even crossing her arms as the spirit in question laughed a little.

****

_“Well,_ **_someone_ ** _needs to make sure you find that special someone~”_ The other young woman sang. “ _Gods knows, with how oblivious you used to be to people hitting on you, you need all the help you can get!”_

****

“HEY! Take that back!”

****

It took Amber a moment, and a glance at the strange looks of her audience, for her to realise that she’d said that out loud.

****

“Uh… was… was that her?” Yang spoke for the rest of the sunned girls.

****

“Yes. Yes it was. She was… talking about my love life again…” Her cheeks felt _very_ pink now, like they were burning up, and NOT from magical fire.

****

“R-right.” Weiss decided to move the conversation on. “Are there any other… ‘spirits’ that you talk to?”

****

“Well, there is one other. Her name’s ‘Mirabelle’ and… she was actually a soldier in the Great War in Vale’s army.” Amber explained, much to Nora and Yang’s enthusiasm.

****

“Woah! She must be super-badass! A trained soldier who can fly and throw lightning and fire and ice around? How cool is that!? Isn’t that cool, Renny!?” Nora squealed happily.

****

“Yeah… she is cool, but she’s also a bit of a hardass who can’t ever just switch off. It’s like she’s got a stick in her ass the whole time.” Amber groused a little at the end.

****

“Sounds like this ‘Mirabelle’ would get along just fine with Ice Queen over here.” Yang jerked her thumb in the direction of her snow-haired teammate, who cried out an angry ‘HEY!’ in retaliation, which the brawler promptly ignored.

****

“So… how does all of this relate to Jaune?” Lian asked, bringing Amber back on track.

****

“Well… I’d been in my coma for almost three years, and my… my allies didn’t think I’d ever wake up. So they decided that they needed to… to transfer my power to a new host artificially, to stop Cinder from getting the rest of it. They were going to some Atlas technology to transfer my remaining Aura and power to a suitable candidate.”

****

“That… that shouldn’t be possible.” Yang breathed out.

****

“It shouldn't be, but it is.” Amber admitted.

****

“But… if you don’t have the power anymore, wouldn’t that mean that you’d be free to just leave when you woke up?” Nora asked, a little confused.

****

“That was the tough bit, for all of us involved, my Aura was the only thing stabilising me… so if they transferred it to someone else to give them my abilities…”

****

“... you would die.” Blake finished.

****

“Yes.” That was all she could say.

****

“... but luckily, that’s where Jaune came in.” She continued, pleased to see the Huntresses’ expressions brighten. “He… apparently General Ironwood wanted him to test some new project of theirs about a device that could artificially generate Aura, so he had the idea to use the prototype to help me recover.” Amber explained.

****

“Really… Jaune was involved in this, but why?” Weiss questioned. “I mean, this seems like something far beyond a first-year trainee, why was he brought into this… ‘project’ of yours, surely it would be kept secret for security reasons?”

****

Maiden and champion shared a look, both of them nodding a little. They deserved to know.

****

“Because… because I was the one asked to inherit Amber’s abilities.” The scarlet spartan spoke up.

****

No one in the room moved, or spoke, for about a minute, until… 

****

“WHAT!?”

****

“Seriously!?”

****

“Why didn’t you tell us Pyr-Pyr!?”

****

“I’m sorry!” The redhead cried, holding her hands out as he pleaded with the others. “It’s as Weiss said, I couldn’t tell you for security reasons. There was _one_ person I was allowed to tell, and I chose to tell my partner… that’s why Jaune was in on the project.” She explained.

****

They took it surprisingly well.

****

“Well, it does make sense.” Weiss admitted.

****

“You’re still buying me apology pancakes.” Nora narrowed her eyes at her teammate.

****

“AND apology cookies for me!” Ruby declared.

****

“Alright, alright!” Pyrrha, despite everything, still cracked a smile at her friends, who responded.

****

“Don’t worry P-Money, we get it.” Yang assured her, winking at the Mistrali beauty, before turning back to the Maiden. “So… I take it Lover Boy’s little suggestion went off without a hitch?”

****

“Yes, it did. It took a few days for the artificial Aura to heal me enough for me to wake up from my coma, but now that I’ve got my powers back from Cinder, I’m back at full strength again.” Amber demonstrated by summoning a handful of icicles, floating in her left hand, and a palmful of flame in her left, all while her eyes glowed with the energy of the Fall Maiden power.

****

The reactions were immediate.

****

“WOAH! You’re like a Superhero!” Ruby gushed.

****

“That’s so cool!” Nora followed along with her, the ginger’s excitement was palpable.

****

“We have GOT to spar sometime Fairy Girl.” Yang insisted. “Show me what those weird-ass powers of yours can do against my kickass skills!

****

“Well… I’m pleased that Jaune was able to help ensure your recovery.” Lian offered, smiling lightly at the brown-skinned young woman. “You must be quite grateful to him.”

****

“Oh, I am. Even before I woke up, I got told a lot about him and about his idea to help save my life. By the time I actually did get out of my coma, it would’ve felt wrong if I _wasn’t_ grateful to him for everything he did for me.”

****

This caused Weiss and Blake to tilt their heads in confusion.

****

“Hold on… how did you know about Jaune’s idea _before_ you got out of your coma? Surely you wouldn’t have been able to interact with anyone for them to tell you about it?” The Schnee questioned.

****

“Oh, that was because Jaune’s spirit told me.” She mentioned, without thinking.

****

“Wait wait wait… JAUNE has a voice in his head too!?” Ruby gaped, the other girls doing no better.

****

“Uh, well… yes, he does. She… she actually jumped over to my head for a bit when he touched my wrist while I was hooked up to that Atlas device to regenerate my Aura. The first time was an accident, but the second time was her coming to tell about Jaune’s idea… and we inevitably talked a little bit about him and what kind of guy he is.”

****

Thankfully, her slightly pink cheeks went unnoticed by the group, thanks to Yang’s expression turning downright perverse.

****

“Huh… so Lover Boy’s had a girl in his head _all this time,_ huh?” The brawler raised an eyebrow. “Well, guess that explains why he’s so good in bed.”

****

“YANG!” Ruby cried out in shock.

****

“This is unbelievable!” Weiss cried out. “How long has this been going on!? If she’s been in Arc’s head, that means she… she _saw_ our… o-our dates with him… oh gods.” The heiress seemed to shiver, only for Amber to hold her hands out hurriedly.

****

“Woah there! It’s not like that! She told me that she always makes sure to lock herself in her section of Jaune’s mindscape whenever he… _dates_ any of you, I promise she’s not some sort of voyeur! And to answer your other question, Jaune… ‘found’ her on that joint team mission she said he went on a month or two ago.” The Maiden quickly explained, hoping to soothe Weiss’ fears.

****

“I… I see.” The heiress admitted, though she still looked a little shaken.

****

“So… what can you tell us about this girl then?” Pyrrha asked, the flame-haired beauty genuinely curious. “I mean, she’s been with Jaune since before even he and I… advanced our relationship, are she and he-”

****

“Oh no! Gods no!” Amber laughed a little at that. “She’s old enough to be his MUM, for Gods’ sake! In fact, she was actually a Huntress herself… dressed pretty snazzy too, I really liked her white cloak.”

****

“Wait… white cloak?” A faint voice called out.

****

It was Ruby, and both she and Yang had gone stock still.

****

“Hey uh… Fairy Girl? Y-you wouldn’t mind telling us… w-what this lady in Lover Boy’s head looks like, would you?” Yang asked, her eyes wide and body visibly _trembling._

****

“...Yang? A-are you okay?” Blake asked, the Faunus as concerned for her and Weiss was about Ruby, they’d never seen their partners like this before.

****

“Yeah…” The dazed and breathless way the brawler spoke proved otherwise, but Amber had begun again.

****

“Well, she wore black tights, had the same colour boots and dress on as well, with a greyish corset as well, with a skirt, too. It was a pretty good contrast to the white cloak, really made it stand out.”

****

“... did she have silver eyes?” Ruby asked quietly., hands clenching so tight the knuckles were turning white.

****

“Um, yes… yes she did, but how do you-” The Maiden’s question was cut off when Yang, near frantic at this point, launched herself across the room to seize her by the shoulders.

****

“Was her name Summer?” The blonde asked with wide eyes and shallow breaths, looking so desperate that Amber completely disregarded attempting to defend herself.

****

“What does that have to-”

****

“WAS HER NAME SUMMER, DAMMIT!?!” The Huntress trainee practically _yelled_ in her face, startling Amber and everyone else in room sans her sister, who was still clenching her fists with a thousand-yard stare.

****

“Y-yes! Yes! Her name was Summer okay! What’s going on with-” She was cut off as Yang released her, moving to sit by Ruby. The siblings practically latched onto each other like vices, their bodies shaking and heaving with slight sobs.

****

No one said anything, and no one moved. What could they do? They’d never seen Ruby and Yang break down like this before.

****

Finally, Lian was the one who spoke up, her voice calm and soothing as always.

****

“Ruby… Yang… what is this all about?” The ninja asked, keeping herself controlled and level-headed, hoping that one of them would answer.

****

Yang was the one who pushed herself up to face her friends, while Ruby simply kept shivering and crying softly into her elder sibling’s shoulder. She sniffled a few times before responding, and even then her eyes were red-rimmed and puffy.

****

“You remember w-what I said earlier? A-about me having to take care of Ruby, a-after her mum went on that mission and never came back?”

****

“Yes. What about it?”

****

“I never told you her name, d-did I?” 

****

All the girls present shook their heads. Yang swallowed and managed a small smile, though it was more sad and disbelieving than happy.

****

“Her name was Summer… Summer Rose. We thought she was d-dead for good, a-and that we’d n-never see her again, but it t-turns out she just…” At this point, Yang couldn’t continue anymore and buried her head back into Ruby’s other shoulder, the siblings indulging in a fresh wave of tears and hugs.

****

It was Amber who picked it up from there, though her own tone was no less shocked.

****

“...she just ended up in Jaune's head.”


	54. A Reunion And A Celebration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby, Yang and Summer finally have a proper reunion in the real world.
> 
> Ruby prepares for her birthday, and confesses to her friends a desire to be closer to Jaune.
> 
> Ruby and Jaune have a heart-to-heart together.

Jaune checked his scroll as he walked through the halls of Beacon’s dorms, desperately trying to get Cinder’s meltdown off his mind. 

****

It was one thing to bruise her ego, to shock her momentarily. It was another completely for her to become a sobbing wreck in a matter of moments. That...that wasn’t alright to Jaune.

****

Cinder wasn’t a good person, that was devastatingly clear. However, if something had happened to her to make her the way she was, if someone had hurt her badly enough to make her react like that, and to turn her into the person she was today… it was an unsettling train of thought.

****

_ “Jaune, I know that you aren’t going to let this go, but if you really want to look into this…”  _ Summer trailed off before sighing, just as troubled as the knight by the new development. “ _ Be careful, please. If Cinder really has been through something traumatic, it won’t be something she’ll bring up easily. _ ”

****

_ I know… but what else can I do? _

****

_ “You’ve done far more than most people would be willing to do already, Jaune. She nearly killed you, and here you are willing to sit in a room with her. I don’t think I’d be able to do that…”  _ The mother admitted.

****

_ Still, even if she’s a terrible person… I don’t think anyone deserves to go through what she had to go through… especially if what she went through was what it took to turn her into the person she is today.  _ Jaune insisted, not willing to back down.

****

_ “Sometimes, you really are too selfless for your own good Jaune…”  _ Summer’s mental form couldn’t help a wide smile spreading across her face. “ _ What did I ever do to deserve someone like you as a host?” _

****

_ Be a great and nurturing mother to two upcoming huntresses, and a reasonably good teammate to Tai, Raven and Qrow when you were at Beacon? _

****

_ “... Jaune.”  _ Summer actually seemed to tear up again. “ _ You really are too good for me… you know that? I’m glad my little girls are with you… I know you’ll treat them with the respect and love they deserve.” _

****

_ You’re welcome, Summer. _

****

Quietly, enough that Jaune wouldn’t hear her even through their link, Summer continued.

****

_ “I wish you’d treat me like that… Lover Boy.” _

****

The knight’s attention was drawn by the sound of clicking heels approaching him. Shaking himself back into the moment, Jaune noticed that Weiss was approaching him with an oddly nervous expression on her face.

****

“Jaune. Do you… do you have a moment?” The heiress asked, the quiet and subdued quality of her voice making Jaune pause instantly. Was something wrong? Had something happened while he was away?

****

“Sure Weiss, what’s up?” He asked, placing a supportive hand on Weiss’ shoulder, which the Schnee accepted with a small smile.

****

“Ruby and Yang asked me to come and find you, they’d like to talk to you about some… recent developments.” Weiss explained, still looking nervous.

****

“Well okay. Lead the way then.” Jaune smiled in what he hoped was a reassuring manner, though Weiss didn’t seem very convinced.

****

Regardless, the blonde knight followed the Snow Angel to their destination, team RWBY’s dorm.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

Weiss and Blake were absent. It was just him, Ruby and Yang.

****

The looks they were giving him made him nervous, because THEY looked nervous, incredibly so.

****

Sure, he could see Ruby being nervous, but YANG? Beacon’s Sun Dragon? Usually confident and outgoing, never afraid of a good fight or saying what needed to be said (or even just what she wanted to say)?

****

No, something wasn’t right here. Especially since, if the slightly red areas around their eyes were any indication, they’d been CRYING for a while beforehand. He needed to find out what was going on, to find out what he could do to help them.

****

“So…” He decided to begin, taking a breath. “What did you want to talk to me about then, girls?” That was a good way to begin, let them guide the conversation and talk on their terms. Make them feel comfortable.

****

Ruby and Yang didn’t speak for a while. Both sisters seemed to shake a bit, which only unnerved the knight even more. What happened while he was away?

****

“We… we talked to your new friend, Amber.” Ruby began, the reaper looking up at last. “She was… she was fun.”

****

“Well, I’m glad you could along with her.”

****

“Yeah… but she also told us about herself.” Yang cut in, the brawler’s voice as quiet and subdued as the girl herself. “About her history, her abilities… how she got into and out of that coma. It was… it was a pretty wild story.”

****

“Yeah.” Jaune agreed. “She’s… she’s been through a lot. I’m just glad she can get her life back on track now.”

****

The sisters at least smiled at hearing that. At least, until Yang frowned a little and furrowed her eyebrows, as if remembering something unpleasant or upsetting.

****

“She also told us something interesting about herself.” The brawler looked Jaune in face, her expression neutral. “You know she’s got people in her head?”

****

Jaune froze, inside his mind, Summer did too. He had a very sinking suspicion he knew where this was going.

****

After all, Amber knew about Summer, and if she’d been talking to Ruby and Yang and the others about ‘people in her head’…

****

_ “Oh dear…” _ Summer could only whisper, the spirit paralysed with shock.

****

“Yeah.” He managed to croak out. “Yeah, I did. Two other previous Maidens that talk to her.”

****

“Yeah. She told us about what you did for her, about you finding a way to help her out of the coma that Cinder put her in… and she also told us how she learned about your idea… and who told her in the first place.” This time, both Yang and Ruby’s faces collapsed into also tearful frowns.

****

Jaune had to resist the urge to rush over and comfort them.

****

Summer was trying, and failing, not to start crying.

****

“Girls, listen. I-” He began.

****

“Do you have our mum in your head, Jaune?” Ruby asked, in a soft voice with glistening eyes. The reaper looked about ready to cry.

****

“Ruby-”

****

“Please…” The young girl begged. “Just… please tell us Jaune. Please…” She squeezed her eyes shut and bit her trembling lip.

****

Jaune could hear his heart breaking for her. He felt like such a monster.

****

Yang was gazing at him, one arm around the shivering Ruby. Her lilac eyes showed both sadness and desperation.

****

“Yes.” He answered, after the most torturous minute of his life. “Yes, I do. She’s been there since that joint team mission with you, Velv, and Marcie. I found a flower… it had her soul in it… and she fused with me when I touched it.” The young knight explained.

****

“Why did you tell us?” Yang asked.

****

“Because I didn’t want to hurt you.” Jaune replied.

****

Yang let go of Ruby, stood up and made her way over to Juane. Once she was close enough, she grabbed him the shoulders and hauled him up to her eye level.

****

“Bullshit. You just wanted to make it easier for you! We had a right to know about this you idiot, she’s our MOTHER DAMN IT!!” The girl shouted the last few words.

****

“And how was I supposed to bring up the fact that she was in my head without sounding like a heartless bastard, Yang!?” Jaune snarled back, surprising Yang and himself with the anger he was channeling. “Tell me, if I’d walked up to you after recovering from that mission, and told you something like ‘Hey Yang, just thought you should know that your dead mother’s spirit is now living in my head, d’you want to say hi?’ how would you react? You’d probably get angry at me and accuse me of being some insensitive monster, wouldn’t you?”

****

Yang was so startled by the knight’s exclamation that she released him and backed off, sitting down next to Ruby again as he continued.

****

“THAT’S why I didn’t tell you both, there was NO way I could bring up something like that without you thinking I was playing some cruel joke and hating me! The only reason you’re even accepting this is because Amber told you first! So why are you getting so angry at me?! I was just trying to keep from hurting you because you’d have never believed me if I told the truth!”

****

Finally finished, Jaune re-took his seat on the opposite bed, sighing and taking a breath.

****

Another minute of silence passed, with only the soft whimpering from the spirit in Juane’s head still audible to the knight, as the mother tried calming herself down.

****

“Jaune…?” The knight glanced up, his azure eyes meeting the silver eyes of Ruby Rose.

****

“Yeah…?” His throat felt dry and his voice was very, very quiet, but he still needed to answer her as best he could. She was his first and best friend, he owed her that much.

****

“Thank you.” Ruby whispered, though Jaune heard her loud and clear. “I… I get why you didn’t tell us before, you were right, I wouldn’t have believed you… so thank you f-for looking out for us like that.” The reaper managed a small and shaky smile, but Jaune returned it with a larger and thankful one of his own.

****

“You’re… you’re welcome Ruby.” Then he turned his attention inward.

****

_ Summer, it’s okay… they’re not angry at me or you… much. It’s okay.  _ He soothed, hoping to calm the mother down.

****

_ “I… I know… thank you Jaune. At least they know about me now, keeping my presence secret was hard for me… and for you. I’m just glad it’s out in the open now.”  _ Summer admitted, the Huntress calming and composing herself more quickly than last time. Perhaps she was just used to this by now.

****

_ Exactly, now I can tell them about how you’ve been- _

****

“Can we… can we talk to her?” Yang question cut across his thoughts, forcing him to re-focus on the siblings in front of him.

****

“...now?”

****

“Yeah… if she’s up for it, I mean.” Yang insisted, though the fact that she was willing to hold off till Summer felt more comfortable was very heartwarming in itself for both the Huntress and her host.

****

“I’ll see if she’s okay with that.” Jaune assured them.

****

“Thanks… Lover Boy.” Yang’s smile was more genuine his time, and the usage of her nickname for him told Jaune that he didn’t have to worry about her being angry at him anymore.

****

_ Summer? Are you- _

****

_ “Yes.” _

****

_ Are you su- _

****

_ “Jaune… I’ve been waiting to talk to my little girls properly for years… I don’t want to hide behind a mask Jaune… and now I’ve finally got the chance. I’m ready.”  _ The spirit declared.

****

“I talked to her. She says she’s ready.” Jaune told the sisters.

****

“Thank you Jaune…” Ruby insisted, a smile blooming on her face.

****

Jaune smiled back, then closed his eyes and waited.

****

After a few moments, he felt himself falling again as Summer took control.

****

From the siblings perspective, Jaune had closed his eyes, then flinched a little as a slight blue and silver glow emanated from his body. They leaned forward a little in anticipation, hoping that this was really happening.

****

Then Summer opened her eyes.

****

Blinking a little, the woman quickly adjusted to being in control of Jaune’s body once again, before focusing on her daughters.

****

This was it. No barriers. No having to hide who she was.

****

“Hello.” She managed to choke out, her voice already thick with emotion.

****

The girls seemed to flinch a little. Despite the fact that it was technically Jaune talking to them, they still recognised the tone, the warmth and affection it held for them, the familial kind.

****

The motherly kind. The kind they’d only ever received from one person.

****

“Mum…?” Yang asked, the dragoness’ voice cracking a little. Ruby was biting her lower lip, her whole body shaking.

****

Summer simply smiled and opened her arms, her own eyes beginning to tear up.

****

“It’s me, my little Sunflower. I’m here.”

****

About three seconds later she was tackle-hugged by both sisters at the same time.

****

Both girls pushed their heads into Summer’s, or rather  _ Jaune’s _ , shoulders. They didn’t care though, even if it was their mum in their boyfriend’s body, it was still her. It was still the loving and caring mother they’d loved and missed.

****

The feeling was very much mutual.

****

“I missed you babies… I missed you so much.” Summer assured them, through her tears, impulsively kissing both of them on the forehead. Neither girl minded in the least. “I’m just happy that you’re both okay… that you’re here, following your dreams.”

****

“We missed you too, mum!” Ruby cried, burrowing deeper into Summer shoulder as the mother stroked her daughter’s hair.

****

“I know, Petal. I know. I’m… I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you. I’m sorry I went on that mission…” She lamented.

****

“I… it’s okay, mum.” Yang assured her. “You’re here now. That’s what matters… even if you’re in Lover Boy’s body.” She actually got out a small laugh at that.

****

“I don’t care! It’s still mum, she’s still back! That’s what matters!” Ruby cried out, still hugging her mum very tightly.

****

“I am back Petal… I know I can’t be the same parent I was when I was alive… but I still want to be there for you.” The Huntress insisted, tightening her grip on the sisters protectively.

****

“I… it’ll take some time to get used to.” The brawler admitted. “Since you’re sort of… using Lover Boy’s body to talk to us right now, because I… um…” Yang actually blushed a little at that.

****

“Because you’ve slept with him before.” Summer finished for her, quite plainly.

****

“W-wait! Amber told us that you didn’t-”

****

“I didn’t. But I still know about it, since I had to return to my space in Jaune’s mind to stop myself from seeing what you did with him.” Summer interrupted Yang’s frantic question with a calm reply, before her eyes hardened and she released the girls. The mother moved away from them slightly and turned her gaze to her elder daughter.

****

“I also know what you did afterwards… and why you did it.” There was a hard edge in her voice that had Yang shrinking back. She knew that voice well, it triggered the ‘cookie jar’ reflex.

****

So called because it was the voice Yang had always heard whenever she tried to sneak a cookie from the jar without being given permission. Summer ALWAYS knew when she did it, and she ALWAYS used that voice when disciplining the small girl.

****

Even now, even in the body of her boyfriend, Summer was still as authoritative with that voice as ever.

****

“Yang?” Ruby tugged on her sister’s arm. “What’s mum talking about? Who did you try and find?” The young reaper questioned innocently.

****

“I… I just wanted to find my mum…” She whispered, looking down.

****

“She is NOT your mother, Yang.” The brawler snapped her head up at that declaration. “Not after she abandoned you and Tai like that. Not after she ran off to her tribe and never bothered to contact us ever again… not after she left me to stop Tai from drowning in his depression. She does NOT get to call herself that… and you shouldn’t be chasing after her so much. She’s not worth your time.”

****

“I just wanted to know WHY!” The blonde cried out desperately. “I… I just wanted to know WHY she left dad… left me…”

****

“Because she’s a coward, Yang.”

****

“W… what?” She’d never heard her stepmother talk about Raven like this, not with such anger and contempt in her voice.

****

“She’s a coward, that’s why she ran away, Yang. She couldn’t handle the responsibility of being a mother, so she ran away and went back to the familiarity of her tribe. Because it was safe… it was  _ easy _ , because she’d have no trouble with hurting people weaker than her and taking things from them for her tribe.” Summer explained, the rage and frustration in her voice only rising as she went on.

****

“That’s why I don’t like you looking for her, Yang. Because she’s doing all she can to stay away from you, she doesn’t even want you to keep looking for her, that’s how much she ‘cares’ about you. You’re running yourself ragged trying to find her… but she’s not  _ worth your time. _ ”

****

“How… how do you know?” Yang croaked out, tears building in her eyes. “How do you know she doesn’t even care about me…?” The desperation in her voice was clear.

****

It hurt Summer’s to have to continue like this, to destroy her little Sunflower’s hopes like this, but it needed to be done.

****

“Because she told Jaune herself, Yang.”

****

…… 

****

“....what?”

****

Summer took a deep breath, and continued.

****

“When you and Jaune went to find Raven, you ran off after someone you thought was her… that’s when those thugs showed up. But it wasn’t Jaune who beat them, it was Raven. She was there, Yang, you missed her… but we met her.”

****

“She… why…?” Yang managed to stutter out, tears brimming openly in her lilac orbs, while Ruby moved to hug Yang, to comfort her sibling as much as possible.

****

“She told Jaune to tell you to stop searching for her. She didn’t apologise for abandoning you and Tai, she didn’t apologise for helping her tribe raiding villages, she… that selfish  _ bitch  _ had the nerve to try and take credit for your growth as a person.” Summer allowed her host’s expression to twist into a furious snarl as she kept speaking.

****

Both Yang and Ruby were utterly shocked, they had never… NEVER heard their mother actually  _ swear _ before. She had  _ always  _ watched their language around them… hell, she’d even read Qrow the riot act more than once for showing up drunk at the house.

****

For her to swear when talking about Raven…?

****

Yang was beginning to understand exactly how badly her biological mother had screwed up.

****

“I… I’m sorry, Sunflower.” Summer took a few deep breaths to calm herself, before turning back to place a supportive hand on Yang’s shoulder. “But you have more important things to worry about than Raven… you have a sister and a father who love you, you have a loving and caring boyfriend… and I should know since I’m part of his mind now, you’ve even got… Qrow.”

****

Neither of the sisters missed the downturn in her tone when their uncle’s name was mentioned.

****

“Mum… do you… do you not like Uncle Qrow?” Ruby asked quietly. Summer sighed, turning to look at Ruby now, her host’s glowing blue eyes meeting her daughter’s silver.

****

“It’s not Qrow I don’t like, Petal… it’s his drinking.” Her expression and mood once more took a turn for the worse. “He does it all the time, he does it in front of you… and you look up to him, he’s your  _ idol and role model… and he  _ **_still. Drinks. CONSTANTLY.”_ ** As Summer clenched her fists and let a snarl cross her mouth once more, Ruby even flinched a little. “He… he should be a  _ better _ role model for you than that. He should be  _ responsible _ , not picking fights with Atlas Specialists or antagonising James like that, not threatening to harm someone just because they’re close to you! Not acting like a loner who stays away from his family!”

****

Summer finally stopped, panting a little from the exertion of ranting as much as she did, closed her eyes and putting her head in her hands. Ruby and Yang didn’t move either, both too shocked at how resentful their not-quite-dead mother had for both Raven and Qrow.

****

Then Yang remembered what Jaune had said to Qrow on the landing platform, how he’d verbally torn the man down about what a disappointment he was and the better example he needed to set for his nieces… she also remembered that she’d hadn’t seen Qrow drinking much since that incident… or at all.

****

It was very similar to what her mother had just said, similar enough that…

****

“It was you… wasn’t it mum?” Yang asked quietly, catching Summer’s attention. “On the platform… you were the one who told Qrow all that stuff about what a disappointment he was, weren’t you?”

****

“Yes… it was me.” Summer replied. “I just… I saw what he was doing to those Atlas robots, I saw him picking a fight with that Specialist… trying to hurt Jaune… then hurting my little Petal.” Her fists clenched again, a small growl forming in her throat. “I just wanted him to  _ look  _ at what he was doing, to try and be  _ better _ than that.”

****

“Well… I’d say it worked.” Yang smiled a little as Summer glanced over at her. “Qrow… he doesn’t really drink as much any more, I’ve… I’ve not seen him touch his flask once since you tore into him like that, I think… I think you really got to him mum.”

****

Summer did manage to smile a little at that, she was still a little saddened at having to tear into Qrow that, but it was ultimately for his own good. “Well… at least he’s trying to be better, that’s what matters, I suppose.”

****

Both girls smiled as well, their mother’s smile was infectious. Qrow had been getting better at being a proper role model as of late, he hadn’t taken to his flask once in their presence, and he’d not only apologised to Ruby and Yang for his stunt on the platform but also made sure to spend more time with them, they were happy that their mother had been able to get through to him.

****

“Are you… are you going to tell dad about this?” Yang asked, curiously.

****

“No.” Summer admitted. “I… I really don’t know how he’d react, just convincing the two of you was hard enough… you’re only accepting this because Amber told you about me. I-I don’t want to put your father through the kind of grief he went through when I…”

****

It’s okay mum.” Ruby insisted, the red reaper smiling at Summer once again. “We know you’re here, and that’s what matters… maybe we can tell uncle Qrow later, and even dad… but we don’t have to do that now.”

****

“Of course not. And speaking of later… it’s someone’s 16th birthday soon!” Summer expression shifted to quite gleeful as she strode forward and wrapped her younger daughter in a hug. “Ooooh, I can’t believe my little Rose is turning 16 already, you’re growing up so fast!” She wailed exaggeratedly, tightening her grip on the now-embarrassed reaper.

****

“Muuuumm!!” Ruby cried out, as Yang cackled away. “You’re embarrassing  _ me _ ! You’re even in Jaune’s body too! He’ll see you being embarrassing!” She whined, though she was unable to pry the possessed boy’s arms off her and Yang was offering no help. Traitor.

****

Within the mindscape, Jaune found himself laughing good naturedly at Summer’s antics, she really did care about her kids, and it was funny seeing her acting like a giddy child when faced with her own child’s birthday.

****

“Oooh, I can’t help it Petal.” Summer sighed happily, still hugging her struggling daughter. “I’ve missed far too many of your birthdays, I am NOT taking the chance to get involved with this one.” She levelled a small glare over at Yang. “You’d better not have planned to go to any nightclubs like that one you wrecked when you went drinking young lady.”

****

Ruby finally found her own reason to laugh, while a scandalised and embarrassed Yang hastily began waving her arms in front of her. “No no no! I promise, we’re just using one of the combat arenas for a little dance party, there’ll be no alcohol mum, I swear!” The brawler defended.

****

“Hmm… well, you’d better not bring alcohol to my little Petal’s birthday. She doesn’t need to risk getting drunk on her special night.”

****

“Mum, I’m not going to do that!” A still-flustered Yang denied.

****

“Oh, good!” Now Summer’s smile was back again. “But don’t think you’re off the hook for that nightclub you damaged.” Her frown returned just as fast. “I think you owe the owner an apology for damaging it for no reason.”

****

“But muuumm!” Yang actually  _ whined _ , much to Ruby’s delight. “They were criminals! If anything, I was doing a public service by trashing that place!”

****

“They were criminals that you went to for information!” Summer chastised her. “And you still attacking them without provocation! Remember, you told Jaune about this, so I know about it too. Don’t you try and deflect the blame here young lady, I raised you better than that!”

****

Yang could only hang her head and reply with words she never thought she’d say again. “Yes, mum…” Somehow, they managed to bring a smile to her face anyway.

****

After all, even if she was in her boyfriend’s body, her (step)mum was still back… she could still be a part of their lives again.

****

“Well, as long as you apologise at some point…” Summer said, before turning back to Ruby and rubbing her head again. “Ooohh… I hope you have a wonderful birthday, sweetie. I’m sure Jaune will help make it the best birthday he can for you, that’s his duty as your boyfriend after all…” She could help the giddy grin that spread across her face.

****

“Yeah…” Ruby agreed, a little dreamily. “ He’s a really good guy, my first friend… he’s saved my life twice now. He’s… he’s my dork in shining armour all right.” Summer actually  _ squealed  _ at that, which sounded weird considering that it was  _ Jaune’s  _ voice squealing.

****

“I’m just so glad that my baby’s finally found someone to spend her life with! Ooohh… I’ll have grandchildren sooner than I think!”

****

Ruby, Yang and the mindscape-dwelling Jaune all choked at that.

****

“M-mum!” Ruby squealed, pulling her hood over her head. “I-it’s way too soon to think about things like that! We-we’ve not even…” She trailed off, her face reddening even further as she remembered what she wanted to do with Jaune on her birthday.

****

“Oh that’s okay Petal… you’ll get your chance soon enough, you’ll be of age when your birthday rolls around.” Both Ruby and Jaune choked once again, Summer being blissfully unaware or uncaring of just how embarrassing and awkward it was for a mother to talk about anything related to sex.

****

Of course, when that mother was also a spirit inhabiting the body of the boy that their daughter wanted to have sex  _ with _ … 

****

There wasn’t a single word that could describe how embarrassed Ruby was right now, nor the second-hand embarrassment felt by Yang for her younger sister.

****

Even if Summer was going to give them privacy, it was hard enough just knowing that she would be  _ there _ in his mind while they were… were… 

****

Eep.

****

Ruby felt a bit faint.

****

“Ooooh, look at me, embarrassing you both again…” Summer ‘tsked’ to herself. “Well, I’d better let Jaune come back now… but I’ll make sure to talk to you again, okay?”

****

Both girls gave their mother-possessed-boyfriend one more hug.

****

“Love you mum.” Both sisters said.

****

“I love you too girls. Be good… and take care of your father and Qrow for me, please?”

****

Ruby and Yang both nodded in affirmation. “We promise.”

****

With that, Summer offered them one last smile, before she receded back into the mindscape and pushed Jaune back into control, the glow vanishing from the boy’s eyes as he returned.

****

The siblings rushed to steady him as the boy swayed a little, not used to being shunted back into control so quickly.

****

“Hey, you back with us Lover Boy?” Yang asked, a hand on the knight’s shoulder to support him.

****

“Yeah, it’s me.” Jaune said, only for Yang to lean forward to kiss him on the lips.

****

“Thanks Lover Boy… for letting us talk to mum again. That was… that was really nice to do.” Yang smiled at him gratefully.

****

Before Jaune could reply, a tug on his arm pulled his attention to the red reaper, latched onto the other appendage with both arms. As he leant down, Ruby pecked him on the cheek and hugged him again.

****

“Thank you Jaune, for giving us back our mum…” She seemed to sniffle a little, though the tears were ones of happiness instead.

****

Jaune and Yang both moved to hug the younger girl tightly.

****

“Any time Ruby… any time.”

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

“Hey, can you pass me those lights, Mel?” Jaune asked from the top of the ladder he was currently perched upon. He, as well as Yang and the Malachites were setting up for Ruby’s party, which was that evening. While they’re only responsibility was dropping off the equipment, both Melenie and Miltia insisted that stayed to help set up.

****

“Of course, Jaune!” Melenie answered, grabbing the box before gesturing to her sister. “If you would, sister.”

****

Militia nodded, and threw the box up to Jaune, who caught it with the slightest wibble of the ladder.

****

“What would I do without you two?” He called down, beaming at the two girls, who flushed slightly at the praise. It had been so long since they’d seen the blonde dork, and yet he could still make them blush just as easily, without even trying!

****

“Thanks for sticking around and helping us set this up, you two.” Yang said, smirking at the two enforcers and their blushes. “Of course, we both know you have ulterior motives, but I’m not one to judge.”

****

Both girls scoffed and quickly turned away from Yang, who sighed a moment later and spoke again.

****

“Um, look. I just wanted to say that I’m...sorry about fighting you guys, and wrecking Junior’s, and just kinda being a bitch.” Yang confessed, catching the Malachite’s attention. “It wasn’t really your fault, I should have been more reasonable. I’m sorry.”

****

A few moments of silence passed before Militia stepped forward, extending her hand to Yang. 

****

“I suppose we could accept your apology, Xiao-Long” She stated, smirking slightly. “After all, you were kind enough to reunite us with Jaune, as well as...your  _ proposal _ .”

****

Yang smiled a bit at the girl’s phrasing, her cheeks dusting red once more. Her sister was no better, staring at the ground with glowing cheeks.

****

“Hey, no problem. I’m always happy to have more friends.” Yang said, grabbing Militia's hand and shcking it. A moment later, a shout came from above.

****

“Hey, I’m glad you guys are getting along, but I could use some help wit-AH!” Jaune’s voice was cut off by a shout as he lost his balance and fell off the ladder. Both Yang and Militia were quick to move, but Melenie was faster. She slid right under Jaune and caught him before he hit the ground, rising as she held him bridal style. 

****

Jaune looked at his friend and chuckled nervously. “T-thanks, Mel. I, uh, should have been paying more attention.” Melenie glared at him for a moment, before shaking her head and smiling.

****

“You’re working on the ground from now on, understood, Jaune?” 

****

Jaune gave a dramatic salute in response, along with a cheeky grin. “Yes, ma’am!”

****

Melenie just rolled her eyes and released the knight, who almost fell over once more. As he steadied himself, before Yang lightly punched his shoulder, glaring at Jaune playfully.

****

“You really can’t go one day without getting hurt, can you Lover Boy?” She asked, placing her hands on her hips and raising her eyebrows at the knight expectantly.

****

“Heh, sorry Yang. I’ll try to keep the injuries to a minimum.” Jaune said, before Yang leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

****

“Well, there’s some incentive for you. Let’s get back to work, boy and girls!” Yang crowed, and with that, they continued setting up for the party. An hour later, the lights were all set, as was the music setup and the tables for food and drink.

****

“Damn, we knocked that out quick.” Yang mused with a whistle, before turning to the twins in smiling. “Thanks for the help, you two. This would have taken a lot longer if it was just me and Jaune.”

****

“Of course, we’re happy to help.” Melenie responded, before glancing at her scroll and frowning. “I’m afraid that we’re going to have to leave now. Junior will be requiring our services.”

****

“Aw, really?” Jaune asked, his tone noticeably disappointed. “Alright, well we need to hang out again soon! It’s been so long since I’ve seen you guys, and we’ve barely talked!”

****

Both Melenie and Militia smiled warmly at the knight, the latter nodding in agreement.

****

“Well, how about we set something up later this week?” She asked, receiving a wide grin from the boy in response. “In the meantime…” 

****

Militia trailed off as both her and her sister leaned forward, and planted a kiss on Jaune’s respective cheeks. They pulled back to see Jaune’s expression, a shocked expression accompanying the blush on his cheeks. “See you around, Jaune~” They said in unison before walking off, clearly proud of themselves.

****

“Looks like you’ve picked up another set of admirers, Lover Boy.” Yang teased, earning a groan in response.

****

“You knew about this, didn’t you?”

****

“I make no such claims.” Yang remarked slyly, before offering Jaune a hand. “C’mon, the food should be here soon, and after that people will start showing up.”

****

Jaune accepted the hand, and smiled at the blonde brawler as they entered the combat room once more. “Well, let’s make this party the best Beacon’s ever seen.”

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

As Jaune gazed around the converted arena, only one thing was on his mind.

****

_ This will definitely be the coolest party Beacon has ever seen. _

****

_ “Well of course it will be!”  _ Summer replied chirpily. “ _ My little dragon was the one set all this up, and when it comes to Ruby, she doesn’t spare any expense.” _

****

Ever since she had been reunited with her daughters properly, without hiding behind the ‘mask’ of needing to act like Jaune, he motherly spirit’s mood had been locked at ‘cheerful’. It seemed like nothing could ruin her mood anymore. 

****

Jaune was actually thankful for her constant peppiness and high spirits, and while most people might have found it annoying after a while, Jaune much preferred ‘happy and cheerful’ Summer to ‘depressed and upset’ Summer.

****

He’d had to experience her sad, heartbroken, angry or scared before. It was not something he wanted to experience again. She’d been through enough by dying and leaving her daughters without their mother for almost a decade, she didn’t need any more trauma.

****

The party itself was a small affair, limited to their friend group. Ruby was never too good with massive crowds, she  _ was  _ a socially awkward weapons nut, after all.

****

The guests, therefore, were limited to Ruby’s teammates, Jaune and his team, team NDGO, team CVFY and the trio of ex-villainesses. Flynt and Neon Katt had also been invited, the latter charging in on her rollerblades with an excited squeal. Even Amber, the newest addition to their little social circle, had shown up. 

****

The Maiden had been hesitant at first, but had been dragged along by Marcie, Nora and Yang, the trio insisting that she needed to experience at least one party in her life.

****

They’d gotten a raised eyebrow and a small frown from her when the girls revealed the real reason they’d wanted her to come along, to save money on a smoke machine by having her use her elemental control powers to create the smoke for them.

****

Fortunately, Amber had quickly shifted to a more amused smile, even throwing in a few good-natured quips about how her ‘destiny’ was in fact to be a glorified entertainer.

****

Still, Jaune was happy she showed up. From what he’d been told about her past, by both the other girls and Amber herself, she’d not had the chance to make many friends or be very social in her younger years. Hopefully, Ruby’s birthday would be a chance for her to cut loose and have some fun.

****

Speaking of showing up… there was one girl who’d not yet arrived. The birthday girl herself, Ruby Rose.

****

Yang had told him that she was still getting ready, and the brawler promised she’d let him know when she turned up, so that he could ‘get a proper look at her first’.

****

The sly smirk and wink that accompanied those words got Jaune feeling nervous… and a little excited.

****

Finally, after a minute of hushed whispering from the hallway, the door opened again and Yang stuck her head through, smiling widely.

****

“Alright Jaune, you ready?” 

****

Jaune shot Yang a dual pair of thumbs up, which prompted her to open the door and gesture Ruby to enter. When she came into view, Jaune’s jaw dropped.

****

Ruby was wearing a short, red, sleeveless dress with a thick black sash around the waist and black trim along the bottom. She smiled shyly, and waved to him.

  
“H-hey, Jaune...how do I look?”

****

Jaune couldn’t find any words in that moment, but there were more than enough that described her. Stunning. Beautiful.  _ Perfect. _ Finally, his mind settled on one.

****

“Wow...”

****

Turns out, that was the right thing to say, because Ruby immediately went red and let out an adorable  _ meep! _ before covering her face. Yang smirked proudly, before another voice called out from behind Jaune. 

****

“Looking good, Red!” Marcie called, followed by a similar remark from Coco. “C’mon down, get your party on!”

****

Despite the red in her face and the embarrassment she was feeling at Jaune’s answer, Ruby made her way down anyway, to the cheers of the group. 

****

On her way there, Emerald and Blake gave her thumbs up, Neo leaned over to whisper in her ear “See, I told you he’d be looking at you”, Nora and Neon whooped and cheered, team NDGO simply clapped and smiled. All the way there, Flynt played a smooth and slow tune on his trumpet to lead her in.

****

Even Amber got in on it, the older girl manipulating her flames to cast some warm rays of light on Ruby as she made her way down, approaching a still-stunned Jaune Arc.

****

Eventually, there she was, in front of him in all her glory.

****

“Hey.” Her voice was small and nervous.

****

“Hey.” Jaune replied, the knight himself struggling to keep his gaze on her face. “You uh… you look amazing, tonight.”

****

Ruby blushed again, fidgeting on her feet and playing with her sash, her silver eyes meeting Jaune’s own.

****

“Hey Rubes?” He asked, deciding that he’d do his bit to show her a good time tonight. “Would you like to dance?” He held out a hand.

****

Ruby looked a little sceptical. “Really Jaune… I mean, I don’t think I can dance in these lady stilts.” She indicated her heels with a small look of disdain, only to squeak in shock as Jaune placed both hands on her waist.

****

“J-J-Jaune…?” The reaper stuttered, her cheeks much redder than before.

****

“Put your hands on my shoulders, Ruby.” Jaune instructed gently, leading the girl out onto the open area as he did so. “Even if you’re wearing lady stilts… you’re still going to dance, don’t worry, I'll show you how.” He assured her.

****

Ruby decided not to respond, but placed her hands on his shoulders and stuck to blushing up a storm, though despite her embarrassment, she still kept her eyes on him the whole time.

****

She wasn’t the only one keeping her eyes on the knight. Most of the girls were engaged in their own conversations, with Nora talking Ren’s ear off, both Coco and Weiss attempting to convince Amber to ‘give them the good stuff she’s got’ and the ex-villain trio talking among themselves.

****

“Come on! I-I have more lien than I know what to do with! I will literally do ANYTHING to ensure that I never have to go through all those comments about my chest again!” The heiress pleaded.

****

“Sorry.” Amber smiled apologetically, before her expression turned serious.. “I can’t just go giving this power away, you know. I have a responsibility to my predecessors, and to the innocents of the world, to use my power responsibly and safeguard it with my life… so why are you here?” Her declaration turned confused as she focused her attention on the fashionista beside the heiress. “I mean, from what I can see, you’ve already…”

****

“Got a great figure and rack?” Coco interrupted. “Yeah, I know… but here’s the thing honey…” The girl pushed her glasses back to look at Amber with her own brown orbs. “Why not?”

****

“That’s it?”

****

“That’s it.”

****

“Huh, okay… still no, though.”

****

“Darn it.”

****

However, there were three girls who kept their eyes on the birthday girl and the sole male in the room. A scarlet spartan, black ninja beauty and a golden dragon all watched the duo with interest. 

****

They started off slow at first, with Ruby’s steps being clumsy and hesitant, even stepping on Jaune’s toes a few times, though the boy didn’t even look bothered by it. He’d adopted a focused look the moment he’d stepped onto the makeshift ‘dance floor’, with his own steps being precise and fluid, no energy was wasted as he led the birthday girl around the dance floor.

****

Gradually, Ruby herself began to improve, the girl becoming more comfortable on her feet and graceful in her movements. She wasn’t anywhere near Jaune’s level, but at least she wasn’t stepping on his feet and could actually keep up with him (at least, at the rate he was currently going).

****

As she began immersing herself in the moment, Ruby leaned her head against Jaune’s shoulder as they continued dancing, slowly stepping around the arena in a contented and steady circle. Both participants eventually slid their arms round each other, the dancing transitioning into a simple but firm hug as they came to a halt.

****

By now, most of the girls’ attention has been drawn to the cute scene. Pyrrha, Blake and Weiss allowed light smiles on their faces, while Yang was taking a few photos with her scroll, a huge grin on her own face. 

****

Nora was far less restrained, whooping and cheering at seeing her Fearless leader’s dancing skills, her enthusiasm infecting even the stoic Ren, who cracked a small smile at seeing Jaune teaching Ruby to dance like that.

****

Velvet couldn’t help but ‘aawww’ at the scene.

****

Team NDGO were torn between cooing in delight and their slight jealousy at the fact that  _ they  _ weren’t the ones being hugged by Jaune.

****

Amber smiled at the scene in front of her, manipulating the weather again to allow that same light to shine on them, like something out of a romance movie.

****

Neo and Emerald were smiling and offering the duo a thumbs up, applauding their little impromptu dance.

****

And Marcie, well…

****

She decided to ‘break the ice’, so to speak.

****

“NOW KISS, YOU TWO!” The busty grey-haired beauty hollered with shameless abandon.

****

If Ruby and Jaune had broken apart any faster, they would’ve gone flying into the opposite walls. Their faces were red and their hearts were hammering.

****

“Damn it Marc…” Emerald facepalmed in exasperation, even Neo was giving her teammate a raised eyebrow and an irritated look. “You were trained as an  _ assassin, _ right? How do you not know what ‘subtlety’ means!?” She demanded.

****

Her partner shrugged. “I know what subtlety means, Em… I just don’t care for it, is all.”

****

The other two ex-criminals just shook their heads.

****

“BOOOO!!!” Coco called out. “Come on! You can’t just dance and enjoy yourselves like that and NOT french each other! WHERE’S THE ROMANCE!?”

****

 If it was possible, Ruby turned even redder in the face than she already was, the girl stuttering and blushing, before turning to look at Jaune. Her gaze remained on the equally embarrassed knight for only a few seconds before it hardened.

****

The girl then strode forward, seized the knight by the wrist, and began leading him out the nearest door.

****

“Hey Red! Party’s here, where are you going!?” Marcie called out.

****

“I want to talk to Jaune alone!” Ruby hollered back. “And without anyone yelling at us to kiss! Don’t wait up!” The flustered girl didn’t stop marching until she was out the door, the stunned knight following in her wake.

****

Silence reigned for a while.

****

“So… what now?” Octavia asked.

****

“Well, I’M certainly not gonna let all this go to waste!” Yang declared, the golden dragoness making her own way out onto the dance floor. “Whether or not Rubes and Lover Boy come back, we still have an obligation to make this the best party Beacon’s ever seen!”

****

“Hell yeah!” Marcie called, following Yang.

****

“Wooo!! Let’s do this, c’mon Renny!!” Nora cried, the orange bomber dragging her protesting but resigned best friend with her.

****

Team NDGO were swift to join in, while Neo twirled and flipped her way onto the dance floor, excitement shining in her eyes.

****

“I bet I can outdance you all.” The heterochromic girl challenged, a smirk on her face.

****

“That right, Pintsize? Well… let’s see what you got.” Her grey-haired friend returned her challenge with her own cocky smirk. 

****

The other girls all hollered and began making bets as to the winner, with both the uptight Weiss and reserved Blake being coaxed into betting as well, even Amber got in on it.

****

As what would’ve been a leisurely dance turned into a competition of agility and skill between the girls, they slowly began to forget about what their two missing attendees were doing right now.

****

Even though they’d left the party, Ruby and Jaune’s own night of fun was just beginning.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

“Hey Rubes… what do you want to talk to me about? Or was that just an excuse to get us out of there?” Jaune asked. He and his fellow leader had made their way out of the converted arena, the sounds of the party still blaring behind them.

****

“No, it’s not an excuse Jaune. I just… wanted to talk with you alone for a bit, that’s all.” Ruby assured him, her hand still clinging to his lower left arm as she led him further away. 

****

Neither of them actually minded the contact too much, but Ruby was still blushing a little at how bold she was being, as well as the remaining embarrassment from the aftermath of their dance. 

****

“Well, alright.” Jaune agreed, his own cheeks still a bit pink form his own embarrassment as Ruby took him to the courtyard near the Bullhead docks. “Thanks for getting me out of there, that was getting a bit… intense.”

****

Ruby simply smiled back at him, a little shyly. “You’re welcome Jaune.”

****

Jaune couldn’t help but feel a sense of nostalgia wash over him as he took in the whole place. Sure, he’d been here plenty of times before, but he’d always been too busy or distracted to properly appreciate the significant memory this place had helped him create.

****

As they sat down on a nearby bench to look out at the courtyard, Ruby turned to Jaune.

****

“So… I bet you’re wondering why I brought you here-”

****

“This is where we first met, isn’t it?” He interrupted her, causing a shocked look to pass over the girl’s face for a second before she giggled and nodded.

****

“Yep. Nothing slips past you does it… Vomit Boy?” She asked cheekily.

****

“It sure doesn’t… Crater Face.” He replied, just as cheekily. Ruby blushed a little as she buried her head into his shoulder.

****

“Jaaauune! That was one time! I blew up one time! You’ve vomited a lot more on airships than I’ve blown up!” She protested.

****

“Yeah, but I still won’t let you forget it anytime soon.” The blonde knight declared, causing both of them to laugh good-naturedly.

****

“Hah… we’ve really had a wild ride haven’t we?” He continued.

****

“Yeah… and it all started here, when you offered me your hand after…”

****

“After seeing you blow up?”

****

“ _ Yes _ , after seeing me  _ blow up. _ But in all seriousness Jaune… you were the first person to give a socially awkward weapons nut like me a chance, nobody else held out their hand and picked me up the way you did… so thank you.” Ruby began snuggling into his shoulder as she spoke, and Jaune unthinkingly put his arm around her opposite shoulder to draw his fellow leader closer.

****

With any other girl, this would’ve felt perfectly natural, but both he and Ruby stiffened up quickly upon realising their new closeness. 

****

After all, Ruby was his first friend, the girl he’d spent the longest time building a friendship with. Sure, Pyrrha was the first girl he’d gotten into a relationship with… but he still felt a distinct close and special connection with his fellow team leader. From the blush on her face and stiffness in her shoulders, Ruby reciprocated.

****

“Ah heh heh… sorry, got a little carried away there.” Jaune attempted to remove the arm, only for the red reaper to recapture it and drape it over her shoulders once more.

****

“It’s okay Jaune… it’s okay… you can leave it there.” She squeaked out, causing the boy to suppress a small whimper from how cute and adorable she sounded.

****

Still, how she sounded completely contradicted how she  _ looked. _

****

Ruby was beautiful now. That much was clear to Jaune since he got a good look at her when she walked into the converted combat arena for her party. His heart had pretty much skipped a beat at the sight of her…

****

He recalled Marcie’s earlier words, she was right… Ruby really had grown up, in more ways than one…

****

He was going to slap himself mentally for thinking about his best friend like that, until he remembered Ruby’s own words on the matter.

****

“ _ It means you actually like me… a-as a girl… it feels really nice that you look at me like that Jaune.” _ All said with a sweet smile and a dark blush on her face.

****

“Okay then.” He replied, before continuing. “You know, if anyone had told me a few months ago that you and I would end up here… I’d have laughed in their faces.”

****

“Yeah… I’d have been sceptical too.”

****

“We’ve had a hell of a ride, haven’t we Rubes?” The knight questioned.

****

“Yeah… there have been goods… and bads…” Her body burrowed a little further into Jaune’s own, her grip tightening with a small shiver. Jaune didn’t miss it.

****

“Hey, you okay there Ruby?”

****

A small sniffle was his reply, that caused him to panic a little.

****

“Ruby?” He tightened his own grip on the smaller girl. Hopefully she’d tell him what was wrong.

****

“Sorry Jaune, it’s just… remembering everything that’s happened to get us here… I can’t help but remember all the times you’ve been hurt too.” The reaper admitted, her silver orbs meeting her friend’s azures. “You got hurt on that mission with Yang in the forest when you found our mum… you got hurt at Beacon when Cinder shot you with that arrow… then you got hurt again at Amity when she stabbed you.” Off his shocked look, she elaborated. “Amber told us, and we saw that hole in your clothes too.”

****

Ruby shivered a little bit more, even as Jaune held her.

****

“I’m sorry for acting like this, but it’s just… you keep getting hurt Jaune, all the time. And it scares me! It scares all of us! You just… you keep throwing yourself at danger without thinking about how you’ll get hurt… and I just get so worried that one day you’ll not come back and we’ll lose you!” The Huntress trainee cried out, throwing her arms around Jaune in a full and surprisingly strong hug, which the knight unhesitatingly returned. 

****

“I… I really like you a lot Jaune… you’ve done so much for me, for all of us… please don’t leave us. Please don’t leave me… I can’t lose you like I once lost my mum, please… ” She whimpered into his shoulder, practically breaking Jaune’s heart as she cried more.

****

“Ruby.” The girl kept her head buried into her best friend’s shoulder. “Ruby.” The voice came again, more insistent this time, but she still didn’t budge.

****

“Ruby, look at me…  _ please _ .” This time, she complied, meeting Jaune’s concerned yet resolute gaze once more. The knight let go of his fellow leader, though his hands moved to clasp her own and hold them tight. Ruby would’ve blushed if she weren’t so focused on his face… on his eyes… those cheekbones and… just  _ everything else. _

****

_ Oh wow… Jaune’s hot. _ Was the only thought running in her mind right now, despite the situation.

****

Then he started to talk.

****

“Ruby, I promise… I swear on my word as an Arc, that I will do whatever it takes to get back safe and sound to the girls I care about the most.” That got a blush out of her. “The reason I fight so hard… even against the odds… is because I don’t want any of you hurt. Even if you’re all quite a bit tougher than I am, it’s still my responsibility as your boyfriend to look after you all… especially you and Yang, I promised both Summer and Tai that I would, after all.”

****

“Jaune…” She whispered, shocked and touched, but the boy wasn’t done.

****

“Ruby… you, Yang, Blake, Weiss, Pyrrha, Nora,  Lian, Coco, Velvet, Marcie, Neo, Emerald… you all mean so much to me. I promise I’ll do my damndest to stick around… to be there for all of you if you need me… to be the best boyfriend I can be. Because you’re all amazing and unique girls… and you deserve the best.” He finished with a smile.

****

Ruby was struggling to keep from tearing up out of happiness and elation… while Summer was currently sniffling and crying at how much of a ‘Knight in Shining Armor’ her host was. Privately, the Huntress’ own attachment to the knight was only reinforced, his previous promise re-affirming everything Summer knew and liked about him.

****

“J-Jaune… do you r-really think all that stuff about us… about  _ me _ ?” The happy and flustered reaper asked, voice shaking with emotion. The knight however, continued on, unaware of just how deeply his words were affecting his best friend.

****

“Of course I do, Ruby. Actually… you’re pretty inspirational to me yourself.” The knight admitted, causing the girl to flat-out  _ squeak _ in shock. “You’re strong-willed, you always do the right thing and try and see the best in people… you came here to protect people and fight the Grimm, not for cheap thrills or for prestige. That makes you a hero in my book… that makes you my hero, Ruby Rose.”

****

In the knight’s mind, Summer was practically in shock at how highly her host thought of her daughter, she was almost close to fainting. She resolved to pursue her own affections for the young Arc, she wouldn’t pass up a second chance at happiness… no matter how unorthodox it might be.

****

As the knight finished, he saw that Ruby had lowered her head, her body shaking a little. His expression morphed into one of confusion.

****

“Ruby? Are you ok-”

****

He was cut off as a rose petal-coated missile slammed into him at full force, knocking him off the bench and onto the courtyard floor. The missile resolved itself into the blushing and panting form of one Ruby Rose, her eyes wide and her breaths short and shallow. Her excitement was almost palpable even to the knight.

****

“Jaune, I…” She gave him a watery smile as she began tearing up again. “I don’t know if there’s anything I can say to tell you how I feel about you… how much you mean to me… especially now, after everything we’ve been through together.”

****

“It’s okay Ruby, you don’t have to tell me anything. I know you care about me.” Jaune assured her.

****

“I don’t just care about you anymore Jaune… I love you.” That caused Jaune to take a breath in shock, while Summer flat out  _ gasped  _ and  _ squealed  _ in happiness. “Let me show you Jaune… will you let me kiss you? Please… I want to try it. I want to do what the others have done with you… please…” She practically begged.

****

Jaune pushed himself up, getting at eye-level with Ruby, who was still sitting comfortably on his waist.

****

Steadying himself, he reached forward to place one hand around her back, with the other one on her cheek. Ruby blushed again as they drew closer, but neither of them stopped.

****

“Are you sure about this, Ruby?” Jaune muttered.

****

“I’ve never been more sure about anything, Jaune… now kiss me, please…” The girl replied.

****

Then their lips met.

****

A small squeak escaped the reaper as her own hands came up to wrap around Jaune’s shoulders. They drew away for a fraction of a second before pushing together again, and again, and again…

****

Their repeated short kisses quickly turn into one long and loving lip-lock between the two leaders. Ruby let her hands brush Jaune’s cheeks as she wriggled in his lap, while the knight himself gave into his urges and gave her backside a soft squeeze. 

****

Ruby might have moaned a little, shivering in shock, but she didn’t pull away. If anything, that only emboldened her more. The reaper tightened her grip on the knight’s shoulders, while the boy himself deepened the kiss and squeezed her behind more firmly.

****

They were only like this for a few minutes, but to the participants it felt like hours… some of the best hours of their respective lives. The kiss was sweet, intimate, loving… it was amazing. 

****

The two young best friends-turned-lovers finally pulled back, the small trail of saliva between their lips was proof as to how heavy their kissing had gotten. Both of them were breathing heavily and their blushes were radiant enough to overtake their whole faces, but they were smiling like idiots the whole time.

****

Summer’s section of the mindscape was awash with a wave of heat, as the spirit tried and failed to stop her progressively raunchier fantasies of the knight, with her younger self replacing her daughter,  from playing out in ‘her’ head. Even practically dunking her head into a river she conjured up didn’t help her cool down.

****

“Wow…” Ruby whispered.

****

“Yeah…” Jaune agreed. “That was… that was…”

****

“Really great. That was… just really great for me, Jaune.” Ruby licked her lips, tightening her grip on the knight once more.

****

“I’m glad you liked-”

****

“Can we… for my birthday present, can we go… f-further?” She whispered.

****

Further?

****

 Oh… oh gods… Ruby really did want to, well…

****

Have sex with him. Just like he’d had with Pyrrha, Nora, Lian, Yang, Blake, Weiss, Coco and Velvet already. She must’ve been feeling left out, being underage and all…

****

Except she wasn’t underage anymore, this was her birthday, her 16th birthday.

****

His eyes focused on the girl in front of him, her silver orbs shining with both an elation for what they’d already done… and a hope for doing a little more.

****

With everything that had happened, everything they’d been through and done together. With how close they were… it wasn’t really a difficult decision.

****

“Alright Ruby… we can go further.” Jaune smiled down at her.

****

“Thank you Jaune… come on, my team’s dorm is free.”

****

Both of them began to make their way to the dorms, ready to take that next step together.


	55. Her First Friend, Her First Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby and Jaune take their relationship to a new level, awakening a gift long-suppressed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here it is everyone, the Lancaster smut scene.
> 
> We've been building this up from the very start of the fic, from chapter 2 itself and onward. This romance scene has been a long time coming... I can only hope you enjoy reading it just as much as I enjoyed writing it for you.
> 
> Thanks for being patient. Now, enjoy.
> 
> Jack.

Jaune and Ruby’s hearts were thundering in their chests as they arrived at team RWBY’s dorm room.

 

Ruby reached for her scroll and used it to unlock the door, though her shaking hands caused her to fumble a little as she did so. She was so excited that she could finally experience the same thing that the other girls had already experienced with Jaune, save for the three ex-criminals of course.

 

Jaune meanwhile was nearly sweating with nerves, after all it wasn’t everyday you and your first/best friend decided to just…  _ sleep together _ like this. Summer had retreated to her mindscape so that they’d have privacy, she wasn’t there to help him calm down.

 

Suffice it to say… he was freaking out a little.

 

“Jaune?” Ruby’s soft voice shook him free of his thoughts. The girl was shuffling on her feet in the doorway to her dorm room. She was as nervous as she was, and that was oddly comforting to the blonde dork knight.

They were both nervous, but they both wanted this to happen. So Jaune would do his part.

 

“Coming.” He replied, following the girl into her dorm.

 

His hormone addled mind did not miss the double meaning behind that word. On the plus side, he wasn’t nervous anymore. But on the downside… 

 

Well, ‘Arc Junior’ decided it wanted to come out to play, _ especially _ once his eyes wandered down to Ruby’s swaying hips as he entered the dorm.

 

Well, considering what he and Ruby were planning on doing here tonight… could it really be considered a downside anymore?

 

Jaune re-focused on the situation at hand, that was far more important than his own worries and thoughts. Ruby had turned to face him, her cheeks slightly flushed, but a smile on her face nonetheless.

 

“So… you’ve got more e-experience with this…  _ kind of thing _ , Jaune.” She began, shivering a little in anticipation. “Should we… should we t-take off our c-clothes first?” She asked, cheeks reddening even more, though she didn’t look away.

 

“Yeah.” Jaune managed to get out. “We should do that.”

 

So, both of them began to strip… though Jaune at least had the tendency to turn around to give Ruby  _ some  _ privacy, even if it was one-way. He didn’t miss the slight gasps from behind him as he peeled off his clothes and laid them in a neat pile on the nearby table.

 

Well, at least she liked what she saw… hopefully.

 

Finally, the boy was down to absolutely nothing. The cool evening air nipped at his skin and got him to shiver a little, but that was nothing compared to the combined nerves and anticipation at the prospect of his best friend seeing him naked… and seeing her naked it return.

 

He gulped.

 

“Hey… are you… d-done Rubes?” He asked, unable to keep from stuttering a little.

 

“Y-yeah…” Came her soft voice. “Y-you can turn around now, Jaune. I want you to… t-to see me, t-to look at me. To look at me like a girl, Jaune.”

 

_ Here goes nothing. _ He sucked in a breath, and turned around.

 

That breath left his lungs once he actually got a look at his best friend.

 

_ I-I thought Marcie and Yang were exaggerating… b-but my gods…  _ His mind was on the verge of shutting down, he needed to blink a few times, just to make sure that the Ruby in front of him was really the same adorkable weapons nut he’d befriended all those months ago.

 

It was. She’d just done… a  _ lot  _ of growing up since then.

 

In  _ all the right places _ , that was for sure.

 

Her red and black hair was roughly shoulder length now, flowing down past her slim neck and to her shaped shoulders. Shoulders that were attached to equally slim arms, arms that belied the strength Ruby possessed to be able to swing her scythe around so easily.

 

Of course Jaune, or rather his teenage hormones, was  _ far  _ more intrigued by what was below that line.

 

When Marcie had said that Ruby would inherit Yang’s looks soon enough, she was  _ not  _ lying.

 

The slim and hourglass waist that flared into wide and shapely hips?  _ Check. _

 

Hips that led into gorgeously proportioned and toned legs that Jaune could NOT stop looking at?  _ Check. _

 

A flat and equally toned stomach, with  _ just  _ enough muscle to show that she was a Huntress trainee, while still looking like a supermodel-in-training too?  _ Double check. _

 

Firm, well-rounded and pert breasts that stuck out at  _ just  _ the right angle to seem to defy gravity, just like her older sister’s except a little smaller to fit her shorter body?  _ Triple. FUCKING. Check. _

 

All in all, Jaune was finding it very hard to breathe at this point.

 

“Jaune?” The little red-and-black goddess spoke up.

 

“Y-yeah…?” He squeaked out.

 

“W-what do you… do you… am I beautiful enough for you, Jaune?” His little deity asked again.

 

“Are you-?! R-Ruby… t-there’s no way you couldn’t be b-beautiful enough for me…” The knight stuttered out, honesty in every word.

 

Ruby  _ squeaked _ and  _ whimpered _ in response, her own breathing deepening and her cheeks reddening further than Jaune thought possible.  _ Especially  _ after her own eyes began to wander… ‘below the belt’, so to speak.

 

“T-thank you… you look r-really hot- I-I mean handsome! You look really handsome, too.” Now it was his turn to blush in approval.

 

They both stood there, exposed to one another. No more barriers between them, no more obstacles to the next step in their relationship.

 

“What now, Jaune?” Ruby asked, her shaky smile still intact.

 

“I think that’s up to you, Ruby.” Jaune said. “I… I want this to be your night. I want this to be good for you… this is your birthday present, after all.” A soft laugh. “Whatever you want to do… however fast or slow you want to go… then that’s what we’ll do.”

 

Ruby’s smile widened. “Thank you Jaune… than you so much.”

 

“You’re welcome… so… what do you want to do next?”

 

Ruby considered this for a moment, her silver orbs re-focused on Jaune, hardening along with her resolve.

 

“I… I want you to kiss me, Jaune. And… I want you to put your arms around me… touch me… I want to feel your body against mine. I want us… I want us to be closer, Jaune.” The reaper almost pleaded. “Will you do that for me?”

 

“Of course I will.”

 

With that, the knight began to approach the reaper, each step only causing his heart to pound harder in his chest. But he pushed on… it was what Ruby wanted… and what he wanted.

 

He raised his hands to take Ruby’s own, the pair finally face to face. Each teenager’s eyes raked over their partner’s body, appreciating every curve… every detail. 

 

Their arousal only increased, their breathing grew ragged as Ruby and Jaune were now barely restraining themselves from just  _ taking  _ each other right on the spot.

 

Regardless, the knight would abide by his lady’s wishes. He leant down and captured her lips in his. The kiss was chaste and simple… at first.

 

Ruby’s arms threaded themselves around Jaune’s neck and shoulders, as they had when she’d kissed him last. Jaune’s hands wrapped around Ruby’s waist, pulling the younger girl against his body and the kiss deepened, tongues beginning to push against each other in the duo’s mouths.

 

It didn’t take too long for Jaune and Ruby to give in, the boy finally reaching down to grip the girl’s surprisingly firm and juicy buttocks, squeezing them repeatedly. Ruby moaned into his mouth in reply, her own hands squeezing her boyfriend’s arms and body, feeling him up with ascending urgency as the kiss continued. The couple remembered to breathe through their noses, so they kept kissing for a good 5 minutes before breaking apart, they really were that engrossed in each other.

 

By the time they broke apart, Jaune’s ‘second sword’ was at full mast and  _ painfully  _ hard, likely from rubbing so firmly against Ruby’s mound as they’d been kissing and groping each other just then.

 

Not that Ruby was any better, her inner thighs feeling slick and wet from her own arousal. By now, the normally socially awkward girl had long abandoned any fear or reservations, she was aching for Jaune to just  _ take  _ her already, to feel him inside her.

 

They stood there, panting and gasping but still holding each other. Their eyes met once more.

 

“Are you su-”

 

“Yes.” She preempted his question with her answer, conviction alcing her words. “I don’t want to wait any more, Jaune. I want to have you… I want you to have me… I want us to be together tonight.”

 

It might have been just him, but Jaune swore that Ruby’s eyes were…  _ glowing _ . The silver-tinted light was very faint, but noticeable nonetheless. He shrugged it off, he had better things to worry about than some trick of the light.

 

“Okay then.”

 

With that, the knight gripped the girl’s backside once more, before hoisting her into his arms and carrying her over to her bed. This earned a cry of surprise from the reaper, who quickly nestled against him, planting kisses on his cheeks and lips the whole way there.

 

Jaune set Ruby down gently on the bed, before clambering on himself. The two lay there, looking into the eyes of their partner for a few moments, their smiles and warmth comforting to the other.

 

“So… how do you want to do this?” Jaune asked.

 

“Could you let me be on top…?” Ruby asked. “I… it’s just you’re a lot bigger than me and-”

 

He cut off his fellow dork’s rambling with a kiss on the nose, rewarding him with a cute squeak from the beautiful girl.

 

“Course I will, anything for you… Crater Face.” He couldn’t resist.

 

“Heh, says you… Lover Boy.” Ruby’s use of Yang’s nickname for him set a little jolt up his spine, so he pulled Ruby close again before rolling over, shifting so that he landed on his back, while she lay on top of him.

 

The close contact, especially where their nethers were concerned, had both teens breathing deeply and blushing, while also grinning like idiots.

 

They indulged in some kissing for a while, just to get them both in the mood (not that they weren’t already). Jaune’s hands rubbing against Ruby’s behind, squeezing the firm flesh and muscle until he was salivating with excitement. Ruby did the same with his chest and developing abdominals, though her hands always returned to his shoulders eventually. 

 

It only took a few moments of this contact, plus the friction of Jaune’s shaft pressing against Ruby’s sex, for both teenagers to degenerate into panting and needy messes.

 

“Jaune…” Ruby whined. “I can’t take it anymore… m-make love to me,  _ please. _ ” She raised her hips upward, while Jaune aligned his manhood to her entrance. Their eyes met one more time, and the boy nodded. The girl nodded back.

 

Then they both pushed.

 

Ruby cried out as their hips connected, the girl shivering in slight pain as her maidenhood was pierced for the first time, closing her eyes, biting her lip and whimpering as the sensations coursed through her. Jaune halted, placing his hands on Ruby’s hips to steady her while she waited for the pain to subside.

 

Eventually, the pain in her nethers was submerged and lost in the growing pleasure the reaper felt from the presence of her best friend’s length inside her. She smiled down at the boy beneath her, who smiled back swiftly. Ruby pressed her hands onto Jaune’s shoulders, preparing to move again.

 

“Ready?”

 

“Yeah…”

 

Their movements were slow at first, the gentle rocking of their hips establishing a pleasurable rhythm for the pair to keep to. But as the pleasure they felt began to increase, their hip thrusts became firmer and more intense. The room was filled with the moans and gasps of two aroused teenagers, as they expressed their feelings for one another in the most primal way possible.

 

“J-Jaune…! H-harder… please!” Ruby cried out needily, feeling a warmth growing in her chest as they continued, a warmth that began spreading through her body as the body obliged her request. His thick and firm shaft felt heavenly inside her warm sex, and the girl found herself with a craving that (in her mind) would never be satisfied.

 

“Oh g-gods… Ruby!” Jaune gasped out, the blonde just as aroused as the girl atop him, her inner walls were squeezing and tightening around his manhood so firmly that he thought he’d never be able to pull out… did he even want to, at his point? Given the way her hands and her nethers were gripping onto him, did  _ Ruby _ want him to?

 

With how energetically and firmly they were thrusting into each other, it didn’t take long for the teens to feel their climaxes approaching.

 

“R-Ruby… I’m close!” Jaune warned, but the young girl simply kept bouncing and thrusting in response. She was too lost in her pleasure and too close to her own climax to care about the implications. 

 

Besides… she’d snuck some of the pills that Yang had given her shortly before she’d undressed.

 

“F-finish inside me, Jaune.” She practically wailed. “Please!” The warmth in her body had grown into an all-encompassing heat as thoughts of Jaune continued to circle through her pleasure-addled mind. 

 

She couldn’t stop thinking about him, about everything he’d done for her… the times he’d saved her life… how much she cared about him… and how happy she was to be with him right now.

 

Had Jaune’s eyes not been screwed tight shut as his own climax fast approached, he would’ve seen that the faint glow in Ruby’s eyes had escalated to a bright light that shone through the room.

 

A light that exploded in a bright white flash as Ruby and Jaune both hit their peaks together.

 

“RUBY!!”

 

“JAUNE!!”

 

Ruby clutched at Jaune’s shoulders, crying out repeatedly as heat blossomed in her nethers. Jaune grunted and gasped in unison as he emptied himself into Ruby’s sex, firing shot after shot until he was spent, which took about half a minute.

 

Her grip slackening and her strength spent, the red reaper collapsed onto the blonde knight, instinctively wrapping her arms around him and snuggling against his firm and warm torso. The boy’s arms also wrapped around her waist to pull her into a gentle embrace. Their lips met a few times as Jaune dragged the bedsheets over to wrap them in a blanket.

 

They were tired, soaked in sweat and…  _ other fluids,  _ their cheeks were flushed, but they were also smiling and utterly satisfied with both themselves and each other.

 

As they began to drift off, Ruby and Jaune exchanged some last words, the only words that needed to be said.

 

“I love you, Jaune.”

 

“I love you too, Ruby.”

 

With that, the pair dozed off in each other’s arms, though Ruby had time for one last thought.

 

_ Best birthday present… ever… _

 


	56. Advancing Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaune's world starts to get a bit more complicated, while Cinder's gets smaller and Salem's grows darker.
> 
> Side note: This chapter marks the 300,000 word mark for this story! Hopefully there are people out there still following it. ;)

Jaune’s eyes fluttered open gently against the light glow of the sun beaming through the nearby window. He moved to sit up, before the feeling of someone laying next to him and a soft groan came from the form. He turned his head and saw a sleeping Ruby Rose, who groaned once more and lightly pushed Jaune back down.

****

“Uuuuh...five more minutes, please…” She moaned, clutching his arm as he was dragged back down to the bed. He chuckled at the happy smile that blossomed on Ruby’s face once he was back in position. Maybe a few more minutes wouldn't hurt…

****

The harsh ring of Jaune’s scroll apparently disagreed, earning a final groan from both him and Ruby as Jaune sat up, grabbed his scroll, and answered the incoming call.

****

“Hello?”

****

“ _Hey buddy, it’s me.”_ Daniel’s voice ran through the speaker, a frown practically audible. “ _Sorry to wake you up so early, but Ozzy said we still need your help regarding...you know who.”_

****

Jaune sat up fully, now awake and alert with the knowledge that Cinder was back in play. “O-ok, what’s up with her?”

****

“ _Well, she’s chilled out now...in the sense that she’s not a sniveling mess in the corner anymore.”_ Daniel clarified. “ _She said that she was ready to resume the interviewing, so...here we are.”_  

****

Jaune was on his feet at this point, hastily picking his clothes up and getting dressed. “Alright, I-I guess I’ll start heading down there soon.”  
  
“Aw, do you have to, Jaune?”

****

A brief silence fell after Ruby spoke, as it sank in that Daniel was still listening. The reaper and knight started at each other for a moment, before Daniel’s voice crackled through the scroll once more, clearly smiling now.

****

“ _So, you have fun last night, you two?_ ” 

****

“I’m hanging up now, Daniel.” Jaune said, scooping up the scroll and preparing to end the call before Daniel spoke again.

****

“ _Oh, waitwaitwaitwaitWAIT! I wanna say happy birthday to shortstack!”_ He said hurriedly, prompting a groan from Jaune, who lowered the scroll back to where Ruby was sitting.

****

“Fine. Behave.” Jaune instructed, before a knock at the door drew his attention. He glanced at Ruby, who offered him a shrug as Daniel wished her a happy birthday. He walked over to the door, and opened the door casually, before a party horn blew in his face, followed by a chorus of cheers.

****

“Congrats on finally booping!~” Nora sang joyously, flanked by the rest of JNPR, RWBY, as well as Coco, Velvet, and Marcie.

****

“Nora, while your enthusiasm is appreciated, it’s 7am. People are trying to sleep.” Jaune whispered, before a smile slipped onto his face. “Thanks, though. I’m sure Ruby appreciates the sent-”

****

Jaune’s statement was cut off as he felt said reaper rush up from behind him, who waved from over the knight’s shoulder. “Nora! D-don’t say things like that!”

****

Jaune tilted his head to view Ruby, who was, (thankfully), dressed and blushing intensely. Before he could comment, another voice chimed in, this one belonging to a certain mini-gun wielding fashionista.

****

“How was he, kiddo? Everything you ever dreamed of and more?” Coco asked while tilting down her shades and winking at the pair. Both quickly became stuttering messes before a third voice chimed in from Jaune’s scroll.

****

“ _As entertaining as it’d be to hear about Jaune’s…skills in the bedroom, he has a date with the devil to keep.”_ Daniel intervened, a smile still present in his tone. “ _How about you girls consult Shortstack on all the gritty details of her night with the knight...heh. And, uh, Jaune helps me out with a little erend.”_

****

The girls glanced at each other, a quiet discussion taking place before Yang stepped forward, smiling at her younger sister evilly.

****

“Sounds like a deal.” Yang said, turning to wink at Jaune as she wrapped an arm around her sister. “You’ll get out of our grilling for now, Lover Boy, but don’t think this is over.”

****

Jaune rolled his eyes, knowing that Yang would definitely make do on that promise, and took his scroll back from Ruby, who had hung up the call. “I’ll be waiting.” He replied, before kissing Ruby on the cheek. “See you later, Rubes.”

****

Ruby just let out a squeak as she blushed, which intensified as the rest of the girls cooed at the response. Jaune started toward Ozpin’s elevator, smiling to himself as he wondered how his life ever got so good.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

As Jaune entered the room, Cinder’s bowed head finally raised itself, her amber orbs meeting his gaze with one of her own.

****

There was no arrogance in her gaze, no smug sense of superiority, there wasn’t even simple confidence present anymore, only capitulation and subordination.

****

She might not have been a terrified wreck in the corner anymore, screaming at him to leave her alone and calling someone else’s name, but she still looked broken. Broken and beaten and just… defeated.

****

Jaune was… torn.

****

The part of him with vengeance in mind was pleased to see the once-arrogant and smug murderer and terrorist experiencing the same terror and helplessness that she enjoyed forcing on her victims.

****

The more forgiving part of him felt pity for her. It was clear that something had happened to her, something to turn her into the person she currently was, something involving someone called ‘Jason’. No one deserved to go through that, not even her. Not even after everything she’d done to him and his peers.

****

The conflicted knight moved to take a seat at the table, not missing Cinder’s almost imperceptible flinch as he moved his hands into view and placed them in front of him on the table’s surface.

****

Well, this was awkward. How was he supposed to start a conversation with her after he’d seen her break down and freak out the last time?

****

_Well… enough deliberating, should probably just open my mouth see what happens. Can’t be any worse than just staying silent._

****

“So… what about that freakout you had last time?”

****

Cinder’s head SNAPPED up to meet his own, eyes widened to an almost comical degree.

****

_Well, mouth… meet foot._

****

He could’ve used a LOT more tact with that one.

****

_Great… now she’s probably going to start yelling at me, telling me to go shove a spear in my mouth or jump off a cliff, or just telling me to get out. Wow, great job me!_

****

_“You could have been a LITTLE more discreet than that, Jaune.”_ His mental passenger chided gently.

****

_Yeah, I really could’ve. God the yelling’ll start any second-_

****

Wait.

****

Where _was_ the yelling?

****

Where was the screaming? The death threats? The assertions of superiority mixed with derogatory insults about his lack of skill and strength?

****

_Why isn’t she yelling at me right now?_

****

A look over at the woman opposite him told him why.

****

Cinder was still sitting there, that same wide-eyed look on her face as before. As soon as Jaune’s gaze returned to her, the ex-Maiden ducked her head and refused to make eye contact.

****

This was getting unnerving now.

****

_Why isn’t she yelling at me? Or at LEAST taunting me? I mean, this IS Cinder in front of us, right? Loves to big herself up and put everyone else down? Willing to destroy a school to get Amber’s power, that she thinks is rightfully hers?_

****

_What is going on help?_ The knight’s confusion was palpable.

****

_“Jaune, I think your ‘outburst’ in the last session might’ve affected her more severely than we all thought.”_ Summer advised him.

****

Jaune was forced to agree. He sighed a little, before reaching a hand out to Cinder slowly and gently, in what he hoped was a placating gesture.

****

“I’m sorry, that was a little bit too upfront. You don’t have to-”

****

He was cut off as Cinder, at the sight of his hand slowly reaching out to her, visibly jerked away from him with a disturbingly quiet and subdued _whimper_ of fear. Her amber eyes once more widened and her whole body stiff.

****

Jaune retracted his hand as quickly as he dared, but that did not calm her down any. Her gaze slowly averted itself and she turned and lowered her head, hiding her eyes beneath a veil of her hair. Jaune could see that she was shivering slightly.

****

“Cinder?” He asked, quietly.

****

No reply. Nothing.

****

“Cinder?” He tried again, one more time.

****

Still no reply, she actually leaned _further away_ from him, it was only a slight movement, but for Jaune it told him all he needed to know.

****

She was still afraid of him.

****

The knight sighed, bowing his own head. There wasn’t really any point of him being here if his very presence was enough to cause Cinder to shut down like this. They weren’t getting anything else out of her now.

****

The chair scraped against the floor as Jaune pushed it back, standing up and slowly as he dared and making for the exit.

****

He hadn’t missed her final flinch when he’d stood up.

****

With one final sigh, Jaune opened the security door and made his way out of the small cell.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

Only when the blonde was gone did Cinder allow herself to relax, to breathe normally again.

****

The once Fall Maiden lowered her head onto the table and her clenched fists, her teeth ground together as a frustrated growl tore itself from her throat.

****

It was supposed to have gone differently. She _should’ve_ been able to look the boy in the eye, should’ve been able to talk to him. She’d convinced Ozpin and his lackeys that she’d been prepared. 

****

With enough repetition, she’d even convinced herself.

****

But she was wrong. She’d not been ready for him again, nowhere near.

****

The instant she’d looked into his eyes, all she’d been able to see was… _his_ eyes.

****

When she looked at Jaune, she didn’t see the overly forgiving, infuriatingly determined blue-eyed Knight. No, she saw another blue-eyed man entirely.

****

A man whose gaze was cold, condescending unforgiving, whose hands were brutal and quick to punish.

****

Once, perhaps, it had been warm and comforting. But that had been before he’d shown her who he really was. Before he’d taken advantage of her naivete, of her _weakness._ Used it to ensure her, to lure her in, to… to trap her.

****

For perhaps the first time in a long time, Cinder’s felt weak. She felt powerless.

****

No matter how long it had been since… since _Jason,_ she still couldn’t face him or stand up to him, even by proxy. Not even through Arc.

****

Ever since he’d grabbed her wrist like that, ever since he’d shouted at her, threatened her, all while she was without her Maiden powers and her Aura, while she was powerless and bound, helpless to protect herself…

****

She’d started to see Jason again, whenever she looked at Jaune.

****

And no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t stop.

****

Clenching her fists as tightly as she could, painfully aware of the bitter tears that were now slipping down her cheeks, Cinder opened her mouth to say the few words she never thought she’d say again.

****

“Please, help me…”

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

When Juane emerged from the lift and stepped into Ozpin’s office, he found the Headmaster, Goodwitch, Ironwood, Qrow, Winter, Daniel and Amber all gathered around Ozpin’s desk. They seemed to be watching the security feed from Cinder’s cell.

****

Qrow was the first to notice the boy’s arrival, and whistled a little as he glanced between Jaune and the security feed.

****

“Never thought I’d see the day when someone can turn a tough SOB like her into a sobbing wreck , what the hell did you say to her, kid?” The Huntsman asked, quirking a brow.

****

“I didn’t say anything!” Jaune burst out. “Look, all I did was sit down opposite her and she started tensing up and acting scared. I can’t even get near her without her freaking out.”

****

Ironwood and Winter both glanced at Jaune, then at the others, before Winter spoke up.

****

“Perhaps some form of lingering trauma?” THe Specialist suggested.

****

“Yeah, probably related to this ‘Jason’ guy she mentioned.” Daniel agreed. “Gotta say though, it’s nice that she’s the one powerless and scared and freaking out, for once. Guess the shoe’s on the other foot now.”

****

“Well, thanks to Miss Fall’s… ‘compromised’ state, the interviews will have to be postponed for the time being.” Ozpin said. “But thank you, Mr Arc, for at least trying to converse with her.”

****

“Ah, no problem sir.” Jaune scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment. “I didn’t really do anything this time, though.”

****

“You’ve already done a lot more than most people, Jaune.” Daniel insisted, the other young man stepping forward to place a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “I don’t think I could stand being in the room as her, after what she did to my team. And she’s-”

****

“Tried to kill me three times, I know.” Jaune interrupted, with a small and dry smile. “Well, guess I’ve got some free time on my hands.”

****

“Yes, feel free to enjoy your time however you like Mr Arc.” Goodwitch said. “As long as it doesn’t involve you winding up in the medical once more.” She warned him.

****

_“Ah, Glyndie really does care about her students. I knew she had a heart!”_ Summer cooed.

****

_‘Glyndie?’_ Jaune had to fight back a small smile at that. It was an adorable nickname for the otherwise stern instructor.

****

“Yeah, some of the medical staff have a betting pool going on about how long it’ll take for you to come back again.” Daniel grinned. “You’ve amassed quite a following there, buddy.”

****

“Thanks Miss Goodwitch, I think I’ll just go for a walk to be honest. My legs could use the exercise.” Jaune pointedly ignored his friend’s previous words.

****

“Hey, mine too! I’ll come with!” Daniel agreed. “Coming, Snow Angel?” He asked, turning to Winter with an expectant smile.

****

“I… suppose I could do with some exercise. And when we’re on duty, you will refer to me as _Specialist Schnee.”_ Winter insisted, glared a little at her gunslinger.

****

“Yes Specialist Schnee, ma’am!” Her partner replied in an exaggerated manner, snapping off an equally exaggerated salute.

****

“... dolt.” Winter muttered with a small tinge of red on her cheeks, the Specialist striding over to the lift. “May we be excused, sir?” She asked Ironwood, who nodded.

****

“There is no further need for your help, Specialists. Enjoy your free time.” Their superior pointedly ignored Daniel’s antics as he replied to Winter.

“Can I come too?” Amber asked. “I’ve been getting a bit bored being cooped up in here just watching security feeds for the last hour, I need to stretch my legs.” The Maiden explained.

****

“Why not?” Jaune shrugged. “The more the merrier.”

****

“Great!” There was a slight spring in Amber’s step as the older girl strode over to join Winter in the lift, though she did pause at Qrow’s snickering. Turning back to the veteran Hunter, she raised an eyebrow. “What is it, old man?”

****

“Ah, nothing kiddo. Nothing at all.” Qrow assured her.

****

Amber just huffed and folded her arms, unconvinced. Daniel and Jaune simply shrugged their shoulders at the display and made their way to the lift.

****

“Right then, let’s try not to run into any rampaging Grimm while we’re out and about!” The gunslinger exclaimed cheerfully, as the doors closed on the office.

****

“Daniel, we are in the middle of Beacon Academy itself, the Grimm would never dare set foot here.” Winter assured him.

****

“I dunno Snow Angel, they’ve already done it once. Besides, you never know with Jauney here, the guy’s like a doom magnet with how much shit he’s been in the middle of recently.” 

****

The knight in question just huffed and folded his own arms. Maybe this walk wouldn’t be quite as peaceful as he thought.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

“You know, I really do wonder how I get into these types of situations.” 

****

Jaune shouted this to Amber while he crouched behind a small barricade as stun rounds hit the metal he was currently behind. The walk had gone fairly well, with Daniel vowing silence unless directly spoken to after making a lewd joke on the elevator ride, prompting a series of smacks from Winter, as well as a traumatized “WHY?!” from both Amber and himself.

****

After a few minutes of walking, the group arrived at the section of campus that a majority of the Atlas forces were occupying. While crossing through, Daniel pointed out a training course that had been set up for recruits that had been shipped in after the Wyreven attack. When Amber asked about the details of the course, Winter explained it was an exercise of two teams fighting for dominance over the battleground by eliminating the other team using stun rounds. Daniel summarized with, “Paintball, but slightly more deadly. Also intense.”

****

Upon the insistence of both Jaune and Daniel, Winter assigned them to a three round match, with the teams switching each round. Daniel and Jaune swept the girls away the first round, while Amber and Daniel won the second round with the power of grenades, which Winter venimently classified as, “ _Bullshit!_ ”, which Daniel found particularly entertaining.

Finally, it was onto the final round, culminating in Amber and Jaune’s current predicament, which was an unending wave of stun rounds keeping the pair pinned, also known as, “The Rain of Blue Fire!” by Daniel.

****

“They have to run out of ammo soon, right?!” Amber shouted back to the knight, who shook his head in response.

****

“I think it’s a diversion, check your right, carefully!”

****

Amber did as instructed, scooting to her right and peeking around the corner, only for a blue streak to fly over her head, causing the Maiden to fling herself back behind cover, her eyes wide.

****

“Winter’s coming up the right!” She shouted to Jaune, catching his attention just as the Specialist rounded the corner. His eyes widened, and raised his training rifle in a flash.

****

“AMBER, DOWN!”

****

In an instant, Amber went to her knees, and Jaune unloaded his entire clip into Winter’s armor, resulting in the Specialist's weapon flashing red, representing her death. Amber looked up at Jaune, surprised at his accuracy and speed with the weapon, and finding herself blushing as the knight beamed at her. 

****

The blush died in a second as Daniel rounded the other corner, and before she could say a word, the man shot Jaune three times in the back. Jaune’s weapon flashed red as he fell, prompting Amber to stare at her fallen teammate for a moment before leaping to her feet and raising her rifle with a growl of rage.

****

“YOU BASTARD!” She roared as she unloaded her entire clip into Daniel’s armor, dropping her rifle as it clicked empty and pulling out her training pistol, emptying it as well. At this point, Daniel was against the far wall from the amount of ammo she’d hit him with, but she didn’t let up. She pulled out her training blade, (Just a black stun stick to prevent serious injury), and whacked Daniel with it relentlessly, before a hand grabbed her wrist.

****

“Amber, Amber! Calm down!” Jaune pleaded, a look of concern on his face. Amber paused as she came back to reality, while Daniel slumped against the wall, letting out a gasp as he shucked off his now cracked helmet, looking up at Amber with a look of surprise and slight fear as Winter rushed to his side.

****

“Fucking hell, you already almost fried me once in that damn dragon, now you’re doing it with a fucking stick!” He groaned, prompting Amber to blush bright red and hurriedly assist the Specialist to his feet.

****

“I-I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to get so...intense!” Amber apologized, only for Daniel to wave a hand dismissively, despite clutching his stomach with the other. 

****

“Hey, don’t sweat it. If you get that pissed at someone hurting Jaune…well, lets just say you have my blessing.” He said with a wink, as well as a knowing smile. Amber’s face ignited into a glowing blush once more, while Jaune just looked relieved.

****

“Well, I think it was pretty sweet of her to care like that.” He commented, completely missing Amber’s adorable “ _EEP!”_ in response, only catching Daniel’s laughter and Winter’s amused eye roll.

****

A few minutes later, the four left the training grounds, with Jaune insisting that Amber was free of any blame regarding beating Daniel senseless, while Daniel told Winter that a kiss might make him feel better, receiving a glare in response. Suddenly, a familiar voice called out from down the path.

****

“Yoooo, Arc!”

****

Jaune turned to face the shout, barely prepared for the impact of Neon Katt as she rammed into him, wrapping him in a tight hug within seconds.

****

“Hey, Neon. Great to see you.” Jaune wheezed from within the embrace.

****

“So, you gonna introduce us, or..?” Daniel asked, grinning as Jaune turned to face them, Neon still practically glued to his chest. His grin widened slightly as he noticed a frown present on Amber’s face, as well as a distinctive pout in her stance at this point.

****

‘Guys, this is Neon. She’s a friend of mine from team FNKI.” Jaune explained, before looking down at the Faunus in slight confusion. “So, any reason you’re hugging me so tight, or you just felt like it?”

****

“Just felt like it!” Neon chirped. “Well, that and I heard about all the things you’ve been involved in from team NDGO! Did you really hold up some rubble from Beacon tower to protect another student all by yourself?!”

****

“Ah, yeah… I did.” Jaune admitted.

****

“Wow! You really are as badass as NDGO says you are!” Neon cried.

****

Jaune blushed a little. “Ah, well what I did wasn’t THAT great, mostly just dumb luck really.” He flinched slightly as Neon’s tail began hitting him, it didn’t hurt, but she was still putting effort into her flicks.

****

Then he noticed her glower.

****

“Uh, any reason for that?”

****

“Yeah! Stop with that downer talk!” Neon ordered, jabbing the knight lightly in the stomach, her tail flicking within reach of his hands now, at least it had stopped hitting him.

****

“Uh, okay.” Jaune agreed, his hand absentmindedly reaching for the ginger tail swaying near his hand. It reminded him too much of the cats that he’d played with and petted as a child for him to ignore it.

****

Winter coughed a little. “So then, Miss Katt.” She began, having recognised Neon from one of her recent tours of Atlas Academy. “How exactly did you and Jaune-?”

****

Her question was cut off as a surprisingly loud purr began to sound through the corridor. It was coming from Neon, the cat Faunus’ tail twitching as Jaune’s hand brushed against it. Her face was slightly red, but it had a pleasant smile on it as well.

****

Jaune, realising what exactly he’d been doing, began to pull his hand away. “Sorry! That was a bit too-” His apology was cut off by the girl’s ginger tail wrapping around his wrist.

****

“Wait! Um, you can pet my tail, if you want.” Neon offered, the usually loud girl rather quiet and subdued.

****

“Uh, okay. Thanks.” By now, Jaune had all but forgotten his previous company as he gazed into Neon’s large eyes. He moved his hand to begin stroking her tail once more as it uncoiled from his wrist, and the purring quickly started up again, this time with Neon gently bumping her head against his shoulder and even nuzzling against him softly.

****

The three onlookers had differing reactions to this development.

****

Winter blushed, looking embarrassed at the rather _intimate_ display. She knew that some Faunus features, such as tails or ears, were sensitive to the touch, to the point that some considered them to be _erogenous zones._

****

So for Jaune to be touching this girl’s cat tail like this, in _public_...

****

Oh my.

****

Daniel, by contrast, was grinning like an idiot. He was even softly chanting ‘kiss her’ under his breath, even taking out his scroll to snap a picture or record the event, only for his partner to snatch it from his hand with a stern glare.

****

Meanwhile, Amber's pout had upgraded into a full-on scowl. Why did this random girl decide to just glomp Jaune out of nowhere? Couldn’t she at least respect his personal space a little!?

****

“Excuse me!” She interjected, startling both Jaune and Neon out of they’re moment. “We are in public at the moment, perhaps you should respect his personal space.”

****

“Aw, c’mon! I like hugging people, that’s not a crime!” Neon shot back, glaring at the taller girl in a defensive manner. “Besides, Jaune doesn’t look too uncomfortable. You like it, don’t you, _Jauney?”_  

****

The question caught Jaune off guard, as did the flirty inflection at the end of Neon’s statement causing him to freeze up a little. However, Amber interjected once more, a definitive firmness in her voice this time.

****

“I’m asking nicely, Katt. Just give him a little space, **_please_ ** .” She growled softly, her eyes glowing a faint orange.

 

In a surprising display of defiance, Neon just started the woman down, curling her tail around Jaune protectively. “Yeah, no.”

****

The two stared each other down in tense silence. Well, silence _besides_ Daniel quietly chanting, “Fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight!”

****

“Daniel, shut up!” Winter hissed with a swift elbow to the gunslinger’s side. He shot her a playful glare, before rolling his eyes and stepping forward.

****

“Alright girls, there’s no need to get-”

“Shut it, Daniel!” Both girls said in unison, making Daniel raise his hands in surrender and stepping back.

****

“Yeah, okay. Sorry, buddy. You’re on your own!” Daniel said, offering the still incapacitated Jaune a smile and a discreet thumbs up. 

****

Jaune raised his own arms as much as he could, though Neon’s tail made it a bit difficult. 

****

“Um, girls? I’m...not really sure what’s happening here, but I might have a solution.” He offered cautiously. Both girl’s gazes snapped to him, but they didn’t yell. They just waited expectantly.

****

_Well, this isn’t exactly my best idea, but I’ve had worse._ Jaune mused mentally, before initiating his grand plan...of hugging Amber. Truly, his finest idea yet.

****

Oddly enough, nothing happened for the first few seconds of the hug. Finally, Amber let out what appeared to be a breathy chuckle before wrapping her arms around Jaune in kind. The hug only lasted a few more seconds before they released each other, and Jaune noticed a few things.

****

First, Neon had removed her tail, and while still at Jaune’s side, had given him some distance. Second, the glow to Amber’s eye had now gone to her cheeks instead, her gaze averted from Jaune and a small but adorable smile on her face. And of course, Daniel was off to the side, still smirking like a moron while trying to snatch his scroll back from Winter, who had clearly taken it away from him after he took a picture.

****

“So, doing any better now?” Jaune asked the Maiden playfully, earning another giggle in response, as well as a nod. 

****

“Yes, actually.” She admitted, before turning to Neon with a bashful expression. “I’m sorry about that, Katt. I was...being rude.”

****

“Nah, it’s cool.” Neon interjected, offering her own smile to the girl. “I guess I should give Jauney a bit more breathing room. Sorry I got all competitive about it.”

****

The pair smiled at each other, and agreement having been reached and a fairly pleasant moment forged...and then Daniel started shouting.

****

“ACH! WINTER, NO! THAT’S CHEATING, YOU CAN’T USE DUST!”

****

“Bite me, Wilson! I gave you a chance to be civil!”

****

“I’ll keep that bite me in mind for toni-OW! I WAS JOKING!”

****

Jaune sighed as he watched the Specialists squabble, and shook his head while grinning.

****

“Well, today’s been one wild ride. Hopefully, it gets better.”

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

There was a knock on her inner sanctum’s door.

****

_Ah, that must be Tyrian, hopefully he has dear Roman with him._

****

“Enter.” Salem called gently, turning from the window overlooking her land, the Grimm Queen switched her gaze to the entrance of her inner sanctum as Tyrian, her ever-loyal servant, flounced through the door.

****

“I have returned as you requested my Goddess!” The man proclaimed, bowing so deeply that Salem honestly entertained the mildly amusing idea of his head hitting the ground, if only for a moment.

****

_His dependance on me is rather fascinating, even a little childish… at least it ensures his loyalty is never in question._ She mused, before addressing the fanatic directly. “Have you brought our guest with you?”

****

“Ah, no my lady…” Tyrian seemed to wilt at that. “He-he still refuses to leave his room! He still fears the Grimm, but perhaps a little _punishment_ with change his mind-” He began, a savage grin spreading across his face.

****

“That will not be necessary.” Salem interrupted him, before he started getting the idea to maim Roman against her instructions. “You may return to your quarters now, Tyrian. Wait until I call for you.”

****

The scorpion nodded so fast that his head was a blur. “Y-yes my Goddess! I am eternally ready for your guidance!” With that, he scuttled away, shutting the door behind him.

****

Salem allowed a small smile, his eagerness to please her really was childish… in much the same way that her own children had once liked seeing her happy.

 

Before she could stop them, the memories surged to the forefront.

****

_“Look mummy, I made this flower necklace for you! Isn’t it pretty?!”_

****

_“Look mummy, we made a drawing of you and daddy! Do you like it?”_

****

_“Daddy helped us make this cake for you mummy! We love you!”_

****

The smile vanished in an instant, replaced with a bitterly sad frown that had her clenching her fists and shutting her eyes.

****

It took longer than she would have liked to re-compose herself, and even then Salem could feel the couple of tears that had slipped out making tracks down her cheeks.

****

She was infinitely thankful for her loneliness. It wouldn’t do to show weakness in front of her servants like this.

****

_Deep breaths now. Collect yourself. There is still work to be done._

****

_… there will be time to mourn them later, as well as punish the one responsible for taking them away._

****

Shelving the upsetting thoughts and memories, the Dark Queen focused her mana, before reaching out and pinpointing the location of her newest servant.

****

If Roman was unwilling to come to her himself, then she would simply bring him here by force.

****

_Ah, there he is._

****

Sure enough, one pulse of mana later, and the thief in question materialised a few metres in front of the inner door in a dark red flash of energy. He looked around with a bewildered expression.

****

“W-what the hell!? How’d I get here!? What th-aahh…” His frantic questions trailed off as soon as his gaze met her own. Salem found some amusement in the poorly concealed terror that appeared on his face as he spotted her, put two-and-two together, and realised how he’d gotten here. “Er, ah, hey there, your majesty.” He greeted nervously.

****

“Hello again, dear Roman.” She returned his greeting. “And what did I say the last time? You may call me Salem. That is, after all, my name. Come, sit.” She indicated one of the chairs around the spacious table, while taking her own at the head.

****

By contrast, the thief shuffled as slowly as he dared toward the seat furthest from her own he could possibly find. He wasn’t even trying to be confident anymore, though she couldn’t begrudge his nerves.

****

Considering that he’d spent almost ten minutes screaming after seeing her in the flesh for the first time, she should have taken that as something of an indicator for their future interactions.

****

Privately, she was actually a little pleased that she could inspire such terror through appearance alone. 

****

That was at least part of the reason why she had been able to turn Leonardo Lionheart against Ozpin, along with some thinly veiled threats about what might happen to Mistral and Haven (not to mention Lionheart himself, it turned out the coward crumbled most easily when his own life was threatened) should he not comply.

****

That she was able to turn one of her hated enemy’s oldest friends into a spy for her was another reason for her to smile, even now. It was why she was happy to allow Roman to continue his abysmally slow pace towards his selected seat right now, time was never truly an issue for her.

****

Finally, the man took his seat. Had she been in a worse mood, she might have admonished him for his less-than-satisfactory gait.

****

That, or telekinetically throttled him, just a little.

****

“So, what can I help you with you maj- uh, Salem.” The thief asked, tilting his head. 

****

“Ah, yes. The reason I summoned you here.” Salem paused a moment, collecting her thoughts once more. “Tell me, dear Roman… you have many talents, yes?”

****

“Well sure! Guy like me needs to be prepared after all.” He actually looked a little pleased as he spoke, well it was better than him being terrified. “Let me guess, you want me to steal something, right?”

****

“No.”

****

“Well, it’ll be tric- wait, uh… what?” He stumbled a bit at that, his look turning confused now. “So, if you’re don’t want me to steal something, then what can I do for you?” He asked.

****

“Dear Cinder once told me that you deal in information, as well. I require some.” Salem explained.

****

“Oh, well, what are you looking for? Info on Atlas’ newest tech or the latest Dust shipment?”

****

The Dark Lady held up her hand to silence his questions. “What I require is information about a person. Any information you can provide.”

****

Roman quirked an eyebrow.

****

“Just one guy? That’s all?”

****

“Yes. He has proven himself… worthy of my attention.” The Queen admitted.

****

“Must be a pretty interesting guy.”

****

“Indeed… in fact, it is partly because of him that dear Cinder is now in captivity. I understand he presented quite an obstacle for her. I would rather not underestimate him, as she did.”

****

“Well, I’ve still got some contacts in Vale… might cost you a pretty penny though.” He warned.

****

“You will be given the finances you need, dear thief. I simply ask that you discover all there is to know about him.”

****

“I’ll get you the info. So, what sort of man am I looking into?” Roman asked again.

****

“Not a man.” Salem allowed a faint smile as she spoke. “A boy, really.”

****

The thief’s confusion only grew on his face. “Seriously?”

****

“Yes.”

****

Her thief looked stunned at that, but persisted.

****

“Uh, I’ll need a name.”

****

Salem smiled at him. It was not wholly friendly.

****

Even if the negativity in that smile was not directed at him, Roman still shivered.

****

“His name, dear Roman, is Jaune. Jaune Arc.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, we've had Cinder taking an unhealthy interest in Jaune, now it's time for Salem to take an interest in her place.


	57. Captain vs Huntress

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaune, Amber, Daniel and Winter test their skills in a friendly spar.
> 
> Eventually, Summer and Mirabelle are given the opportunity to do the same.
> 
> Raven visits her fallen leader's grave once more, and runs into a familiar face along the way.

It took awhile for the Specialists to calm down and stop squabbling, with an amused Amber, Neon and Jaune looking on all the while. Neon did eventually step forward to break the pair up, cheekily telling them they could save the aggression for the bedroom.

****

Winter had blushed, while Daniel had grinned, at least until he was slapped upside the head by his ‘Snow Angel’ partner, who muttered about him ‘keeping his mind out of the gutter’. Jaune was pretty sure he’d heard a faint ‘dolt’ tacked on at the end there.

****

She really was Weiss’ elder sister, only a Schnee could use that word as both an insult and a term of endearment.

****

The five started back towards the main grounds of Beacon at that point, prepared to go their separate ways once they reached Ozpin’s office.

****

“Well, I had fun today.” Jaune commented, smiling at the others warmly.

****

“I’ll admit, today was quite refreshing.” Winter admitted, before bumping Daniel’s arm pointedly. “Despite  _ someone’s  _ constant interruptions.”

****

“Love you too, Winter.” The gunslinger hummed in response, receiving another soft ‘dolt’ accompanying the blush of his partner.

****

“A shame it has to end so...hmm?” Amber trailed off as a familiar voice cried out from around the corner.

****

“Aw, c’mon! I need to use the training bots, or I’ll have no one to fiiiiiight!”

****

Jaune quirked an eyebrow as well, after realizing that the voice belonged to one of his teammates.  _ Nora? _

****

Sure enough, as they rounded the corner, the sight of Nora Valkyrie standing outside of one of the combat rooms, currently speaking to an Atlas guard who was standing before it, clearly unamused with the girl’s whining.

****

“Ma’am, I’m not allowed to let anyone use the droids without proper clearance.” He droned, before annoyance seeped into his tone. “And you are a student! You should not have access to our droids regardless!”

****

While the trooper’s argument was valid, Jaune felt of spike of anger at the way Nora slumped as she was berated. Before he could say a word, however, another voice spoke up.

****

“Excuse me, soldier!” 

****

The soldier turned to face the shout, only to straighten up and go into a hasty salute.

****

“S-specialists!”

****

Sure enough, Jaune tilted his head to see both Winter and Daniel had rounded to conner, and were now scowling at the soldier. Winter took a step forward, but Daniel held his hand up, glancing at his partner with a thin smile.

****

“I’ll handle this one, Schnee.”

****

Winter nodded hesitantly, and Daniel strode forward, a thin smile on his face as he stopped before the soldier. “Hello there, Corporal. Is there a problem here?”

****

Jaune almost jumped when he heard Daniel’s voice. It was...sharp. Composed. Not like Daniel  _ at all. _

****

“Uh...y-yes, sir.” The soldier stuttered, clearly nervous with being confronted by someone outranking him. “T-this students was attempting to acquire some training droids for a spar, b-but I informed her that the droids are Atlas property. They are not playthings.”

****

Daniel nodded along to the soldier’s explanation, before chuckling lightly and clapping the boy on the shoulder.

****

“You are correct in your assessment, but let me ask you Corporal...actually, what  _ is  _ your name, soldier?” 

****

The soldier stumbled momentary with his words before answering. “S-steven, sir. Steven Azuel.”

****

Daniel nodded again, and continued. “Well Steven, we are currently on Beacon’s campus, are we not?” Upon the soldier’s nod, Daniel continued. “And these are Beacon’s training rooms, are they not?”

****

Once more, the soldier nodded in confirmation, head tilted in confusion. “Sir, I’m not sure I understand.” 

****

“While Atlas is currently occupying this area, Beacon’s staff and students still have prior obligations to fulfil, as well as simple freedoms. Freedom to walk around campus, to enjoy a meal in their mess hall...and freedom to train. They are the next generation of Hunters, correct?”

****

“I-I suppose you’re right, sir.” Steven said, his tone still noticeably unsure. Daniel released a deep sigh, removing his hand from the soldier’s shoulder and shrugging dismissively.

****

“If you’re still uncertain, I’m sure General Ironwood would be more than happy to clear things up.”

****

The soldier jolted at the mention of the general, and quickly shook his head. “Oh, n-no sir, I understand!”

****

“Wonderful!” Daniel said, still smiling thinly at the soldier. “Then you won’t mind if my associates and I training room?”

****

“Not at all, sir!”

****

Daniel nodded in approval, and opened the door for the rest of his group to enter. “Ladies first.”

****

Amber, Winter, Neon, and Nora entered, followed by Jaune a few seconds later. Daniel turned back to the soldier, and offered a crisp salute. “You have a nice day, Corporal.”

****

The soldier returned the salute, and replied with a shaky “Yes sir.”

****

With a curt nod, Daniel closed the door, turned to his friends, and let out a giddy laugh.

****

“Well, that was my first time pulling rank.” He said, grinning at Winter pointedly. “Now I kinda see why you do it so often.”

****

Winter blushed a bit at the statement, but before she could respond, Nora spoke up, beaming at the gunslinger.

****

“Thanks, Danny! That mean guy kept saying I couldn’t use those training droids, but I knew that I was allowed to!”

****

Daniel quirked an eyebrow at the nickname, before shrugging dismissively. “Eh, no problem pinkie. Since we’re here, actually…” he started, a playful gleam reaching his eye. “Why not go a few rounds? Not like we couldn’t use the training.”

****

“That...actually sounds pretty fun!” Jaune said, thinking back to the last time that combat had been training and not an actual fight for life. “What do you guys think?”

****

“I I see no reason why we shouldn’t.” Winter commented, still blushing a bit from Daniel’s teasing, as well as his unexpected demeanor shift with that guard outside. While she’d never admit it to his face, she found it increasingly attractive whenever Daniel got serious.

****

“I could certainly go for a spar.” Amber agreed.

****

“Hell yeah, let’s do it!” Neon squealed enthusiastically. Nora just raised her hammer in a show of excitement, with an enthusiastic “WHOOOOOO!”

  
“Well, let’s get started then.” Jaune hummed, walking towards the arena with new found enthusiasm. This was gonna be fun.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

After a brief discussion on who was going first, and Daniel leaving to grab the Sentinel suit, the first spar was set up with Jaune and Daniel going against Winter and Amber.

****

“You nervous buddy?” Daniel asked joviely as he and Jaune took their places. 

****

“A little bit, actually.” Jaune admitted, unsheathing his sword. “I mean, Amber’s basically a demi-god, and Winter’s an experienced specialist and all around badass. I think we bit off more than we can chew.”

****

Daniel chuckled, before turning to Jaune and raising his faceplate to show he too was smiling nervously underneath. “Yeah, this was a bad idea. We can’t exactly opt out, can we?”

****

“I’m afraid not.” Winter responded, standing alongside Amber on the other end of the stage. “You did say that this would be an interesting matchup, and I intend to see it through.

****

“Sorry about this, Jaune!” Amber called out, a bashful smile on her face. “ I promise I’ll stop after you get below 30%.”

****

“I make no such promises.” Winter said tensely, though a small smile cracked on her face as she winked at Daniel pointedly. Daniel, in turn, hastily motioned for Juane to switch spots with him.

****

“Ok, I-I’m gonna take Amber now.”

****

“Gee, thanks.” Jaune deadpanned, despite wearing the smug smirk of seeing Daniel uncomfortable and mentally cheering that he didn’t have to fight the girl who could control the actual weather. Once they were properly lined up, Jaune nodded to Nora who started the countdown.

****

“Three...two...one....BEGIN!”

****

With that, Daniel and Amber immediately lunged at one another, while Jaune and Winter’s blades clashed in response.

****

In a matter of seconds, the room was filled by the noises of combat. Daniel prepared a stun blast before Amber’s staff connected with his helmet, sending him spiraling on the ground.

****

“Fucking hell, never thought a stick would beat the most advanced armor ever created.” He groaned as he righted himself, barely blocking a second strike from the staff. 

****

“ _ Sir, you can’t beat her hand to hand!”  _ Friday insisted, the A.I. voice tense with synthetic alarm. Despite his current circumstances, Daniel couldn’t help but smile a bit at the A.I.’s concern. Before the Grimm Dragon attack, she’d been near silent besides an occasional stiff warning of dangers while in combat. Now, Friday was at the ready whenever he needed her, such as right now.

****

“Friday, analyze her fighting pattern!” He hissed as a blow from the staff connected with his chest, before he used his thrusters to get some distance between them. A distinctive _ ding  _ within his helmet alerted him that Friday had analyzed Amber’s moves.

****

Amber quickly closed the distance between herself and the armored man, bringing up her staff for a second strike to the head, only for it to be caught by an armored fist by Daniel, whose smirk was audible in his next words.

****

**“My turn.”**

****

Meanwhile, on the other side of the arena, sparks flew as Jaune’s blade cracked against Winter’s, before two glyphs formed beneath his feet and forced him to disengage, using his gravity strip on Crocea Mors II to escape their radius. 

****

So far, their fight was surprisingly even. While Winter’s glyphs would typically be a challenge, the upgrades to Jaune’s sword made countering them fairly easy. However, Winter was still an experienced combatant and one hell of a fighter. Jaune did a brief aura check as he made his landing. He was at 67%, while Winter was at 58%. Daniel was at 100% (though that was only thanks to the Sentinel, which was itself taking quite a bit of damage), and Amber was at 65%. Not great, not terrible.

****

_ “Jaune, Look out!”  _ Summer cried, prompting the boy to duck just before a glyph shot over his head, followed by Winter’s sword coming down to meet his own. While Winter initially had the upper hand, she was unprepared for Jaune to rise to his feet, bringing his blade up and breaking away from her before swinging his blade in an arc, hurling both lightning and ice at the elber Schnee.

****

Winter absorbed the first blow, but was unprepared for the second blast from Crocea Mors II went sent her sprawling, her rapier skidding out of reach. She hastily moved to right herself, but paused as she saw her aura level on the board. 29%

****

“Well, it appears I’m out.” She mused, before turning to Jaune and offering a curt nod alongside a small smile. “Well done, Mr. Arc. I’m impressed.”

  
“Oh, um...thank you!” Jaune said, glancing at the board and noticing her decreased aura level, as well as his own, which had dropped to 60%. “You did very well yourself, Winter.”

****

The two exchanged a brief handshake, which was momentarily followed by Daniel flying past them and making contact with the far side of the stage, releasing a groan of pain before slapping his hand on the stage twice.

****

“Ok...I’m out.” He said, gesturing to the board. While his aura still sat at 100% thanks to the suit’s protection, he was marked as “Out of Bounds”, meaning he had lost. With another groan, Daniel hefted himself to his feet, looking over to Amber and raising his face plate, revealing a surprised expression.

****

“You, Little Miss Chastity, are something else.” He hummed, before turning to Jaune with a grin. “You’re in for a fun ride, buddy. Good luck!” With that, Daniel started to walk off the stage before hissing in pain and rolling his shoulder turning to glare at the Maiden. “Jesus, lady! How the hell are you so good with that staff?!”

****

“Years of practice, Shellhead.” Amber responded with a smirk, before turning to Jaune. “So, you ready Jaune?”

****

Jaune glanced at the board, and realized that their Aura was at the same level.  _ Well, that’s convenient.  _

****

“Yeah, I guess I am. You’ll, uh, take it easy on me, right?” He asked nervously, not particularly keen on the idea of going against someone as powerful as Amber. The Maiden herself shrugged, and offered Jaune an apologetic smile.

****

“Sorry, Jaune. It wouldn’t really be fair to take it easy on you when I only gave Daniel 50% of my real effort, would it?”

****

“THAT WAS ONLY 50%?!” The gunslinger practically shrieked out. “You practically PASTED me!!”

****

“Oh come on, it wasn’t that bad!” Amber protested. Daniel glared at her once more, and raised his left hand and squeezed it, only for a noticeable crack to fill the air. 

****

“I repeat,  _ pasted _ .” Daniel stated, before turning to his partner with a noticeable waiver in his voice. “Winter, I think I may need medical attention.”

  
“Daniel, you still have Aura.”

****

“Oh, right!” Daniel confirmed, a blue glow enveloping his hand briefly before dissipating, flexing his hand once more, crack free. “Weird I didn’t think of that sooner.”

****

“...How did you ever become a Specialist?” Amber questioned, not waiting for a reply as she went into a ready stance. “Jaune?”

****

“Ready.” The knight replied, raising his blade in a defensive stance. Maybe he could handle this. Maybe...maybe this wouldn’t be so bad.

****

…

****

About a minute later, Jaune mentally rebuffed the thought as he lay on his back, his sword scattered somewhere behind him and his aura down to 20%. “Yep, Daniel wasn’t kidding. That  _ really  _ hurt.”

****

Amber chuckled, offering the knight a hand and lifting him to his feet. “Sorry Jaune, are you alright?”

****

“Yeah, I’m fairly certain I’m in one piece.” He quipped, returning the Maiden’s smile. “Mind giving me a once over?”

****

While the older girl blushed a stuttered slightly at the question, Summer also chuckled within the boy’s mind. “ _ Well, that was certainly quite the show.” _

****

_ Oh, did you enjoy it?  _ Jaune asked, unsurprised with the huntresses quip.  _ I’m sure it was fun to watch me suffer. _

****

“ _ Oh, you’re fine!”  _ Summer responded, before sighing wistfully. “ _ My, what I’d give to have a spar one more time. _ ”

****

... _ Well why not?  _ Jaune asked, startling his mental companion.  _ I mean, Amber doesn't even look remotely tired. Maybe she’d like on more round? _

****

“ _ I...well, I don’t know…”  _ Summer muttered, clearly uncertain. Jaune decided that the choice needed to be made for her.

****

“Hey, Amber. Would you mind doing one more spar with Summer?”

****

Amber blinked, and cocked her head in confusion. “Um, I suppose I wouldn’t…” Amber trailed off for a moment, before a smile rose on her face. “Actually, I just got a wonderful idea.”

****

Turning her attention inward, Amber called out to one of the spirits in her mind.  _ Hey, Mira? You’ve been reminiscing about your training an awful lot since we got here. _

****

_ “Well, of course! Battle arenas like this one remind me of the training I underwent to become one of my liege’s personal Honour Guards! Tis a pity those days are long past.” The captain admitted. _

****

_  Well, they don’t have to be. _

****

_ “Oh? What do you suggest?” _

****

_ Well, how about I let you use my body to have another spar? Jaune says that Summer wants to try out her skills as well, so you’ll be fighting against her in Jaune’s body, how about it? _

****

_ “A chance to test my skills against a fellow soldier, and a fellow spirit no less? Why, it would be a pleasure.”  _ Mirabelle insisted, Amber almost hearing the smile and excitement in her words.

****

“She’s up for it!” The Maiden called over to Jaune, who nodded back, then turned and began to walk over to the training room. On his way, he noticed that Nora had vanished, likely running off to go find Ren, or pancakes.

****

_ Well, here we go. _

\-------------

Line Break

\--------------

Ruby Rose was not having the best of days.

****

It had started off well,  _ very  _ well, considering that she’d woken up in the arms of her first friend, best friend and now boyfriend, Jaune Arc.

****

Then Jaune’s friend had ruined it by calling him away and leaving her to face their other friends and their incessant questions, most of them about last night.

****

Surprisingly enough, it wasn’t Marcie and her questions about how long they’d gone for that was the worst, or even Coco and her fake anger at Ruby and Jaune’s ‘sneaking off for a quickie’. No. The worst of it came from Yang. 

****

The blonde brawler had been needling her sister relentlessly about how her ‘night with the dork knight’ had gone, she just wouldn’t stop. At least the other girls had somewhat calmed down, but only because Yang was essentially asking more questions by herself than all of them combined.

****

“Yang! For the last time! We DID have protection, and we DID have fun okay!? Jaune didn’t hurt me or anything, he was really sweet and kind and caring and… he really made sure I liked it.” The reaper insisted, staring down her elder sibling.

****

Said sibling matched her glare with equal intensity. Then, after a few moments, she stopped and shrugged.

****

“Alright then.”

****

Wait, WHAT?

****

“What!?” Ruby squeaked out, thoroughly confused by her sister’s suddenly stopping her questioning, when previously she’d not let up for anything. “You’re not gonna interrogate me more?!”

****

“Nope.” Yang popped the ‘p’. “Got what I wanted, you had a nice night with Lover Boy, that’s all I needed to know.”

****

“Wait, so you would’ve let up at ANY POINT if I’d just told you that earlier!?” The red Huntress cried out incredulously.

****

Yang’s grin split her face. “Yep.”

****

While the other four girls of their group (Coco, Velvet and the others having all made other plans and Nora charging off to the arena to ‘keep in shape’, leaving RWBY and PR alone) giggled, cackled or otherwise laughed at Yang’s confirmation, Ruby herself didn’t see the funny side.

****

“That’s not funny Yang!” Ruby narrowed her eyes and balled her fists, mustering her best intimidating glare, though Yang simply responded by pulling her younger sibling into a hug while laughing about how she was ‘too cute’ to be threatening.

****

Drat! Foiled by her own looks once again!

****

Thankfully, the hug was stopped short when an orange-haired force of nature came crashing into the room with all the force of a hurricane.

****

“Hey! Hey! HEY! LADIES! LISTEN UP YOU GOTTA HEAR THIS!!” Nora practically  _ screamed _ , causing almost everyone present to clamp their hands over their ears and wince at the sheer  _ volume _ .

****

All except, that is, for Ren. The ever-reliable ninja girl calmly making her way over and laying a hand on her best friend’s shoulder.

****

“Nora, I’m sure you can tell us all about whatever it is we need to hear  _ without _ yelling at full volume.” She advised.

****

Nora did at least look a bit sheepish at that. “Sorry Renny, guess I got a bit excited.”

****

“You mean more than usual?” Blake grumbled, still rubbing her cat ears, their heightened sensitivity meant that she was nearly  _ deafened  _ by Nora’s full-volume yelling. Thankfully, there was no lasting damage.

****

“Now, what is it you want to tell us?” Ren asked, after the other girls had recovered, causing the ginger bomber to instantly perk up again.

****

“Oh! Well, I was training in the combat arena using some of those Atlas robots, because I didn’t have anyone else to fight! This mean soldier came over and started telling me off when I saw Jauney walk in with Weiss’ sister-”

****

“Winter’s still here!?” Weiss yelped.

****

“His friend Danny, a ginger like me with a cute kitty tail-”

****

“Huh, you mean Neon? Weiss and I fought her and Flynt in the Vytal festival right?” Yang mused.

****

“And that magic girl from the fairytale!” Nora finished with a squeal.

****

“Sounds like you had quite a nice conversation, then.” Yang observed.

****

“We didn’t just talk, Yang-arang! No, I talked them all into some sparring, and eventually it was Jauney and Daniel against the girls with them! It was super-intense, especially when Jauney started using his sword and-” Nora began to explain, only to be cut off by the brawler once more.

****

“Hey wait! You mean Fairy Girl’s sparring with those other people and WE weren’t invited!?” She cried. “Come on! She promised that we’d all spar sometime!”

****

“I’m sure there’ll be another chance for us to test our skills against her.” Pyrrha offered diplomatically.

****

“It’s not that!” Nora interrupted. “You know how Jauney and Ami-”

****

“Ami?” Blake questioned.

****

“You know, Amber!” Nora insisted. “Anyway, you know how Jauney and Ami both have voices in their heads?”

****

“You mean how Amber’s got that ‘hardass captain’ and the other girl who’s invested in her love life?” Yang questioned.

****

“Her name was Mirabelle, wasn’t it?” Blake interjected.

****

“Yes, I believe it was.” Ren agreed.

****

“And Jaune’s got our mum in his head!” Ruby spoke up.

****

“Yeah, them!” Nora continued. “Anyway, your mum and that captain were both pretty nostalgic about their own training and stuff, so Jauney and Ami decided to let them have another go at it!”

****

“Wait, what do you mean Nora?” Weiss questioned.

****

“Well, they decided to let Ruby’s mum take over Jaune-Jaune’s body, while Ami lets that captain use her body, then they can both relive the good old days!” Nora explained.

****

“Hold on, you mean to tell us… that MY MUM is gonna be fighting some badass from the GREAT WAR, in the body of someone who can use MAGIC… and you DIDN’T TELL US SOONER!?” Yang cried out incredulously.

****

“Hey! I ran here to tell you right away!” Nora fired back hotly.

****

“Where are they fighting!?” Ruby practically demanded, stars in the girl’s eyes.

****

“Just the regular combat arena!” The Valkyrie chirped, only for the reaper to blur over to her sister via her Semblance, shaking her arm frantically.

****

“Come on Yang, come on! We can see mum fighting, come on come on COME ON!!” The RWBY leader squealed excitedly, before charging off in a shower of rose petals, followed very closely by Yang herself.

****

“Hey! Wait for me, Rubes! No way in hell am I missing out on this!!” The dragoness’ yells rebounded off the corridor walls as she blitzed her way to the arena, both siblings scattering the students around them.

****

The other girls looked at each other for a few moments. The choice; to stay here and talk to pass the time, though with no more Ruby teasing to keep them entertained, or to follow the siblings and watch a fight between their leader (possessed by the mother of two of their friends) and a magic-wielding Maiden from a fairytale (possessed by the soul of a Valean Captain who fought in the Great War).

****

It was a no brainer.

****

The students, who had only just begun picking themselves up, were forced to fling themselves to the floor once more as five more girls practically stampeded their way towards the combat arena.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

Summer jolted a little as she assumed control of Jaune’s body once more, the knight himself pushed back to settle into the mindscape as a peripheral presence.

****

Looking down, she saw that she was clad in Jaune’s usual armor, with his sword hanging at her side in its scabbard.

****

_ Well, at least I’m not missing anything. _

****

_ “Well that’s a relief.”  _ Summer was a little ashamed to admit that she was startled, usually she was the one whispering in his head through the day, not the other way around.

****

_ “Heh, well at least now you know how I feel when you suddenly speak up out of nowhere.”  _ A soft chuckle resonated through her head, coaxing a small smile from her.

****

_ I suppose I do. _

****

“ _ Yeah, though I do need to ask, is it… awkward, you know, what with you being you and me… being me. Different genders and all.” _ There was a distinct embarrassment in the knight’s voice, and embarrassment that Summer soon found herself sharing.

****

_ Well, not really, at least not until you brought it up just now. _

****

_ “Oh gods, sorry. I didn’t-” _

****

_ Jaune, it’s fine. I’ll… I’ll get over it. _ She assured him, still a little embarrassed, but that was waning rather quickly.

****

The fact that she was about to be fighting soon probably had something to do with that. Sure, it was a practice spar, but it was still her first actual stint of combat in about 10 years. Even with her regular training in the mindscape against enemies she could conjure from her memory, the real thing was much more daunting.

****

Especially since she’d be going up against someone who not only had actual military training and was a literal war veteran, but was also possessing a body that could wield actual magic.

****

All in all, Summer was a little nervous.

****

But she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t also excited, excited for her first taste of combat in a decade. Even if the odds were against her, it was only a sparring match with no serious stakes.

****

Still, Summer at least wished that she had her old weapon with her. While Jaune’s Dust-augmented blade was a versatile and powerful tool in itself, it just didn’t feel right in her hands. Even if she’d taught herself to use it quite well in the mindscape, it still didn’t compare to her own weapon.

****

Summer still remembered her and Qrow geeking out over their eerily similar weapons. He had Harbinger, the greatsword/scythe with a shotgun in the hilt. She had Harvester, a triple-form battle rifle/longsword/scythe weapon, her baby and pride and joy (superseded by Ruby and Yang themselves of course).

****

Ironically, her adorable Petal’s Crescent Rose was the closest fit for her old weapon, with two noticeable differences. 1.) It didn’t have a sword form. 2.) It’s ranged alternate was a long-ranged sniper rifle, rather than a semi-automatic battle rifle.

****

Of course, since Qrow had been her mentor and she looked up to him, that wasn’t a surprise. At least he’d cleaned up his act now, he’d stopped drinking as much (and at all around her babies, according to Yang), and he was finally acting like a proper role model. That actually brought a smile to Summer’s face, at least her hope that he could change was rewarded.

****

The Huntress’ thoughts were cut off by a loud cry of “MUUUM!!!”. Fortunately, she’d had enough experience with Ruby’s tackle-hugs, even though she’d been four/five/six and it’d been about 10 years ago, to know what to do next.

****

Summer managed to snatch the incoming rose petal coated missile in her left arm, allowing the momentum to spin her around while wrapping her other arm around the bundle. Coming to a halt, she looked down to see her little Petal staring back up at her.

****

“Hi Mum!” She squeaked out. “You uh, you are Mum, right? Not Jau-” She was cut off with a gentle boop to the nose.

****

“Hello Petal.” She greeted, unable to help the grin from crossing her face at seeing her daughter in person again. Even if she’d only just seen them  _ yesterday _ , she still had 10 years worth of missed mother-daughter bonding to catch up on.

****

_ “You two are just so adorably cute. Who even needs Zwei anymore when we’ve got you two dorks around?” _ Jaune’s voice joked in her mind, the knight struggling not to ‘aww’ at the scene.

****

_ I’ll take that as a compliment, thank you! _ Summer replied, the mother preening a little from the praise. See, she could be cute too!

****

“Mum?” Ruby’s voice pulled her back to the present.

****

“What is it, Petal?”

****

“You zoned out for a bit, are you talking with Jaune? He used to zone out a lot too, was that when he was talking with you?” The girl asked curiously.

****

“Yes, I was talking to Jaune. He was just telling me that he thinks we’re both as cute as Zwei.” Summer explained, grinning at Ruby’s small blush and smile from Jaune calling her ‘cute’. “I think his exact words were ‘cute dork’.”

****

“Jaaauuunne.” Ruby whined a little, not caring that he wasn’t even controlling his body at this point. “I’m you cute anymore! You called me beautiful last night! Why can’t I be beautiful now? I’m not cute, because I’m not a kid anymore, I drink milk!” The reaper pouted and folded her arms, only to be glomped by her mother.

****

“Of course you’re cute Ruby! You’re my adorable little Petal after all!”

****

“Muuumm!!”

****

Jaune couldn’t help but laugh at their antics, he’d have to thank Amber for letting Ruby and Yang know about Summer’s presence, even if it was inadvertent. It had given Summer the opportunity to reconnect with her daughters and start catching up all the years of growth she’d missed out on.

****

“So, anyway. What brings you here, then?” Summer questioned.

****

“We came to watch you fight that soldier!” Ruby insisted. “Everyone’s here, but I came down to see you before the match just to… well, to say good luck!” The young girl explained, a little shyly.

****

This just caused Summer to hug her again.

****

“Oh, that’s so sweet of you Petal. Thank you ever so much.” She cooed happily. “I promise I’ll do my best for you and Yang, okay? Even if I don’t have my old weapon, I’ll make do with Jaune’s.”

****

This got Ruby’s interest, a LOT of her interest.

****

“Your old weapon!? Oh my gosh, what was that like?! Was it mecha-shift? How many forms did it have!? What did-” Summer placed a gentle hand over the excitable girl’s mouth, just to stop her before she really got lost on a tangent.

****

“Well, my old weapon was actually a lot like yours and Qrow’s.”

****

“REALLY!?” Ruby’s excitement was multiplied thrice with that statement.

****

Summer just laughed at her enthusiasm. “Yep! In fact, Qrow and I had a little bit of a geek moment over our similar weapons for a while. We even swapped weapons for a bit, just to see how we handled it.” A nostalgic smile crossed her face at the memory of Qrow’s frustration with Harvester’s battle rifle form, while she’d been frustrated with Harbinger’s LACK of a third form.

****

“Well! Um, you could always… I mean, if you’re familiar with a weapon like mine, then you can use mine!” Ruby offered, her silver orbs sparkling and her body vibrating with excitement, an excitement that soon spread to her mother as well.

****

“Oh, that’s so kind of you, Petal!” She swept Ruby up into another nuzzle-hug. “I’ll take very good care of it, I promise.” With that, Ruby took out Crescent Rose and handed it to Summer.

****

“Bye mum! Good luck, I’ll be rooting for you!” Ruby called out as she sped off in a blaze of rose petals.

****

“Bye, darling!” Her mother replied.

****

After Ruby was gone, Summer began to inspect her weapon, taking the opportunity to operate the mecha shift system a few times to re-familiarise herself. While the lack of a third form was slightly disconcerting, her extensive training in the mindscape with a mental projection of Harvester ensured that she quickly got up to speed.

****

Within a few minutes, she was twirling the scythe around her with the same skill and ease with which she once wielded Harvester. Even if Jaune’s body wasn’t as durable, powerful or as well-trained as her own had been, his larger-than-average (for his age) Aura pool coupled with her own near-flawless muscle memory meant that she barely noticed a difference after a minute or two.

****

Satisfied with her preparations, the Huntress moved to exit the locker room and enter the arena for her first practice spar.

****

Showtime.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

The cheering started almost as soon as she stepped into the arena.

****

It was quite loud cheering too, considering it was coming from 7 people. The fact that two of them were her daughters probably helped quite a bit. Was that Petal holding up an actual  _ sign  _ reading ‘Go mum’?

****

That was so sweet of her.

****

On the opposite side of the arena, was her opponent.

****

Amber, or rather Mira, stood with her staff at the ready in a one-handed grip. Her brown eyes narrowed as she slipped into a guard stance.

****

“Are you prepared, Miss Rose?” She called out.

****

“As I’ll ever be.”

****

“Where is your weapon?” The captain-possessed-Maiden asked, cocking her head sideways.

****

Summer replied by pulling and deploying Crescent Rose, much to the shock and glee of the people watching.

****

“Is mum using YOUR weapon, Rubes?!” Yang cried out.

****

“Yep! This is so cool! She said it was the closest to her own weapon when she was a Huntress!” Ruby beamed.

****

“Wicked!” Nora was just as pumped up, the Valkyrie jumping up and down in place. “Wooo!! Go kick her butt, Missus Rose!” She whooped and shouted.

****

“Fight well!” Blake and Pyrrha both threw in.

****

“Screw fighting well, paste her across the floor mum!!” Yang hollered excitedly.

****

Off to the side, Winter and Daniel were watching the whole exchange with stunned expressions, the same stunned expressions they’d had since learning that Amber and Jaune had spirits in their heads.

****

“I still can’t believe Jaune had a hot lady in his head all this time and he didn’t tell me.” Daniel grumbled, only to be chided by Winter.

****

“Daniel! You shouldn’t say such things about… about Miss Rose like that, you don’t even  _ know what she looks like, for Gods’ sake!” _ The Specialist hissed, feeling a little embarrassed.

****

“Oh come on! She’s a Huntress, that means she’s hot! Have you EVER met a Huntress who  _ wasn’t _ hot!?” The gunslinger argued.

****

As the duo squabbles and the other girls continued to cheer, Summer allowed a small smirk on her face as she observed Mira.

****

“Well, here’s my weapon, what about  _ yours? _ ” She asked, a little tauntingly.

****

“I suppose you’re right, this staff is… unfamiliar to me.” Mira admitted, stepping forward herself while setting the object down. “Perhaps a more familiar weapon is needed.”

****

“Well, you don’t really have one, hope you’re not planning on fighting hand to hand, you might be at a disadvantage.”

****

“Quite right, especially since I will refrain from using magic for the duration of our spar.”

****

“Wait, really?” Summer asked. “Isn’t that a bit of a handicap for you?”

****

“No.” The captain asserted. “This is a spar to test our strength and ability, the Fall Maiden abilities are naught but a crutch here.” Her eyes drifted to the sword still hanging at Summer’s belt. “Since you have no current use for that blade, may I wield it for the duration of this combat?”

****

In response, Summer unhooked the blade and tossed it to the captain, who unsheathed the sword and began inspecting it.

****

“Hmm, adequate craftsmanship. This is a durable blade indeed.” Mira hummed appreciatively. “The use of crystalline Dust woven directly into the metal is rather unique, whomever crafted this blade has my respect, there are few able to weave Dust with metal in a stable form.”

****

Summer didn’t miss Ruby’s  _ squeal _ of happiness at the soldier’s appreciation.

****

Mirabelle shifted into a combat stance, deploying the heater shield as well, her eyes narrowing further.

****

“Are you prepared then, Miss Rose?”

****

“Ready.” Summer confirmed, shifting into her own stance, holding Crescent Rose in a backhand grip behind her.

****

“Begin!”

****

Summer dashed forward, twirling in the air to bring Crescent Rose down in a vertical slash, the captain shifted the shield upward just far enough to deflect the scythe before lashing out with a kick that knocked Summer off balance.

****

Retreating to avoid the retaliatory sword slashes, slashes that left trails of flame it their wake, Summer shifted her weapon to the sniper rifle form to fire off a few shots. Though not all of them were entirely on target, they did the job of stopping Mira’s advance, the captain kneeling behind her shield to avoid the barrage.

****

Summer shifted her weapon once more as she closed in, unleashing a flurry of swipes from the scythe that began knocking Mira back a few steps, until the captain related with a gravity-fuelled swipe that knocked the Huntress to the ground under a wave of inertia.

****

Crescent Rose was knocked from Summer’s grip as she skittered along the floor. As she pushed herself up onto her stomach, Mirabelle began to approach, Crocea sheathed in lightning.

****

“You have no weapon, yield to me.” The authority in her voice was clear, it even made Summer consider it for a moment. But just a moment.

****

And a moment was all she needed for Mira to get within range.

****

“Not yet!”

****

Summer twisted on the ground, her leg snapping out to sweep the captain’s legs from under her. She heard a cry of surprise from her opponent as she pushed upward into a stand, before sprinting into a dive and roll to retrieve Crescent Rose.

****

Rolling into a crouch, Summer could see her opponent had righted herself as well, standing in a ready stance with the shield in front of her and blade at her side.

****

“Hmmm, an impressive display of resourcefulness and determination.” Mirabelle complimented. “But I am not beaten.”

****

Summer moved in while firing another barrage of shots, some of which actually got through this time, before charging into a leap while the captain was still huddled behind her shield. Shifting her weapon mid-leap, Summer brought the scythe down while also holding out her leg, even if Mira avoided the kick, the swipe would still-

****

Her thoughts were interrupted as a glowing golden-white barrier sprang up in front of her, causing the shocked huntress to rebound off it. A blast of ice caught her hand while a streak of lightning slammed into her chest, followed by another wave of inertia that sent her sprawling once more.

****

By the time Summer had shattered the ice and righted herself, her opponent was already advancing, stopping a few meters in front of her with an appraising look on her face.

****

“What was that!?” Summer demanded. “You said you weren’t going to use magic!”

****

“That was not magic.” The captain replied smoothly. “That was a demonstration of my Semblance.”

****

“Your… your  _ Semblance _ ?” Summer’s eyebrows shot up, as did those of the crowd.

****

“Indeed, all members of the King’s Honour Guard were to have their Auras unlocked!” The captain explained proudly, before summoning the barrier once more, it flared outward from the centre of the heater shield.

****

“So, what is your Semblance?” Summer couldn’t help her curiosity now.

****

“There is a reason, Miss Rose, that I was awarded the title of ‘The Shield of Vale’. My Semblance allows me to forge a comparatively small amount of Aura into a nigh-unbreakable frontal barrier!” There was definitely a hint of pride in her voice as Mirabelle spoke. “Test for yourself, if you wish. Throw all the might you possess at the barrier, but you will not break through The Aegis.”

****

Much to her surprise, Summer didn’t surrender, or even look perturbed.

****

Instead, she started laughing softly.

****

“You find this amusing, Miss Rose?” She questioned.

****

“Oh, no it isn’t that. It’s just that if we’re allowed to use our Semblances, then why should I try to break through your barrier?” She began, before her eyes began to glow and rose petals began to manifest around her. “When I can just bypass it?”

****

The swirling petals engulfed the Huntress entirely… and when they faded, she was gone.

****

Before anyone could yell out in shock, she manifested into existence behind Mirabelle, accompanied by both a storm of rose petals and a bright explosion of silver light.

****

Blinded, Mira stumbled back, only for Summer’s foot to catch her in the chest. Before she could even start falling, a storm of scythe swipes slashed at her torso, depleting a large chunk of her remaining Aura.

****

Even as the captain hit the floor properly, Summer still brought her hand up to deliver a few punches to her opponent’s face, before bashing her a few times with Crescent Rose’s handle. With her (or more accurately, Jaune’s) strength and Crescent’s durability, it did the trick.

****

A loud beep signalled that Mira/Amber’s Aura had dropped below 15%, causing Summer to get off her and offer the downed captain a hand, which she accepted.

****

“That was quite impressive, I’ve never met someone with a Semblance to bypass The Aegis before.” Mirabelle smiled. “ A good fight, Miss Rose, it seems I need further training if I am to surpass you without the use of magic.”

****

She reached out a hand, which Summer took. “Until the next time then, Miss Rose. I will allow Amber to resume control now.” With that, her eyes sparked with orange-white light and her body twitched a little. By the time they opened again, they were back to Amber’s usual brown.

****

“Well, good fight, I guess.” The Maiden laughed a little, before wincing and rubbing her jaw. “Oohh. You got her good with those last few hits, that’ll hurt for a bit.” Amber made her way over to collect her staff, leaving Summer alone in the arena.

****

For about four more seconds before dual red and gold blurs tried to tackle her into the floor.

****

Fortunately, Summer leveraged Jaune’s Aura and her own reflexes to catch both of them before she was knocked off her feet.

****

“That was so cool, mum!” Ruby gushed happily. “You kicked her butt, and you did with Crescent Rose too!!” The reaper squealed. She squealed even louder as Summer handed her weapon back, cradling it lovingly. 

****

“That was SO BADASS!” Yang threw in her two cents, her excitement almost matching her younger sibling’s. “Was that your Semblance at the end there!?” Off Summer’s wry nod, she continued. “No freakin way! You can TELEPORT!? But… how can you and that captain use YOUR Semblances when you’re In Jaune’s and Fairy Girl’s bodies?”

****

“Because they’re manifestations of the Soul, Yang.” Summer explained. “And since Captain Mirabelle and I both still have our souls intact, we can tap into our Semblances even if we’re not using our own bodies.”

****

“Woah… that’s pretty neat! Especially that big flash of light at the end there!”

****

“Oh, no. That’s not usually part of the Semblance, that’s something that comes from my Silver Eyes.” The mother revealed, intriguing both the brawler and the reaper.

****

“Wait, ‘Silver Eyes’? Like my eyes?” Ruby asked, tilting her head.

****

“Yes, like your eyes, Petal. You inherited them from me after all, so you can learn to use them like I did, assuming you’ve unlocked them before.” Summer leaned down to inspect her daughter more closely. “Have you ever had them… ‘activate’ before, Ruby? Perhaps having a flash of light coming from them?”

****

“Oh, yeah! I have, but, uhm…” Ruby trailed off, her cheeks pinking a little in embarrassment.

****

“Hmm? What’s wrong Petal?”

****

“Well, the good news is, my eyes might have activated before…”

****

“Oh, that’s good to hear!”

****

“But, they may have ‘activated’ when I was, when I was  with Jaune last night. ”

****

Summer leaned a little closer as Ruby’s voice trailed off. “What was that? I didn’t quite hear you.”

****

“It happened when I was with Jaune last night! My eyes just…  _ exploded _ when we were, uh, f-finishing!” Ruby yelled out hurriedly, before covering her mouth hurriedly at her sister and mother-possessed-boyfriend’s stunned looks.

****

Yang’s look dissolved into a much more lecherous and suggestive one. “Oh,  _ really now? _ Wowee Rubes, Lover Boy must’ve been  _ really  _ good if you unlock some sort of superpower just though his-”

****

“I think we understand your point,  _ darling. _ ” Summer’s tone was hard enough to shut Yang up instantly. She turned to the now embarrassed Ruby and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Ruby, there’s no need to be embarrassed about this, actually this is probably the best way to unlock your eyes.”

****

“Really?” The younger rose asked, a little timidly.

****

“Yes, it’s certainly better than what happened with me.”

****

“What, what happened with you, mum?”

****

Summer sighed, motioning her children to follow her to a nearby bench, away from everyone else. 

****

“Well, it was late in the first year of Beacon. We were on a mission, and it turned out there were a lot more Grimm than we’d prepared for.” She began.

****

Ruby and Yang both shuffled in their seats, still listening intently, so the Huntress continued.

****

“We called in a Bullhead for extraction, but while we were waiting, a rather large Deathstalker managed to get the drop on us… and it injured Tai. It it stabbed him right through the chest.” At this, Summer could instinctively feel herself choking up a little, her mind conjuring the memory of team STRQ’s  resident brawler with a Deathstalker stinger through his chest, his mouth agape in shock and pain.

****

Ruby and Yang were similarly shocked, though the fact that their dad had obviously recovered somewhat lessened the emotional impact, but it was still hard hitting to learn that Tai had been injured so badly.

****

“We were all shocked, even Raven, but I… I was  _ scared _ . I was scared that my friend, my teammate, my  _ partner, _ was going to die right there and I wouldn’t be able to save him.”

****

Ruby found herself tearing up at this part, the reaper was reminded all too brutally of  _ her  _ friend’s own brush with death at the hands of Cinder, not just once, but TWICE. Thank the Gods that he’d pulled through, and come back to her, back to all of them.

****

“I could only think about wanting to protect him, to protect my team, to keep them safe. The next thing I know, everything’s white and I can hear dozens of Grimm screams and snarls of pain. I must’ve blacked out, because the next thing I remember is waking up in the hospital. I’d been out for about four days, and Tai had healed up by then. 

****

“He came to see me… thank me for saving him, told me about how I’d killed all those Grimm with ‘freaky light beams from my eyes’. Then he, well… he hugged me.” Summer finished, a small blush on her cheeks as she recalled how strong and comfortable her partner’s embrace had been.

****

Yang didn’t miss that blush.

****

“Mum.” The dragoness spoke up. “Was that… was that when you fell for dad first?”

****

“Yes it was, Sunflower. Yes it was. He was just so kind to me, supportive, he encouraged me when I felt like I didn’t deserve to be leader, told me that I was the best pick and that he’d follow me wherever I led the team. He really was the best partner, I’d never been very good at interacting with people or making friends, but he offered to be my friend and help me.”

****

“Did he find you in the courtyard after you just blew up thanks to some Fire Dust and offer you a hand up?” Yang asked, a cheeky grin on her face.

****

“Um, well no. He just found me sitting alone in the hall and sat next to me. Why?” The confused mother asked, over Ruby’s quiet and embarrassed pleas to her sister to stop talking.

****

“That’s how Lover Boy and Rubes met.” Yang explained, even as the reaper in question began to beat ineffectually at Yang with her small fists to try and stop the brawler. 

****

“I didn’t blow up on purpose and you know it!” Ruby cried.

****

“Oooh, that’s so sweet! A first meeting between friends and eventual lovers… it’s almost like a fairytale, the good Samaritan helping the one in need, forming a crush that grows into a pure and deep-rooted love for one another!” Summer practically swooned, lost in her romantic fantasy.

****

Both Ruby and the mindscape Jaune were doing remarkable impressions of tomatoes at that point, the reaper stomping her foot. “Muuuum! Stop embarrassing meee!!” She whined. “It’s bad enough when Yang does it, I don’t need you doing too!”

****

“Oh, I’m sorry baby, I’m just so happy you’ve found yourself a nice, charming and reliable young man to spend your life with. Well, I’d best let Jaune get his body back. You’ll say hello to the rest of your friends for me, won’t you?”

****

“Sure thing mum.”

****

“Bye mum, love you!”

****

“I love you too, girls.” Summer gave a short wave of farewell before receding back into the mindscape, Jaune’s body jolting a little as the proper owner resumed control.

****

“You back with us now, Lover Boy?” Yang asked.

****

“Yeah, back with you Yang.” He replied.

****

“Well, now that mum’s done using your body to relive her glory days, how about we all go say hi to everyone else? I’m sure they’ve got their own praise to give for that show you and mum put on for us.” She winked. “Who knows, give it a few more months and maybe you’ll be that badass without being puppeteered like a marionette?”

****

“Har har har.”

****

“C’mon Lover Boy. I’m just messing with you,  _ though we can do more than that, if you want. _ ” Her lidded eyes indicated that what she had in mind wasn’t exactly ‘PG-13’.

****

“Yang, you know your mum can hear you coming onto me, right?” He stated, bluntly.

****

“Well, from what I remember, she doesn’t usually watch, so what’s the harm?”

****

“You just delight in teasing, don’t you?” Jaune accused.

****

“Hey, Ruby’s got her weapons obsession-”

****

“It’s not an obsession, I’m just enthusiastic!” The reaper cut in.

****

“-and I’ve got my flirting, we all need hobbies right, Jauney?”

****

Jaune chose not to reply, instead walking back into the arena to greet the rest of his friends, with the sisters trailing behind him.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

As the portal closed behind her, Raven stepped out onto the cliff. Taking a short moment to simply breathe in the fresh and untainted air, the Huntress-turned-bandit leader started toward her destination.

****

The sole headstone standing on the cliff, the grave of her former team leader.

****

Raven sighed deeply, clutching the bouquet of roses she’d been holding closer to her chest as she approached, her gaze sweeping the headstone.

****

_ Good, there’s no damage. _

****

The elder Branwen thanked the Gods that none of her tribe, especially Vernal, had insisted on following her and continued to buy her excuses. Well, she was the leader after all, no one would be suicidal enough to question her.

****

Especially not after the last time she’d brought one of her lieutenants here. The woman had been Vernal’s predecessor, and had made the error of attempting to loot the gravestone, looking for some of Summer’s old Huntress gear.

****

That error had proven to be fatal once Raven had seen what she was trying to do.

****

Even now, the memory of that woman attempting to  _ defile _ the grave of Raven’s late leader made her hands shake with rage and twisted her expression into a snarl.

****

There was not much that could rouse her anger, but disrespecting Summer’s memorial was one of them.

****

Finally reaching the headstone, Raven knelt down and placed the bouquet down, carefully and tenderly brushing off a small layer of dust from the otherwise clean surface.It might take a good while, but she wouldn’t dare use Dust for this, it might have damaged the stone.

****

It deserved better than that, Summer’s resting place deserved more care than that.

****

As she’d finished cleaning the headstone, a noise from the treeline had Raven spinning on her heel, rising to her feet and placing a hand on her nodachi’s handle, preparing to defend herself. Her grip tightened as she made out a vaguely human figure making their way through the threeline.

****

At least, that was until the figure stepped into view, causing her to relax her grip and step back in shock.

****

The man approached, carrying his own bouquet of roses, with a faithful corgi at his side. His azure eyes locked with her crimson orbs.

****

“You know, when Qrow told me he saw you here, I thought he’d gotten blackout drunk again.” Taiyang Xiao Long spoke up. “I guess he wasn’t lying after all.”

****

Raven was still too shocked to see him, especially after so long, to say anything in reply.

****

Tai just sighed, while Zwei had shifted into a more defensive posture, a small growl coming from the small dog as he stared the woman down. 

****

_ Could I really blame him for despising me? Blame them? No, after what I did, they have every right to be angry. _

****

“Why are you here, Raven?” Taiyang asked, there was a hard edge in the father’s voice, mirrored in his eyes.

****

“I’m paying my respects to our late teammate.” 

****

“I wish I could believe that, Raven.” Tai blew out a sharp breath. “You didn’t even show up for her funeral. Why are you visiting  _ now _ ?”

****

“I’ve been visiting for the last 8 years, Tai!” Raven snapped back. “You simply never knew about it until now!”

****

“And if it wasn’t for Qrow seeing your last visit, we’d probably never have known about it, right?” Tai questioned. “Get in, pay your respects and get out, before anyone sees or tries to talk to you, before you have to face what you ran away from.” He couldn’t stop the spite from seeping into his voice.

****

“I think I’m entitled to pay my respects to a fallen teammate.” The bandit leader narrowed her eyes, an action her ex-husband quickly mimicked.

****

“You left, Raven. You left the team, you left our family. You left me. Left  _ Yang _ .” Taiyang practically snarled, the aggression plain in his voice. “As far as I can see, you’re not entitled to  _ anything _ !”

****

This caused the crimson-eyed woman to flinch, she’d never heard this much naked hostility in Tai’s voice before.

****

_ I really did hurt him, didn’t I? Tai... _

****

 Raven wanted to explain, to tell him why she left, a part of her wanted to fling herself at his feet and beg forgiveness. But after so long, it wouldn’t mean anything, she’d hurt him too deeply.

****

Besides, if he knew why she left, why she’d stayed away from them, he’d only be put in danger.

****

“If you’ll excuse me, I came here to pay my respects to my wife.” With that, Taiyang brushed quite roughly past her to approach and kneel down by the headstone himself. He placed his own bouquet next to her own. Zwei followed his master, the corgi offering one last growl up at the senior Branwen twin as he passed by.

****

Raven slashed open a portal with her nodachi, before turning back to her ex-husband one last time.

****

“I’m sorry, Tai.”

****

“Don’t say it unless you mean it, Rae.” He snapped back in reply, not turning to look at her as she stepped back and vanished into the portal, missing the look of hurt that appeared on her face as she did so.

****

Now that Raven was gone, the blonde man felt his anger begin to drain away, and was thankful that there was no one else with him. His blue eyes began to blur with previously suppressed tears. Zwei, sensing his master’s distress, gently headbutted Tai’s leg and whined a little.

****

“Sorry boy.” Tai scooped up Zwei and hugged the corgi, though it did little to stop his tears. “It’s just… why’d she come back  _ now? _ It’s… it’s been almost  _ 18 years, damn it! _ ”

****

It would be quite some time before the man gathered the strength to actually move from his kneeling position in front of Summer’s headstone, but before he did so, he pressed a gentle hand against the stone.

****

_ I’m sorry Summer, I’m sorry for betraying your memory like this. But despite everything… despite how long it’s been since I’ve seen her… _

****

_ I still miss her, I miss Rae. _

****

_ Can you forgive me? _

****

Unknownst to the grieving man, his former wife was in a similar position as him. Slumped over in her tent, Raven knew that no one would dare interrupt her, she had privacy.

****

It was the only place she could allow herself to cry without fear of being seen as weak.

****

She made no move to wipe away the single hot tear that slid down her left cheek, merely closing her eyes.

****

_ I know you’ll never believe me, but I miss you Tai. I miss you and Yang. _

****

_ I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. _

_ \--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- _


	58. An Unpleasant  Visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jacques Schnee comes to Vale on business. Conflict ensues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, Mega here! Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out, both Jack and I hit a few roadblocks writing this chapter. Sorry to keep you waiting ;)

“So what I’m hearing is Fairy Girl wiped the floor with you.” Yang quipped, smirking at the blonde knight as he finished wiping his brow. He had just finished cleaning up after Summer and Mira’s spar, and had joined his friends, who were relaxing in the desks nearby.

****

“Yup. That about sums it up.” Jaune answered, sitting next to Pyrrha as he reached his friend’s seats. “Took Daniel out too. In the Sentinel armor!”

****

“Ugh, don’t remind me.” Daniel groaned, currently perched next to his partner. “Polendina’s gonna give me shit if there’s any damage to the reactor.”

****

“Wait, Polendina? You mean Penny?” Ruby asked, surprised with the connection between the two.

****

“Yup, the one and only.” Daniel confirmed, glancing at Jaune with a pointed smirk. “Y’know, she’s been asking about you lately. You should visit the girl next time you get a day off from Nutcase Duty.”

****

“I think I’m owed a lot of days off.” Jaune mused, before turning to Pyrrha and the rest of his friends. “Do you guys have any plans for the week?”

****

“Well, let’s see.” Pyrrha started, thinking back to her friends plans. “Nora and Ren are going into Vale over the weekend, Coco and Velvet are out on a mission, Blake has offered to train with me for when the tournament starts back up.”

****

“Not to mention Rubes and I are planning to swing by my Pop’s house again before things kick back up here.” Yang continued. “Also, I heard from Marc that she and the others had, ‘something to prepare for’, whatever that means.”

****

“Sounds like fun.” Jaune replied, before turning to Amber. “What about you? Any plans for the Amazing Amber?”

****

Amber giggled at the nickname, and shook her head lightly. “I’m afraid not. I...don’t exactly have much to do, actually.”

****

“Well, maybe I could hang out with you too this week.” Jaune offered, prompting a huge grin to grow on Amber’s face.

****

“That sounds wonderful! When, uh, when should we set it up?” She asked, nervously brushing her hair behind her ears. Before Jaune could respond, both Daniel and Nora cooed at the pair.

****

“W-what? What’s that for?” Jaune asked, blushing lightly. 

****

“Oh nothing, it’s just fun, this thing you two have.” Nora commented slyly, while Daniel just kept smiling. Jaune was prepared to press the pair further, but was interrupted by the noise of a door closing. He looked up to see Weiss walking over to her friends, having stepped out for an important call.

****

“Oh, hey Weiss! Everything…” The words died on Jaune’s lips as he saw her face. Her normally pale complexion was replaced with completely white skin, and her expression was one of discomfort and most alarmingly, fear. 

****

“Weiss? What’s wrong?” Winter asked, having risen to her feet alongside Jaune and Ruby, clearly alarmed at her sister’s condition. Weiss licked her lips, which were uncomfortably dry, and answered slowly, her tone shaky and tense.

****

“My mother called, sister. Our...our father is coming to Vale.”

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

“So… where should we start?” Winter asked, as the Schnee siblings stood in front of their respective romantic partners.

****

“From the beginning?” Daniel asked cheekily, in an effort to lighten the mood. He got an eye-roll from Weiss and a short facepalm from Winter, who nonetheless mustered a smile, though it quickly vanished as the mood sobered again.

****

“There is no true ‘beginning’ to start from, Daniel.” Winter admitted. “But we can tell you about what our father, and our home life is like.”

****

“Let me guess… it wasn’t good?” Jaune hazarded a guess.

****

“That is quite the understatement.” Weiss admitted, the heiress deflating a little as she reflected on her and Winter’s less-than-ideal childhood. “Our father was...is...very committed to the future of the SDC. More often than not, this is the reasoning behind his actions.  **All** his actions.”

****

“For years, our father has attempted to mold us into proper inheritors for the company.” Winter continued, pacing the room at this point. “After I joined the Atlas military, he moved on to Weiss, and-”

****

“He made my life a living nightmare.”

****

All three turned to look at Weiss, who was staring at her lap with her hands laced together, desperately trying to keep them from shaking.

****

“I was never good enough for him. He was a demanding tyrant, who crushed everyone around him who wasn’t good enough. He drove my mother into drinking herself into compliance, and practically ignored Winter’s very existence after she left.”

****

Weiss let out a shuddering sigh, before straightening herself out and composing herself as she continued.

****

“He hates the fact that I want to be a huntress, and he has sent numerous messages insisting I return home. The only reason I’d even consider doing so would be to protect Whitney...my younger sister.”

****

Jaune quirked an eyebrow at the mention of another Schnee sister, but didn’t risk interrupting Weiss.

****

“The bottom line is that my father only cares about himself, and if he’s coming here…” Weiss trailed off as her head met her hands, and another shuddering breath slipped past her lips. 

****

Winter quickly went over to her sister’s side, and wrapping her in a comforting hug. Jaune glanced at Daniel, whose expression was somewhere between remorseful and angry as hell. If his clenched fists were any indication, he was leaning further and further to the second one.

****

“Hey. I know that facing him again might not be easy, but…” Jaune paused as he stepped closer to Weiss, crouching down so he was level with her. “I’ll be there for you. We all will be.”

****

Weiss looked up at her boyfriend, her eyes slick with tears. “Do...do you mean that?”

****

“Without a doubt.” Jaune confirmed. Weiss looked to her sister, who also nodded in confirmation while laying a supportive hand on her shoulder.

****

“I’ll be at your side, sister.”

****

Weiss looked over to Daniel, who smiled slightly and let out a mock sigh of defeat. “Alright, alright. If you two are going in, then I guess I better too. One request?”

****

Weiss tilted her head in question, followed by the others as well. A cruel smirk grew on Daniel’s lips, as light flames started to lick at his fists and he growled his request.

****

“ **I get the first shot at the bastard.** ”

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

As they all stood in a row at Beacon’s docks, waiting for the Bullhead ferrying Weiss and Winter’s parents to arrive, Jaune reflected that this was not the first time he’d met two of his girlfriends’ family members here.

****

Hopefully this would go better than that meeting with Winter and Qrow had gone, but given how Weiss and Winter had talked about their parents, especially their father Jacques, Jaune was still nervous.

****

Not as nervous as Weiss or Winter though. The younger Schnee had her arms crossed over her chest, hugging her sides and looking down, looking visibly subdued and apprehensive. Winter looked the same, though she was better at keeping herself outwardly composed thanks to her military training and professional demeanour. Still, the fact that she kept subtly shifting her weight from foot to foot betrayed her real feelings on the matter.

****

Daniel, on the other hand, looked visibly irritable and sour. He’d been this way since the sisters had explained just what their family life was really like. He’d made his opinion of Jacques Schnee’s behaviour perfectly clear since then, and his opinion was very much of the “He can go cram it up his arse” variety. It hadn’t toned down any since them, with Winter having to talk Daniel out of bringing his Sentinel armor to the meeting.

****

It was getting to the point where Jaune was less worried about what Jacques Schnee might say, but of what his friend might do to him in response. 

****

That wasn’t to say that Jaune himself was entirely free of anger toward Weiss’ father. After hearing about some of the things the Schnee patriarch had done or said to his family members, the knight of Beacon found his opinion of the man sinking like a stone. However, he still reigned in his more…  _ aggressive  _ impulses, Weiss and Winter would undoubtedly be upset by him attacking their father in public.

****

It didn’t help that Summer’s opinion of Jacques mirrored Daniel’s own, the mother making some less-than flattering observations and comments about Jacques the entire journey here. It was a struggle to prevent the Huntress’ negative feelings from affecting Jaune through their Soul-link.

****

Looking over at the other pair, he saw Daniel was still seething, while Winter was stoically standing to attention, trying and failing to ignore her boyfriend’s anger.

****

“I still don’t see why I couldn’t bring my suit.” The gunslinger grumbled.

****

“Because I will NOT have you blasting my father to ashes in public, you are a Specialist of Atlas and you  _ will _ act like it!” Winter hissed. “My father may be a cruel and controlling man, but unless he provokes you physically you are  _ not  _ to act against him, no matter what else he says or does!”

****

“Even if he hurts you?” Daniel asked.

****

“I can look after myself.” Winter asserted. “Besides, father won’t try anything in public like this. It would far too damaging to his ‘image’, after all.” The Specialist snorted derisively as she finished speaking, followed almost immediately by Weiss’ identical snort and eye-roll.

****

“Fine.” Her partner grudgingly agreed. “But if he puts hands on you, I’m decking him.”

****

“If he does so, I will arrest him.” Winter stated plainly, somewhat stunning her partner. “Father or not, CEO or not, physically assaulting Atlas Military personnel is a severe crime and the perpetrator will be punished as such.” Though her tone was clipped and efficient and her face neutral, Daniel detected the faintest hint of a smile both in her tone and on her face.

****

A part of him wished the old bastard tried to hit Winter, just to give them an excuse to haul his scummy arse straight to the nearest prison cell and leave him to rot there.

****

Speaking of scum… the waiting party soon heard the (initially muted) whine of a Bullhead’s engines. Looking up, they saw a larger-than-average version of the transport vessel in the distance, though it was large enough that they could see it was emblazoned with the personal emblem of the SDC and seemed more decorative than the standard model.

****

“I take it this is your parents’ ship?” Jaune muttered the question to Weiss, who pinched the bridge of her nose and replied.

****

“Yes… father has always insisted that ‘Schnees deserve only the best’ when it comes to everything.” She sounded exasperated.

****

“Never thought you’d have a problem with the best.” Jaune admitted.

****

“It’s just… we get ‘the best’ with our money, money made off dishonest business practices. That money and the comforts we get because of it only reminds me that the SDC is a hollow shell of what it once was, my grandfather founded the company as a benevolent and philanthropic venture, through nothing but hard work ethic, a desire to improve the world and business savvy.” Weiss explained, glancing down at the ground.

****

“Weiss?” The knight asked, only for the heiress to move closer to him and lean a little on his shoulder.

****

“It’s just, watching everything that grandfather built be turned into a soulless and cruel aberration, one that drives competitors out of business and abuses its workers… I can’t imagine how he would react if he could see what the SDC has become.” Weiss lifted her head, a new light shining in her blue orbs. “But that’s why I intend to change things, once I inherit the company. I won’t let grandfather’s legacy stay tarnished like this, I need to make sure his dream is realised, I… I want to be someone he’d be proud to call his family.”

****

Jaune hugged her with one arm, which Weiss gladly returned.

****

“I’m sure he’s already proud of you, Weiss. I mean, here you are training to be a Huntress and help people. That’s more than your dad’s ever done. And you’re planning on repairing your company’s image and fixing it’s business practices too, I can’t imagine many parents and grandparents who’d not be proud of that kind of determination.” The blonde knight insisted. “Plus, you’ve given up your old prejudices against Faunus, so I’m sure you’ll make sure they’re taken care of as workers when you inherit the company.”

****

“Thank you Jaune.” This time, a visibly happy Weiss lent up to peck him on the lips in appreciation, only for Jaune to lean down and kiss her more deeply in response, while also holding her close. Weiss’ mewl of appreciation was almost cute.

****

“Geeze, get a room you two.” Daniel’s playful tone snapped both teens to attention, breaking them apart. The gunslinger had a huge grin on his face, while Winter looked mildly irritated.

****

“Please, try to control yourselves.” The Specialist chided, though there was a light blush dusting her cheeks as she spoke. “This public place is hardly such a place for such displays of- eep!” The Specialist was cut off by her partner sneaking a kiss onto her cheek. “D-Daniel! That wasn’t an invitation for you to do the same thing! You dolt!”

****

She tried to sound stern and upset, but the blush and growing smile on her face contradicted her immediately. 

****

“Well, it’s nice to see that you actually have a life outside of your work, Specialist Schnee.” A familiar voice sounded from behind them, snapping both Specialists to attention as they caught sight of their superior making his way toward them.

****

“General Ironwood, sir!” Winter hurriedly greeted him, snapping off a salute. “Please, forgive-”

****

“At ease.” Ironwood cut her off with a small smile. “Neither of you are on duty right now, after all.”

****

“Oh! Thank you sir, but if I might ask… what are you doing here?” Winter questioned curiously.

****

“Jacques is attempting to use his council connections to request a detachment of Atlas Military troops for guard duty at his newest mine.” The general explained, a small frown crossing his features. “They’ve tried explaining it to him that they have the Home Guard and regional militias for that, but he’s being quite stubborn, so the other council members requested I meet with him face to face. Since I’m already in Vale while he is visiting, I can speak to him and sort this out now.”

****

“And I suppose the thought of catching up with our mother has no bearing on your decision, sir?” Winter asked innocently. Ironwood stiffened oh so slightly, while Daniel gazed wide-eyed at his partner.

****

“A mere happy accident, Specialist Schnee, nothing more.” To his credit, the general didn’t miss a beat in responding.

****

“Did you seriously just try and sass the boss? I am so proud of you right now.” Daniel said, before leaning in and sneaking another peck on her cheek, one that Winter only put a token effort into resisting. Her usual ‘dolt’ also carried much less force this time.

****

The pressurized whirring of the Bullhead’s landing gear drew their attention back to transport as it finally docked. The doors slid open to reveal two people, both of them with white hair and blue eyes, though the man’s was neatly combed back while the woman’s short hair was more free-hanging. He wore a light blue two-piece suit, while she wore a similar two-colour shirt and jacket with tights and neat trousers.

****

The instant they appeared, Weiss and Winter seemed to stiffen, while Daniel and Jaune’s eyes narrowed at the man. Ironwood was the only one to remain outwardly relaxed, though his gaze did flick towards the woman a few times and they approached.

****

_ Well, this must be Weiss’ mum and dad.  _ Jaune thought, as he steeled himself to prepare for any sort of uncaring or insulting comments from the latter. Given what he’d heard about Jacques Schnee from Weiss and Winter, the knight had a feeling he’d be needing a lot of self-control.

****

However, none of that preparation helped his temper when he heard the first words out of the man’s mouth as he finally stopped in front of them.

****

“Ah, it’s good that you’re here already, now we can be packed and prepared to leave within the hour.”

****

What?

****

No, seriously. WHAT?

****

No ‘hello Weiss’ (or ‘hello  _ daughter,  _ if the way Weiss and Winter addressed him was any indication) or ‘how have you been at Beacon Weiss?’, it was just ‘pack your things, we’re leaving’. It wasn’t even phrased like a question either, which pretty much told Jaune that the Weiss herself had no say in the matter.

****

Thinking back to everything he knew from his girlfriend’s explanation of her parents, Jaune now wondered if she hadn’t been  _ downplaying  _ how terrible her dad really was.

****

Glancing to the side, he saw the looks of shock on Winter and Weiss’ faces that mirrored his own, essentially confirming that neither of the sisters had been told about this ahead of time. Looking over at Willow, who was standing just behind Jacques, Jaune could see an apologetic but resigned look on her face. 

****

To her credit, Weiss’ shock lasted for only a moment before she reasserted herself.

****

“Leave? What do you mean, father?” The heiress asked, not bothering to hide her shock.

****

“It’s quite obvious, my dear.” Even now, Jaune could almost  _ hear  _ the smugness seeping into Jacques’ voice. “Given everything that’s been going on, it simply isn’t safe for you to remain here. This is far too dangerous an environment for a Schnee.”

****

Weiss blinked. “But danger is an expected part of training to be a Huntress, that’s why I’m here. Of course I’ll be close to danger, there so need to-”

****

“Young lady.” Jacques’ stern voice cut across Weiss’, shutting her up quite quickly. “Need I remind you that your place here is conditional? You are here as an indulgence, and I think I’ve indulged this childish little obsession of yours long enough.”

****

Weiss flat-out glowered at him in response, with Winter joining in now, while Willow’s hands had clenched into fists behind her husband. The only one remaining calm was Ironwood.

****

“What about what Weiss wants?” Jaune asked, stepping forward to look Jacques dead in the eye. “Do you even care about what she wants to do?”

****

The CEO raised a single eyebrow at him.

****

“And who, exactly, are you?”

****

“I’m Jaune Arc. Her boyfriend.” Jaune stated, simply.

****

The patriarch’s eyes narrowed a fraction as he responded.

****

“I don’t appreciate being lied to, boy.”

****

“It isn’t a lie, father.” Weiss spoke up, once more. “Jaune is my boyfriend, and I couldn’t ask for a better one.” She moved over to hug Jaune’s arm and squeeze his fingers in her own, a small smile on her face as their eyes met.

****

Jacques’ eye twitched a little at that.

****

“Oh, I  _ see. _ I suppose next you’ll be telling me that this one is Winter’s chosen suitor?” He derisively gestured toward Daniel, who bristled at his attitude and at the condescension just  _ dripping  _ from his voice.

****

“That is correct, father.” Winter confirmed, a hard edge in her voice. “Mr Wilson and I have been seeing one another for a while now. I am quite content with him.” The Specialist actually hugged her partner’s arm, a soft smile of her own appearing as she lent into him.

****

Their father’s eyes seemed to pop out of his skull while his wife’s seemed to light up, the Schnee matriarch giving a smile of her own, though this one had a melancholic quality as her blue orbs turned to the ground.

****

Jacques’ response to that was snorting.

****

“I see… in that case, it is even  _ more  _ important for you to return to Atlas at once, Weiss, before your standards dip any further than they already have.”

****

At this, Daniel couldn’t stay silent any longer, taking two steps forward to growl out. “Where do you get off, you asshole?! Can you only get hard if you insult people, is that it? Do you even give a shit about what your daughters want, or are they just little chess pieces to you to move about?!”

****

The SDC CEO’s eyes narrowed dangerously even as Winter’s grew wide, she’d never heard anyone insult her father so openly, and those who did usually regretted it.

****

“Watch yourself,  _ boy _ .” He snarled back at the Specialist. “You think I’m afraid of some ragged little wretch like you? I’m sure if I have the SDC look into you, I’ll find something of yours to drag your name through the mud, to  _ ruin you. _ Is that what you want, boy? To have your life ruined because you just couldn’t accept your place and keep your mouth shut? _ ” _

****

Daniel didn’t shut up, though, he just ploughed on while utterly ignoring Jacques’ threat.

****

“You know, I can't help but notice that there wasn’t a mention of  _ Winter _ in your little ‘it’s too dangerous for you’ bullshit speech. What, you’re not just an arsehole, you play favourites with your kids too?” He accused. “So, why is it Weiss gets your ‘concern’ but not Winter?”

****

Much to his shock, and the shock of everyone else present, Jacques’ response was brutally simple.

****

“Because she doesn’t matter.”

****

“W… what?” Daniel and Jaune both choked out, unable to believe what they were hearing. Weiss and Winter both flinched back, the Specialist squeezing her eyes shut to stop the small prickling tears from leaking out.

****

“I said, she doesn’t matter.” Jacques continued. “My elder has already made it clear that she would rather gallivant around the globe playing soldier than inherit the SDC, the very reason I needed heirs in the first place. So, why should I care what happens to her now that she is no longer the heiress?”

****

“B-because she’s your daughter!” Jaune burst out. “You’re her father, you’re  _ supposed  _ to care about your daughters, that’s  _ what parents do!” _ The knight yelled right in the older man’s face.

****

“If she were  _ truly _ my daughter.” Jacques snapped back, anger seeping into his voice. “She would have done as I ordered and prepare herself to inherit our company, not indulge some silly patriotic fantasy!” Now, he turned back to Weiss as he continued. “And speaking of fantasies, yours has gone on far too long. Now, pack your bags and prepare to return to Atlas at once.”

****

“No.”

****

“What was that?” His eyebrow raised again.

****

“I. Said. No.” Weiss repeated, snapping off every word, her blue eyes colder than Jaune had ever seen them. “I’m happy here, I  _ like  _ my life here, I’ve found friends that care about me. I’ve found someone who  _ loves me, _ which is more than I can say for you. I am  _ not _ giving that up, just so you can try and turn me into some twisted mirror of you!”

****

Jacques stepped closer to the rebellious Snow Princess, his eyebrows and face twitching in anger.

****

“You are my daughter Weiss, and you WILL do as I say, or you will be  _ disciplined. _ ” The twitch of his hand and Weiss’ slight flinch was not missed by anyone else.

****

Winter and Daniel’s faces were twisted into snarls, their hands reaching of their respective weapons. Even Jaune’s hand began to reach for Jacques’ arm, preparing to yank to man back by force so that he could yell at him again.

****

Fortunately, someone beat them all do it.

****

“No, she won’t.”

****

Everyone turned to gawk at Willow Schnee, who eyes were now fixed on her husband, a look of disdain, anger, and a spark of confidence. 

****

“You married me for my name. You treat me as an object, you treat  _ our children _ like objects.” She practically hissed, walking right up to her husband, before stopping a foot away. “And the worst part? I let you. I just broke down and let you like the fool I was.”

****

Jacques raised an eyebrow, unphased by her short outburst. “Is there a point to this little outburst, Willow?” He  couldn’t have sounded less interested if he tried to.

****

“The  _ point, _ Jacques, is that you’re not going to do that anymore. If Weiss wants to stay here, then she can, and you are  _ not _ going to try and do to Whitney what you’ve tried to do to them, I’ll see to it myself. You’ve already tried to turn two of our children into your little sycophants, I won’t let you do it to her as well.” Willow snarled angrily, balling her hands into fists.

****

Jacques stayed silent for a few moments following his wife’s declaration.

****

Then he laughed.

****

His laugh was loud, raunchous, and mocking. It only lasted a few seconds before he shook his head, and smiled smugly at the shocked woman. 

****

“Oh please, you ‘won’t let me’ will you?  _ How? _ You’ve no power or strength anymore, those 7 years you’ve spent drinking yourself to death have  _ more  _ than seen to that. The only ‘power’ you have is over the bartender of our estate. So why don’t you just crawl back there and poison drink until you forget, you drunken weakling. I have more important things to worry about.”

****

Instead of flinching, Willow only grew angrier as she practically yelled.

****

“Of COURSE I drank! ANY woman would drink if they were trapped in a loveless marriage with a pathetic, controlling, abusive little  _ wretch _ like YOU!!”

****

_ That _ got Jacques’ attention, as well as the attention of a few passers by, who quickly hurried along when they saw who was arguing. The man’s pupils seemed to drink as he drew it a quick, angry breath.

****

“Why you insolent-” He growled, finally raising his twitching hand as if to strike his wife across the face.

****

His hand never reached her, it was caught in the grip of a strong white glove.

****

“How dare you!” Jacques yelled out, without turning to face the person holding his hand while he struggled a little against the otherwise unbreakable grip. “Do you have  _ any  _ idea who I am, I’ll have your job for this! I will  _ ruin  _ you, unhand me this instant!”

****

The hand released the Schnee patriarch, who stumbled forward before swinging around to face the person who’d dared to lay their hands on him.

****

And his face promptly lost its colour, as he realised who exactly it was he’d just been insulting.

****

General James Ironwood was still standing as calmly as ever, with his gloved hand lowering back to his side. Of course, one good look at the man’s narrowed eyes told Winter that he was anything  _ but  _ calm, he was practically seething.

****

“I think it’s best you leave now, Jacques.” The general warned him. “Unless you’d rather I have Specialists Schnee and Wilson here arrest you right now for attempted assault.” The tone of his voice, and the way his other hand seemed to reach for his revolver, indicated that he was deadly serious. From the looks on Winter and Daniel’s faces, they were more than happy to carry out his order.

****

The CEO glanced around at the others in view. Jaune had his hand on the hilt of Crocea Mors, Weiss had curled two fingers around Myrtenaster, and Willow was making quite the effort to kill him on the spot with the force of with her glare.

****

Sensing he was outnumbered, Jacques Schnee simply huffed, straightened his tie, and began to retreat to the Bullhead. Willow did not follow him, and he didn’t so much as glance back at her.

****

It was only once the doors had closed and the craft had begun to lift off that they allowed themselves to relax, or at least, they tried to.

****

The three Schnees seemed to cumple in on themselves, looking upset and lost. Weiss was just shaking her head, muttering about how much of a monster her father was, Winter even shut her eyes and clenched her fists, the girl still shocked at how callously her father had dismissed her as ‘worthless’. 

****

Both of them quickly found themselves in the arms of their partners, who hugged them tight and just let them cry softly into their shoulders. Neither Jaune nor Daniel let go until their Snow Angels had finished.

****

A few feet away, Willow Schnee watched her daughters’ breakdowns though her own teary eyes. She couldn’t believe that Jacques had so callously thrown Winter away like that, even his insults against her stung less than what he’d done to their eldest daughter. The woman hugged herself as she started sobbing softly.

****

Jacques was right… she was weak. She’d spent 7 years losing herself in the bottle as two of her babies had suffered under his thumb, thank the Gods he hadn’t done that with Whitney…  _ yet. _ It was only a matter of time until he started, though. Just like he’d started on Weiss when Winter had gone to join the Atlas Military, he’d simply shift attention to Whitney instead. The poor girl was so cheerful and sunny most days, she was a bright ray of warm sunshine in Willow’s otherwise cold life, she couldn’t bear the thought of Jacques twisting her into some carbon-copy of him.

****

Her hand over her mouth and eyes brimming with defeated tears, a distraught Willow fled the docks toward the academy, completely ignoring her children and Ironwood calling after her.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

It was official, she was lost.

****

Well, that was just great. Fantastic. Another thing to add to her terrible mood.

****

At least she wasn’t crying anymore, the tears had stopped some time ago. Considering that the Schnee Matriarch had essentially spent the past 7 years crying in between drowning herself in alcohol, it wasn’t surprising that she had no more tears left.

****

Sighing and huffing to herself, Willow glanced around the hallway she was currently in, she remembered running into Beacon’s courtyard and then taking a few right turns to get away from the crowds… but everything got hazy after that.

****

In retrospect, running into Beacon Academy in the middle of a freak out while not having a guide or a map of the place wasn’t her smartest idea. Willow just hoped that she’d come across someone who could help her get around.

****

Making her way over to a nearby bench, Willow slumped down onto it and buried her head in her hands, stifling a few dry sobs as she reflected once more on her the events at the docks. 

****

On the one hand, the mother knew that she’d have a very hard time protecting Whitney from Jacques’ inevitable manipulations, given her neglect these past 7-8 years, let alone doing anything about his perversion of the SDC. On the other hand, she was still determined to try, no matter how difficult it would be for her, she’d spent far too long just running away, she needed to take a stand.

****

She wouldn’t be able to do it alone, especially not in her current sorry state. She’d need help, especially to take back the SDC.

****

But who would-

****

“Sal-u-tat-ions!” A cheerful voice rang out, startling the matriarch out of her reverie and causing her head to snap around to stare at the speaker.

****

A young, ginger-haired girl with bright green eyes was standing in the hallway, gazing at her with wide eyes and a smile on her face. She was flanked by three rather imposing armoured figures. One of them wore teal, the other wore white and red armor, while the last wore grey and yellow.

****

“Oh… hello.” The woman greeted.

****

“Are you alright, miss?” One of the soldiers accompanying the girl, the one in the grey and yellow, asked. “Can we help?”

****

“Oh… thank you.” Willow managed to say, drying her still-stinging eyes and looking up at the newcomers properly. They seemed to be Atlas soldiers, but perhaps they knew the way around this place. “I… don’t suppose any of you know your way around this place, I seem to be a little lost.” She admitted.

****

“Oh, of course we do ma’am, we’ve been assigned to guard duty here for the last few weeks.” The soldier explained, offering his hand, which Willow shook. “I’m Specialist Washington, these are my teammates, Specialists Maine and Carolina.”

****

The other two gave waves in Willow’s direction, but didn’t speak up.

****

“You know, those don’t sound like any names I’ve ever heard of before.” The Schnee matriarch observed.

****

“Ah well they’re just codenames, speaking of names… what’s yours? I mean, I’ve told you mine and everything.” The Specialist looked a little awkward asking, and Willow couldn’t help but laugh a little at his minor social anxiety, it was pretty adorable for a soldier to display.

****

“Of course, where are my manners? I’m Willow.” She made to shake the Specialist's hand, only to jump back when the ginger girl suddenly zipped  _ right  _ into her personal space, her smile widening into a grin and her green eyes sparkling.

****

“Excuse me miss, but is your full name Willow Schnee?” The girl asked excitedly.

****

“Ah, well… yes.” She admitted, to which the girl broke out into an honest to god  _ happy dance _ , jumping up and down on the spot a few times.

****

“Sen-sational!” She cheered. “I was instructed by Mister Ironwood and Miss Schnee to find you and escort you to them as your soonest convenience, they are quite worried about you. Success!”

****

Willow was quite touched by the latter half of that explanation, James was concerned about her?

****

“Oh! Well, lead the way then.” With that, Penny snared Willow’s wrist in a surprisingly strong grip for a girl her age, before leading the older woman away down the corridor. Washington hurried along after them, while Maine and Carolina followed along at their own pace.

****

“Why are we being squandered escorting the synth around?” Carolina grumbled. “My talents are far better utilized elsewhere.”

****

“Orders came from Ironwood himself.” Maine grunted, surprising the teal-armoured woman, Maine wasn’t usually one to speak up like this. “You wouldn’t want to go against the boss just because you think you know best, would you?” He asked.

****

“Well, of course not!” Carolina denied quite forcefully.

****

“Then there we are.” The man stated. “Maybe if you spent less time complaining about your job and more time doing it, you’d get better jobs and get to prove yourself in the future. Then maybe you’d stop whining to us all the time, because it’s getting annoying.”

****

With his piece said, Maine jogged along to catch up to Wash, Penny and Willow, leaving Carolina alone with her thoughts.

****

Part of her was a little steamed at his admission that she was ‘irritating’, seeing it a personal slight.

****

Another part of her, however, was considering his advice quite seriously.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

“You keep pacing like that, you’re gonna go through the floor eventually.” Daniel observed.

****

Winter ignored him, hands clasped firmly behind her back as she resumed her attempt to wear away the carpet, heels clicking relentlessly as the woman paced back and forth. The office was empty save the three of them, Ozpin had given him permission to use it while Weiss and Jaune had both gone back to their teams. Daniel couldn’t blame them, Weiss had looked very upset and while Winter had stopped weeping fairly fast, she’d then started pacing like a madwoman and not stopped since.

****

“I will stop pacing when my mother is found.” She insisted.

****

“You really think she’s in danger, here, in a Hunter Academy?” The gunslinger raised an eyebrow at his partner.

****

“...no.” Winter admitted. “But still, I want to make she’s alright, she was distraught when she ran off. I’m afraid that she might… find something to numb the pain, so to speak.”

****

The implication was clear, Winter was afraid her mother would get drunk again. Daniel simply sighed and put a hand on his forehead.

****

“Look, even if she does do that, we’ll deal with it, okay? Right boss… boss? Hey boss, you okay?” Daniel turned to address Ironwood, only to find the man standing over by the window, his own hands clasped behind his back.

****

“Hmm? What was that, Specialist Wilson?” Ironwood asked, finally turning to face his Specialist.

****

“I asked if you were alright, you’ve been pretty out of it since the docks.”

****

“Oh, yes. Well, I’ve simply been… worried, about Willow.” The general admitted.

****

“Don’t you mean about Miss Schnee?” Daniel asked, a little cheekily.

****

“No, I mean about Willow. She is…  _ was _ , a dear friend once upon a time.” Ironwood sighed once more, lowering his gaze to the floor as Winter finally stopped pacing, while Daniel addressed him once again.

****

“You… knew her mother, sir?” He’d not heard of any personal connection between them besides her father’s affiliation with the military. Ironwood had asked about the Schnee matriarch’s well-being in the past, but Daniel honestly figured that it was just Ironwood’s professional courtesy toward the family of one of his Specialists.

****

Now though…

****

“Yes, I did. We grew up in Mantle together, after all.” Ironwood had a faint nostalgic smile on his face. “Our parents introduced us, my father was part of Nicholas Schnee’s Huntsman team, so we met through them. I wasn’t truly the best academically and Willow… she was always the book smart one.”

****

“You helped one another through combat school, then?” Winter questioned.

****

“Yes. I taught her some practical skills to go with her Huntress training, while she made sure I didn’t fall behind on my studies. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement for both of us, and served very well later in life, at least for me.” His smile faded a little at that.

****

Both Winter and Daniel winced a little, both of them half-imagining, half-remembering exactly how the Schnee matriarch’s life had gone downhill since then. Daniel only knew about it because of Winter and Weiss telling him and Jaune, while Winter was actually there for a good deal of the hell that followed her mother’s marriage to Jacques.

****

“So, you didn’t stay close, then?” Daniel asked.

****

“Regrettably, no.” Ironwood looked visibly crestfallen. “After I left to join the Atlas military and Willow graduated Atlas to prepare for inheriting the SDC from Nicholas, we didn’t get many chances to speak, though we still kept in touch. Then I had my… accident, by the time I had recovered, Willow had already met and was being courted by Jacques. She’d also given up her Huntress career as well, even though Nicholas chose Jacques to lead the SDC not long after they married.

****

“We’ve lived different lives since then, we drifted apart, and not reconnected since.” The man finished, another saddened look crossing his face.

****

“I see. Well, thank you for being there for her while you could, sir.” Winter insisted.

****

“It wasn’t any trouble.” Ironwood brushed off her gratitude. “I just wish that I could’ve been there for her during her marriage troubles… perhaps I could have stopped her from drinking so heavily.”

****

A chime from Ironwood’s scroll shook him out of his reflections on his and Willow’s past. Looking down, he saw it was a call from Penny. Answering it, he held the scroll up to his ear.

****

“Yes, Penny?”

****

“Greetings Mister Ironwood! I have found Misses Schnee and she is currently outside the lift to Headmaster Ozpin’s office! Would you like her to head up?”

****

“Yes, that would be good, Penny.” Ironwood responded. “Thank you for finding her, how was she?”

****

“She seemed slightly in distress, but she is physically sound apart from that!” Penny chirped.

****

“Alright, thank you again, Penny.”

****

“You are welcome, Mister Ironwood!” With that, Penny ended the call.

****

“That was Penny.” Ironwood addressed the other two. “She found your mother, she might still be a little emotional, but there’s nothing else wrong with her.”

****

“Oh, thank goodness.” Winter breathed a sigh of relief. “I’d hate for her to have gone off and found some bar, where she might have been…  _ taken advantage of _ .” The Specialist growled that last bit.

****

Just then the lift chimed, the doors sliding open, to reveal the woman in question. She was holding her arms at her sides, looking nervous and unsure as she stepped into the room.

****

“Mother.” Winter greeted. “Are you-”

****

“I’m… I’m not actually alright, dear.” Willow admitted. “Would it be alright if Ja- if  _ General Ironwood _ and I spoke alone for a moment?”

****

Winter’s eyes flicked between her superior and her mother, a little surprised by her request. “O-of course. Come on Daniel.” The woman marched to the lift, followed closely by her partner. The elder Schnee shot her mother one last glance as the doors closed on them.

****

Now alone, both Willow and Ironwood looked more nervous than ever, especially since they’d not seriously talked or spent any time together, even as friends, in about 25 years or so.

****

“Willow-”

****

“James-”

****

Both of them stopped, before breaking into small chuckles as they realised they’d both tried to preempt the other. As the laughter died down, the two adults locked gazes again.

****

“Well, that was quite unexpected.” Ironwood admitted.

****

“Yes, it certainly was.” Willow agreed, arms still held over her chest. “It’s good to see you again James, thank you for… for helping with Jacques at the docks.” Her shiver at the memory had Ironwood’s brow creasing in concern.

****

“You told Winter you weren’t alright a few moments ago. Willow, how bad is it?” He felt he needed to ask, just to confirm it.

****

“It’s… it’s bad, James. Very bad. I-It's been that way for a long time…” Willow trailed off with a sob. “What am I going to do James? How am I supposed to protect Whitney from Jacques? How am I supposed to reclaim the SDC? I can’t even make it through most days without drowning myself in poison! How will I…” When she trailed off this time, the sobs came frequently as she buried her head in her hands.

****

Ironwood, faced with his estranged childhood friend crying her eyes out in front of him, did the only thing he felt was appropriate.

****

He hugged her.


	59. Interested Parties

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaune gets some more friendly interest from team NDGO and Penny, while getting Cinder to open up to him a little.  
> He also manages to acquire a rival in Specialist Carolina.

Jaune was led along the corridor to Cinder’s cell by Ozpin and Glynda, the former’s cane clacking all the while. The Headmaster had contacted him about another interview in the middle of him comforting Weiss after the incident at the docks, though he’d allowed Jaune to come at his leisure, leaving the blonde free to comfort and reassure his snowy girlfriend before leaving.

****

At least she’d stopped crying and had recomposed herself, especially after Winter had contacted the girl with the relieving news that their mother was alright and currently talking with General Ironwood. That had left Jaune free to heed the Headmaster’s summons.

****

The knight was understandably a little pessimistic about going in to talk to her again, given that she’d barely spoken to him the last time while avoiding eye contact. It had been a few days since then, but Jaune didn’t hold out hope for her being more co-operative, not if her reaction and words during her freak out were anything to go by.

****

Nevertheless the boy resolved to try, just one last time, to get the woman to open up to him. If he couldn’t get her to talk at all in this interview, he didn’t see the point in continuing. If she wasn’t going to open up to him at all, then there was no point in him trying to reach her.

****

Stepping into the small cell (while Ozpin and Goodwitch waited outside), Jaune caught sight of Cinder, she was actually looking at him this time and she didn’t seem afraid. While she was more subdued than he was used to, it was a step up from avoiding eye contact and refusing to show him her face.

****

Jaune sat down across from her, before clearing his throat.

****

_ She’s still making eye contact, that’s good. _

****

“Well, hi again.” That was a good start, a simple greeting to kick things off.

****

“Hello.” She returned his greeting.

****

“So… how have you been?”

****

“You mean  _ besides _ my instability and emotional collapse two sessions ago?” The woman snarked, raising an eyebrow.

****

_ Well, at least her sense of humour’s coming back. _

****

“Yeah, besides that.” The knight admitted.

****

“Well, we’re conversing without me cowering in the corner, so I’d consider that progress.” The ex-Maiden continued, before sighing and rubbing her arms. “Was there anything you wanted to ask?”

****

“Just how you’ve been lately.”

****

“But… why?” Cinder tilted her head at him.

****

“Why what?”

****

“Why do you care about how I’ve been? Why this concern? What do you gain from it?” She questioned.

****

Jaune thought about that, he gave it a good deal of thought for a few moments before he found an answer.

****

“Well, if I get anything, I suppose it’d have to be reassurance… peace of mind, you know? Because then I know that you’re alright.” He admitted honestly, which only confused the captive even more.

****

“And why would my wellbeing matter to you?” Her question was softer this time, as if she was lapsing a little back into her nervousness. “After everything I’ve done… I expected that my suffering would be enjoyable for you.” She admitted.

****

“Well, then you’d be wrong about that.” Jaune began. “Sure, I wanted to see you punished for attacking the school and all the damage you’ve caused, but considering you lost the powers you wanted and you’re in a cell with no freedom, I’d say that’s punishment enough really.”

****

Cinder’s eyes widened slightly as she digested everything the knight had just said, after looking down for a moment to form a response, she looked back up and replied.

****

“I… had not considered that.” She sounded a little strained at having to say that, but Jaune supposed it was some of her natural ego that was stopping her from admitting that she was ever wrong returning. “Th- th…tha-” She stuttered a little, almost trying to  _ force  _ her next words out.

****

“Hmmm, what’s that?” Jaune asked, straining to hear her quiet voice.

****

“I’m TRYING to say _ thank you _ , Arc.” Cinder snarled out in frustration. “For your… ugh,  _ kindness. _ ” Once again she struggled to even say ‘thank you’ and ‘kindness’, with her face twisting in visible discomfort, without sounding like she was spitting out poison.

****

Jaune couldn’t help but smile and chuckle at the sheer effort it took her just to say ‘thank you’, but the fact that she said it at all was very encouraging, not only was she seemingly back to normal, but perhaps she was finally opening up to him.

****

“Well, you’re welcome.” He offered her a small smile, which she didn’t return, though she didn’t glare at him either.

****

Oh well, baby steps.

****

“So, does this mean you’d be up for some more questions in another interview?” He asked.

****

“...yes. I would. As long as it’s you asking them.” Cinder insisted.

****

“Well, I think I can manage that.” Jaune replied, satisfied that he’d managed to get her to agree to further interviews. The knight stood up, offering one last small smile at the woman opposite him. “Well, I’ll be back in a day or two then.”

****

Cinder actually managed to slight upward quirk of her mouth as she responded. “Alright, I will be here, as always.” Jaune moved to leave the room, swiping the security card given to him by Ozpin to open the door. As he stepped out, Cinder spoke up once more.

****

”Goodbye… Jaune.” Was what he managed to hear back as the door shut behind him.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

As Jaune stepped out of the lift from the Headmaster’s office and made his way through the courtyard beyond that, he reflected on his experiences with Cinder in her cell.

****

At least she’d been cooperative, and up for further questions later on, so the interview had been a success in that regard.

****

However, the knight couldn’t help but reflect on whatever it was that had happened to her, it had taken the normally confident and unflappable woman a few whole days to recover from her breakdown about it and she’d still not opened up to him about her past, so Jaune was naturally curious.

****

_ Summer, do you still think that me digging into Cinder’s past is a good idea? I mean, I want to help her, but I don’t wanna make things worse either. _

****

_ “Well...I don’t know.”  _ His mental companion answered, hesitation present in her tone. “ _ After everything that happened because of her, I honestly don’t think she deserves your help, no matter how traumatic her past is.” _

****

Jaune frowned a bit at Summer’s assessment, mainly because she wasn’t wrong. However, she continued a moment later.

****

“ _ Knowing you, you’re still going to try and help her.” _

****

_ Heh...you know me too well… _ He thought with a chuckle. Summer giggled, and nodded in agreement in the mindscape.

****

_ “Jaune, I’m literally in your head. If I didn’t know you like this, then we’d have big problems.”  _ She quipped. Jaune rolled his eyes, but before he could respond, a shout from nearby caught his attention.

****

“Jaune, wait up!”

****

Jaune looked over his shoulder, and spotted Nebula and the rest of Team NDGO approaching. He turned to face them, but before he could greet them, Nebula practically tackle hugged him, making him stumble.

****

 “Oof, hey Neb. Nice to see you.” He groaned, smiling as the girl disengaged from him with a rushed apology.

****

“S-sorry! It’s just, uh, we haven’t really hung out or talked in a while. I uh…” 

****

Nebula trailed off, her blush deepening as Dew supplied the rest of her statement.

****

“She missed you.”

****

“Oh! Well, I missed you guys too!” Jaune replied with a wide smile, prompting an embarrassed ‘ _ EEP _ !’, while Gwen, Dew, and Octavia all sported their own blushes. “Now that I think about it, we’ve never really hung out before. Any of you want to hang out later, if you’re free?”

****

“Well, I believe we’re free on Friday.” Gwen confirmed, with her teammates all nodding in agreement. “So, I suppose we’ll see you then, yes?”

****

“Sure! I guess it’s a date!” Jaune said, half-jokingly. As he’d turned away to continue to Penny’s lab, he missed the  _ massive  _ blush on Nebula’s face, as well as the smaller blushes on the faces of her teammates.

****

“O-okay! It’s a date, yeah!” The NDGO leader stuttered out, getting rather flustered at the prospect of spending time with Jaune alone (well, alone with her team, anyway), while her teammates were also rather nervous. Jaune was, after all, their first teenage crush, they didn’t want to screw up in front of him.

****

Jaune continued on his walk, a decisive pep in his step as he grew closer to the Atlas Lab. He reached the main entrance and was about to enter before the doors opened on their own and a  heavy mass of cyan collided with him. The force of the impact sent him sprawling, and he hit the ground hard, knocking the wind out of him.

****

“Ow...that hurt.” He groaned, coughing as the air returned to his lungs. Looking up, he found that the cyan figure was in fact a fully armoured soldier, standing above him with their arms folded. Thanks to the helmet, he couldn’t tell if it was a man or a woman staring him down.

****

However, even without a good look at the soldier’s face, Jaune suspected that they weren’t happy to see him. 

****

“Uh, can I help you?” He asked, staring up at the soldier.

****

“Yes, you can.” Judging from the voice,  _ she _ was female. The armoured woman then leant down toward Jaune, all without uncrossing her arms. “Next time, you can help me by not taking my place.”

****

Now that confused Jaune. “What do you mean ‘taking your place’? Who are you?”

****

Now, the soldier reached up to unclasp her helmet, revealing a sight that shocked Jaune. This woman, whoever she was, bore an uncanny resemblance to his own partner, even her own voice seemed slightly similar! The red hair in a ponytail, the emerald eyes… yep, she looked like an older Pyrrha alright.

****

“I am Freelancer Carolina, and  _ you  _ are the one who took the credit that rightfully belongs to me.”

****

Okay, so she looked like Pyrrha, but she in  _ no way _ talked like her. There was no way his partner, humble as she was, would ever talk about glory or credit ‘belonging to her’. What was up with her?

****

Jaune picked himself up so that he could look at the woman directly. “What ‘credit’ do you mean?”

****

“The terrorist Cinder Fall.” The Freelancer stated. “My team and I were  _ supposed _ to be the ones to bring her in alongside Specialists Schnee and Wilson, as well as the Huntsman Qrow Branwen.”

****

Now, she took a slightly aggressive step toward the blonde in front of her, inadvertently causing him to step back slightly.

****

“But  _ instead _ , our talent is wasted on mere  _ guard duty _ , while the Beacon Headmaster and General Ironwood saw fit to send  _ you,  _ and several other undertrained  _ children _ , to go and confront her instead.”

****

“So, what? You’re angry because you didn’t get the chance to fight someone?” Jaune asked.

****

“Let me explain something to you,  _ boy _ .” Carolina snarled out. “My team and I were specifically tasked with hunting down and combating dangerous renegade Aura users, and we have spent no fewer than 5 years preparing and properly equipping ourselves. 

****

“Cinder Fall is the most dangerous renegade ever encountered, she was  _ supposed _ to be  _ our _ target, the credit for her capture was supposed to be  _ ours _ . I did  _ not _ devote half a decade of my life to this assignment just to have my greatest triumph stolen from me by some  _ foolish, arrogant little boy _ like you!” 

****

The woman finally finished her rant, with Jaune standing there a little wide-eyed and rather offended at how angry at him she was. Did she seriously call  _ him _ arrogant, when _ she _ was the one standing there yelling at him for stealing her thunder?

****

“So… you think I’m arrogant?” Jaune scoffed. “Wow, have you taken a look in the mirror lately?”

****

“Excuse me?” Carolina growled back, emerald orbs narrowing dangerously. Jaune, however, was too off ended to care about her temper.

****

“Well, last time I checked, I’m not the one who just started yelling at someone for ‘stealing my credit’, you are!” Jaune pointed out, jabbing a finger at the soldier in front of him. “And look, I only suggested baiting Cinder into a trap because it was the only way to make sure she didn’t go after Amber again! I figured that, since she hated me, I could use myself as bait, and it worked!

****

“And you know something else? It wasn’t even me that beat Cinder, I almost  _ died _ before Amber showed up. So I didn’t ‘steal’ anything from you, if you want to get mad at someone, go get mad at Amber if you really want to, but I guarantee she won’t like it.” He challenged her.

****

Carolina didn’t reply, instead she simply shoved past Jaune and stormed off toward the main Academy.

****

Jaune sighed, before making his way into Penny’s lab.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

Penny had been pleased to see him again, especially so, since she greeted him with a tackle-hug that knocked the air from his lungs and him to the ground.

****

Before either of them could speak, Doctor Polendina had breezed over and informed them that he could take care of Penny’s work for a while, before herding them out the door with a grin on his face.

****

The duo spent a good while walking around after that, simply enjoying the company and quiet, before Penny finally spoke up.

****

“I am pleased that you decided to visit me again, friend Jaune.” The synth girl said, smiling at the knight as they came to a halt. “It was getting rather lonely in father’s lab, he tends to get rather absorbed in his work projects, so I do not have anyone to converse with.”

****

“You missed talking with someone that much?” Jaune asked.

****

“I missed talking with  _ you _ , friend Jaune.” Penny insisted. “Our conversations are always enjoyable, and you do not care for my synthetic nature, I feel… at ease when we talk.” The girl smiled cutely again as she spoke.

****

“Well, I kinda missed talking with you too, Penny! I mean, we always manage to find something to talk about or some entertainment, it’s never really dull when you’re around.” Jaune said, causing Penny’s eyes to widen a little.

****

“Oh! I see, I enjoy your company as well, friend Jaune! I am glad that spending time with me is pleasant for you.” The android replied, feeling her internal systems begin to heat up as she continued, a reaction that her father had diagnosed as a symptom of her attraction to the knight.

****

The mere thought of her feelings for Jaune only caused a worse reaction. She was after all a synthetic being, while Jaune himself was an ordinary biological human, their… ‘internal systems’ were incompatible in that regard. Penny could not help but feel both saddened and embarrassed at the same time.

****

Her embarrassment stemmed from the fact that she was even  _ thinking  _ such thoughts regarding Jaune, while her sadness came from the realisation that she would never be as close to Jaune as the other girls in his life. 

****

Penny was observant, she had figured out by now that he was in a relationship with quite a few of his fellow students, and she had also figured out that the blonde had already consummated the relationship with at least three of the girls, maybe more. The knowledge that the ginger synth would never be able to have that level of intimacy with Jaune was slightly upsetting.

****

Her thoughts were interrupted by Jaune’s hands landing gently on her shoulders, causing the girl to gasp jump a little as she refocused on the boy in front of her, a slight frown on his lips and crease in his eyebrows

****

“Hey, you okay Penny? You kinda spaced out there, something you thinking about?”

****

Oh dear, she had been rather distracted in front of him, hadn’t she?

****

“I am fine, friend Jaune, merely… distracted.” She girl half-lied.

****

Fortunately, the knight accepted her reason easily enough. 

****

“Ah yeah. With everything that’s been going on, that’s pretty understandable, if I’m honest. I’ve been spacing out too from time to time, don’t worry about it.” The knight smiled down at the young synth girl, who felt the heat in her regulator return. “Anything in particular you’re thinking about?”

****

Penny considered that for a good moment or two. There had been plenty she’d been distracted about, most of those thoughts involving the knight himself. Some of  _ those  _ thoughts were about her steadily growing ‘crush’ on him, while most were of a darker nature, involving things that had recently happened to him.

****

Specifically, his run-ins with that ‘Cinder Fall’ woman, the terrorist who had attacked the school.

****

The terrorist who had nearly killed Jaune.  _ Twice. _

****

“There is one thing, friend Jaune. It involves your recent encounter with the terrorist agent named Cinder Fall.”

****

Jaune’s smile crumpled instantly as he understood what Penny was getting at. She must’ve heard about his fight with Cinder at Amity, and about what almost happened there. 

****

How he’d almost died.

****

“Penny, I…” He began, his mouth suddenly quite dry.

****

“Friend Jaune, in your last encounter with her, you almost ceased to function.” Penny whispered quietly, the synth girl hugging herself as her large emerald orbs gazed up at the knight’s azure pools. “I did not like that, friend Jaune. I was… I was what you might call scared.” She admitted.

****

“I’m sorry, Penny. We needed to draw her out somehow, and I figured that she hated me enough that using me as bait could work.” He sighed and placed a hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry that I worried you like that.”

****

“I would have been happy to offer assistance.” Penny continued, the smaller girl’s gaze still locked onto Jaune’s. “My father could have taken over operation of the Aura Transfer Device while I assisted you with subduing miss Fall, why did you not ask for my assistance? I am combat ready.”

****

“ _ Well that’s sweet of her, she really was worried about you.”  _ His mental partner commented.

****

Jaune was a little stunned by the ginger android’s declaration and question, enough to actually think quite a bit about it. Why  _ hadn’t  _ he asked Penny to come with him to Amity, with her advanced weaponry and superior abilities compared to even most trainee Hunters, Penny would’ve been a big help against Cinder. So why hadn’t he brought her along?

****

Because he’d been so wrapped up in everything involving Amber and Cinder that he’d forgotten about her, that’s why. More specifically, he’d forgotten that she was a combat-capable android and simply thought of her as the sweet, dorky, socially awkward and adorable ginger girl he hung out with sometimes.

****

“Honestly, Penny? I forgot.” He admitted.

****

“Forgot? What do you mean friend Jaune?” Penny tilted her head curiously.

****

“I forgot that you were, well… an android. I mean, I haven’t seen you fight, and after hanging out with you a few times, I just stopped thinking about it. The way you act, the way you talk… it sounds more like a cute, socially awkward teenage girl than some combat android, so I just started seeing you that way.” The knight explained, causing Penny to blush slightly as the internal heat returned with a vengeance.

****

_ “Aw! She really is a cutie, isn’t she? I didn’t know an android could be so adorable!” _ Summer cooed at seeing Penny’s blush.

****

_ Friend Jaune… forgot I was an android? He truly does see me as a normal girl after all. This is wonderful! _ She cheered internally, only to squeak as the knight pulled her into a hug. 

****

“Sorry for leaving you behind Penny. Next time I go on a mission, I’ll ask you to come along, how does that sound?”

****

“I would like that very much, friend Jaune.” Penny replied as she hugged him back.

****

The two stayed like that for quite some time, simply enjoying their closeness and the tranquility of the quiet space. Still, they needed to separate eventually, with Penny smiling up at the blonde as they did so.

****

“Thank you for spending some time with me today, perhaps we can do so again, in the future?”

****

“Sure Penny, I like spending time with you.” Jaune agreed, only to look confused when Penny lowered her head and began to twiddle her skirt.

****

“Friend Jaune, I would like to offer the customary goodbye that comes after a male and female spend some time together.”

****

Jaune barely had a second to comprehend what Penny was about to do before the cute ginger acted, gently placing her hands on his shoulders as she leant up to peck her lips against his. As she pulled back, her own cheeks turning surprisingly red, Jaune could stand there in shock, opening and closing his jaw repeatedly.

****

“I-I must return to my father’s lab now, farewell friend Jaune.” Her piece said, Penny took off at a surprising pace, leaving the knight standing there. After a few moments, he managed to muster up a response.

****

“Huh, that was actually kinda nice.”

****

_ “Wow, Jaune. You really know how to charm the ladies, don’t you?”  _ Summer joked, giggling happily at Penny’s bold kiss.

****

_ Apparently, yeah… even the synthetic ones. _

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

Upon opening his dorm door, Jaune was immediately tackled by a tactical Nora to the chest.

****

“Hi Jaune-Jaune!” The perky bomber cried out as she latched onto her leader, who only stumbled back a single step before regaining his balance. Nora couldn’t help but giggle, fearless leader (or rather, fearless boyfriend) really had come a long way, there was no way he’d have been standing if she’d done that near the start of the year.

****

“Hi, Nora.” He greeted back, before surprising the ginger with a kiss to the nose, making her giggle and smile. “Boop.”

****

“Love you too, Jauney.” She whispered softly, before planting her own kiss on the knight’s lips. “Hey Pyr! Renny! Jauney’s back!” She called out.

****

“We can see that Nora.” Pyrrha confirmed, the spartan much more relaxed as she made her way over to her teammates, while Ren was sitting at her desk, hunched over and scribbling away at a piece of paper. “Did you have a good day today Jaune?”

****

“Yeah, I did actually. Ran into team NDGO and made plans to hang out with them this Friday, I spent some time with Penny as well, so that was good. She did seem pretty concerned about how I’d been lately, but we cleared it up.”

****

“Well, that was nice of you to spend time with her, she has been asking about you, I understand.” Pyrrha said, the scarlet champion reaching over to peck Jaune on the cheek. “So, did anything interesting happen apart from that?”

****

“Well, I mean, Penny did kiss me at the end, so…” Jaune trailed off, while Nora got a glint in her eye and Pyrrha’s smile seemed to widen a fraction. Quickly, the Valkyrie detached herself  from her leader and rushed over to Ren.

****

“Quickly Renny!” Nora called, shaking the other girl frantically by the shoulder. “Penny kissed Jauney, we gotta add her to the list, stat!”

****

Ren let out a frustrated growl before resuming her scribbling on the paper. Jaune just quirked an eyebrow and turned to his partner.

****

“Um...can you fill me in here, Pyr?”

****

“Of course.” Pyrrha replied while chuckling. “Not to long ago, the rest of our team and Team RWBY started talking about how other girls were apparently interested in joining our relationship.”

****

Jaune’s jaw dropped, and Pyrrha giggled once more. “That’s about the reaction I expected.”

****

“Wha- there’s others who like me?” He asked, completely dumbfounded by the news. “Who’s on the list?”

****

“Well, let’s see.” Pyrrha said, before holding her hand out to Ren, who handed over the paper, which Pyrrha then started to read off of. “The Malachite Twins, Team NDGO, Emerald, Marcie, Amber, Penny...um, Ren? Who are these other ones at the bottom?”   


“Nora insisted on adding them. She said that they, ‘might come into play later.’” Ren explained, while Nora nodded excitedly behind her.

****

“Well...ok then.” Pyrrha said, just accepting her teammate’s shenanigans and turning back to Jaune, who was currently blushing like mad. “Um, Jaune? Are you alright?”

****

“Yup. Summer’s just making fun of how thick my skull is.” He answered, earning another giggle from the spartan, while Nora scooped the list back up and hastily added another name to it, smiling all the while. “So...how should we go about these new girls?”

****

“That’s up to you, Jaune. We’ll have your back.” Pyrrha answered, smiling at her leader and lover.

****

“I agree with Pyrrha, the decision is up to you.” Ren added, offering her own small smile to the knight.

****

“Yeah! More babes for the fearless leader!” Nora crowed, ignoring the stares of her teammates. Jaune sighed, but smiled to himself as he leaned back in his bed.

****

_ What a day it’s been. _

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


	60. The Trio's Time To Shine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neo, Emerald, and Marcie get their first time with Jaune, Summer pulls some romantic moves, and Raven visits her friend's grave once more, returning to camp to find an unwanted visitor.

As Jaune took a bite of his eggs in the Beacon mess hall, surrounded by his girlfriends and the rest of the student population, he couldn’t help but think about how lucky he was. He had the girls, who he loved unconditionally, and vise versa. He was on the fast path to becoming an official huntsman. 

****

And he had even managed to assist in the interrogation of Cinder fall, who has gone from ‘almost murdering him/others’ to ‘passively apologizing for past mistakes/ratting out her boss’. 

****

In other words, life was good at the moment.

****

“Ruby, would you please chew with your mouth closed? It’s undignified.”

****

Well, as good as can be.

  
“Sorry, Weiss!” Ruby said, her mouth still full of food before she swallowed, and smiled bashfully at her partner. “I just got distracted. Yang and I are leaving for Patch tonight for a quick visit with Dad. It’ll only be a day, but I’m so excited!”

****

“Well, we still have a day until CFVY get’s back from their mission, so it’s still down to just us, your team, and…” Pyrrha trailed off before cocking her head in confusion at her Jaune. “Hey, have you seen Marcie, Emerald, or Neo?”

****

Jaune scanned the table, and saw that the trio was missing. Immediately, a brief spike of fear ran through him as he considered the probability that they might be in trouble. He then reminded himself who he was thinking of, and quickly decided that they could take care of themselves.

****

“I’m not sure, but I’m sure they’re fine.” He answered. A moment later, he felt a hand tap his shoulder, and turned to face whoever it was. He beamed when he saw it was Emerald. “Hey, Em! We were wondering where you were!”

****

Emerald blushed at the knights words, and let out a breathy chuckle. “Well, thank you, but...I-I uh, need your help with something.”

****

Jaune quirked an eyebrow, but nodded in understanding. “Ok, what’s up?”   


“Um, w-well...could you just follow me please?” She asked, still blushing bright red. Surprised with how flustered the former pickpocket had become, Jaune nodded again and rose to his feet.

****

“Ok. Ruby, can you just stack my tray with your?” He asked, receiving a nod from the reaper in confirmation. “Thanks. Well...let’s go.”   


Emerald nodded, and grabbed Jaune’s hand as she hurriedly pulled him towards the exit. As they left, Yang turned to Blake with a sly grin that was all too familiar to the faunus. 

****

“Hey, Blakey? What would you say is on that side of the school?”

****

Blake sighed, and shut her book before turning to the blonde next to her with an irritated scowl. “Well, since you needed to interrupt me, let’s see. There's dorms, the library, the…”

  
Blake trailed off as her eyes widened in realization, and she met her partner’s mischievous gaze.

****

“The showers.”

  
Yang nodded in confirmation, and Blake let out a groan of frustration and nearly slammed her head into the book she was holding.

****

“Goddammit, that was our plan!”

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

“So, what is it you needed help with?” Jaune asked as he walked next to Emerald through the halls of Beacon. Originally, she had released his hand and stuttered an apology about not asking first, then he offered it to her and she hadn’t let go since.

****

“Y-you’ll see.” She answered cautiously, making Jaune tilt his head in confusion. While Emerald’s usual confidence had returned slightly, she was still blushing wildly and avoiding his eyes. Eventually they came to a stop, though Jaune was surprised by the location.

****

“Um, Em?” He asked, glancing at the mint-haired girl beside him. “Why are we at the showers?”

****

“How about we go inside and you find out?”

****

Jaune blinked, a turned back to look at the girl, but discovered that she had already entered the room. He shook his head, before entering after her, prepared to call her name before a sight came into view that lodged the words in his throat.

****

Neo and Marcie was standing in the communal area of the shower, both of them wearing nothing but smiles as they happily rubbed bars of soap over each other’s lithe and shapely forms, the white suds getting almost everywhere. The girls were very thorough, leaving no space unsoaked on their partner… not even their privates, as they unashamedly rubbed soap into EVERY part of their fellow bad girl’s body.

****

Hearing his approach, they both turned to face him, their smiles widening into grins, both the assassin and enforcer licking their lips with undisguised hunger burning in their eyes.

****

“Hiiii there Jauney...” Marcie greeted him. “Glad you could join us.”

****

“We’ve been waiting for you.” Neo cut in quietly, both the girl’s eyes flashing a light pink, much the same that Yang’s had when they’d-

****

Well, at least he knew what it meant now.

****

“I’m glad you could show up, Jaune…” Emerald cut in, the thief entering just as bare as her teammates, though more embarrassed than either of them with pinked cheeks. She moved to stand by her teammates, who quickly began rubbing her down with soap as well. She squeaked a little and moved to cover herself out of habit, only for Marcie to lean in and whisper in her ear.

****

“C’mon Emmy, we agreed to this, right? You want Jauney to show you a good time too, don’t you?” That got Emerald to stop and allow both girls’ hands to roam over her chocolate skin, rubbing in soap sensually and slowly. All of which was causing Jaune some discomfort in his jeans.

****

“Well, are you gonna join us Jauney?” Marcie asked, a perverse grin on her face.

****

“Course. I’d be an idiot to pass this up, wouldn’t I?” The knight replied, a new confidence in his voice that surprised the grey-haired beauty. This was NOT the same bashful boy she’d shaken her bust at in that first fateful combat class.

****

For Jaune, his confidence came from the repeated sexual encounters with his other girlfriends. Repeated instances of not only seeing girls naked, but also touching and pleasuring them, had begun removing his shyness and any nerves or hesitation he once felt. After his night with Ruby a few days, Jaune simply didn’t feel embarrassed anymore, not even when faced with three gorgeous young women at once.

****

With that, the knight began to remove his clothes, carefully folding them into a neat pile on a nearby bench as he did so. Once he was solely in his boxers, the blonde turned to the trio before him, all of whom had stopped what they were doing to stare at him. From the looks in their eyes, they were enthralled, even more so now that they saw him with almost nothing on.

****

The combination of having his abdominals and muscles on full display, as well as the noticeable bulge in his boxer shorts, left the girls rather short of breath and a little red-faced. Their dual shock and arousal only increased as Jaune  _ smirked _ at them, before hooking his fingers into his boxers.

****

“So… you ladies see something you like?” He asked, feeling like teasing then a little in return after all the teasing they (mainly Marcie and Neo) put him through in the past.

****

Emerald just nodded wordlessly, the mint-haired girl’s gaze fixed on the blonde’s crotch with  _ very _ pink cheeks.

****

“Yes.” Neo replied, biting her lower lip in anticipation.

****

“Oh FUCK yes.” Marcie rasped out, the ex-assassin openly rubbing her hand against her own crotch and licking her lips, pupils dilated and shimmering with arousal.

****

“Want me to take-”

****

“YES!!” They all yelled out, need and arousal coating their words.

****

“Well, okay then.” With that, Jaune pulled his boxers down and placed them on the pile of clothes, before turning back to face the trio. As one, the girls’ eyes widened even further as they finally saw his ‘second sword’ in person.

****

Neo whimpered and rubbed her thighs together, eyes rapidly flashing between milky white and a deep pink.

****

Marcie purred and licked her lips again, shaking her hips and running her hands over her bust.

****

Emerald simply bit her lip, looking on the verge of passing out.

****

Jaune shifted his smile from the teasing and smug smirk to a kinder one as he stepped toward them. “So, who wants to go first?” He swept his gaze over all three of the beauties in front of him, drinking in and appreciating every inch of their very lovely figures. “I’ll let you decide, this is your time with me after all. Speaking of, why now?”

****

“Well…” Emerald began, fiddling with the two strands of her green hair in the process. “We, we wanted to be close to you, Jaune. We wanted to have what the other girls have had…”

****

“We want you to make us feel good, Jaune.” Neo cut in, the ex-criminal stepping forward. “We wouldn’t trust anyone else with our virginities like this… we want it to be you.” She offered him a smile, which was gladly returned.

****

“Yeah, we do.” Marcie threw in her opinion. “You’ve… you’ve been a really great friend for us, Jauney.” She seemed uncharacteristically subdued as she spoke, her grey eyes meeting his own with a smaller smile than he was used to on her face. “You gave us a second chance, when we sure as hell didn’t deserve it. We want to repay you… and get some of your ‘sword’ as well.” She finished with a wink, her old confidence (and blasé attitude to filthy language and sexual innuendos) returning.

****

“Well, I’m just glad I could help you.” Jaune admitted, earning wider smiles from the trio. “You’re my friends, and I look out for all my friends.”

****

“We’re not just friends anymore Jauney.” Marcie chided playfully. “We’re your  _ girl _ friends now, and you need to make us feel good, don’t you?” She and Neo cocked their hips and posed suggestively for him, which only ‘unsheathed his sword’ even more.

****

“I suppose I do.” The knight chuckled. “So…” He began, only for Emerald to speak up.

****

“U-um. If it’s alright, can I…?” She asked, a little timidly.

****

“Of course you can, Em.” Jaune moved to stand in front of her, while he was still a little embarrassed at being with three girls at once, he was comfortable enough that it didn’t affect him too much anymore. He took the dark-skinned girl’s hands in his own and gazed right at her. “Shall we?”

****

“Yeah. Okay.” With that, they both leaned in to press their lips together.

****

Emerald squeaked a little as their mouths met, the knight’s wet and warm lips against her own as his surprisingly strong hands held her own smoother ones. The thief leaned into the kiss a little more, poking her tongue into the blonde’s mouth at the same time as he returned the favour, resulting in a saliva-soaked battle for dominance as their tongues pushed against each other.

****

Soon, Emerald snaked her arms around Jaune’s neck and shoulders, while the knight gripped her hips and pulled her body against his own. Both moaned slightly as Emerald’s bust pressed tightly against Jaune’s upper body, not helped at all by her firm and erect nipples from her arousal, while Jaune’s hardened member pushed against the girl’s crotch. Both teens felt like their bodies were on fire as they kissed more deeply, their moans coming stronger and more frequently as they gave into their passions.

****

Emerald began to grind her thighs and hips against Jaune’s thickened member, while the blonde gently bucked his hips forward in a steady rhythm, both gasping at the electric sensations the contact sent up their spines. Jaune reached down to grip the minty girl’s firm and well-rounded behind, squeezing it repeatedly as they both pushed against one another one more time, their arousal hitting a peak.

****

Suddenly, Emerald pulled back. Jaune was about to ask if she was alright before she suddenly pinned him to the wall, a resolute fire in her eyes. 

****

“No more games. We’re doing this,  **_now._ ** ” She growled

****

The girl’s sudden surge of confidence surprised Jaune, but he obeyed her as she gently pushed him to the floor, and positioned herself above his still twitching mast. Their eyes connected, and Jaune grabbed Emerald's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

****

“Are you ready?”

****

Emerald answered by lowering herself onto his length. She let out a sharp gasp as pleasure and pain bombarded her senses all at once. Jaune wasn’t much better, letting out his own choked moan as he pierced her womanhood. As the pain subsided, he lifted his hand to her hips, only for her to grab his hands and push them to the floor. He met her gaze, and was met with an expression of excitement and lust as she spat her next words.

****

“Ooooh no. I’m in control of this one. You just enjoy the ride.”

****

With that, she began to bounce, moaning as the friction of Jaune’s member drove her mad with pleasure that she had never known before, while Jaune himself did as he was told, simply lying back and letting out his own chorus of moans.

****

As the pleasure rose to a boiling point, Jaune decided that he was going to add a surprise for the mint-haired girl. He channeled his aura to his lower region, hoping that it would stimulate Emerald further. Given the practical howl of excitement that followed his action, he deduced he was correct.

****

“Oh! J-JAUNE!” She screamed, and a moment later, they finished in unison. Emerald slumped onto Jaune’s face, huffing in exhaustion before humming in contentment and wrapping her arms around Jaune’s neck. “Jaune...thank...you…”

****

“Heh...anytime, Em.” Jaune muttered in reply, before realizing that she was close to falling asleep and chuckled lightly. Aura really  was one hell of a drug.

****

“Jaaaune.” A breathy and lust-laced call of his name brought the knight’s attention over to the other two girls. Gently picking the drained Emerald up and carrying her to a nearby bench, Jaune set her down and wrapped a towel around her for modesty, with the girl mewling a little in happiness as he placed a kiss on her forehead.

****

“T-that was really good Jaune…” The crimson-eyed beauty whispered, giving him an adoring smile in thanks. “Thank you so much.”

****

“You’re welcome, Em.” He replied, smiling back at her. “I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

****

“Mmmm… we’re doing this again, definitely.” Emerald snuggled into her towel and cast one last look at her blonde knight. “Go on, they’re still waiting for you, I can wait…”

****

As if on cue, a pair of slender arms wrapped around Jaune’s own right arm, while a pair of firm and warm bumps squished in between his bicep. His blue eyes met the dual-coloured orbs of Neopolitan, though they were currently shimmering a light pink to go with her slightly flushed cheeks and happy smile. She began to tug Jaune over to a waiting Marcie, licking her lips and peppering his arm with kisses all the while.

****

“I take it you want your turns now?” Jaune asked, receiving eager nods from both of them in reply.

****

“You bet we do, Jauney.” Marcie breathed, the girl openly fondling her bosom in front of them, her breathing ragged and quick and her core burning with need. “That was the hottest damn thing I’ve ever seen, I didn’t know Emmy could  _ get  _ that riled up. Fuck, watching her riding you like that…” She licked her lips.

****

“It turned us on, a  _ lot _ .” Neo cut in, the smaller girl gazing up at Jaune while still squeezing his arm between her firm bosom, licking her lips as she stole glances at the boy’s manhood. “Please Jaune, we need you now, won’t you help us?” She pleaded, injecting a needy whine in her voice as she snuggled up to Jaune even more, her nude from pressing against his own.

****

Jaune gasped softly, Neo’s ministrations already bringing him back to full mast again. Emboldened by her plea, the boy decided to try something new this time. They seemed a little more openly eager than the other girls had been, so maybe they’d be okay with him going further.

****

Jaune turned to Neo and took her hands in his own, leaning down to peck her on the lips, with a soft mewl of appreciation as his reward. “So, how rough do you want me to be? I’m not going to do anything you aren’t comfortable with.”

****

“I don’t mind you getting rough with me.” Neo licked her lips, the pink in her eyes brightening a little as she spoke. “I’m a bad girl Jaune… won’t you be my bad boy?” The girl pouted and wiggled her hips invitingly at the boy in front of her.

****

Only to yelp as Jaune leaned down, picked her up by the legs and practically threw her into the air, only to catch her with her thighs against his shoulders. When it occurred to Neo and the watching Marcie exactly where his face was… well, both girls blushed quite hard, but neither looked away.

****

“This ‘bad’ enough for you?” Jaune challenged her, a delightfully cocky smirk on his face (though most of his bravado was simply for show, he was in fact rather nervous himself). Neo just nodded rapidly. “Well alright then, here we go.”

****

Despite her efforts to contain herself, the girl’s first whimper slipped through her lips immediately as Jaune’s mouth came into contact with her nethers. She’d at least shaved, which was fine with the boy, it helped calm his nerves a little knowing that he could see what he was doing. He placed a gentle kiss on her lower lips, which caused Neo to bite her finger and tense up, barely holding in another whimper.

****

“You ready for more?” Jaune whispered, huskily.

****

Neo just nodded rapidly and whimpered again, clenching her thighs around the boy’s head in preparation.

****

This time, she couldn’t stop the cries coming as Jaune lapped at her nethers, slowly at first, but he soon grew intoxicated himself with the girl’s taste. He dragged his tongue needily across her sex over and over again, with Neo losing more and more control. The girl dug her fingers into Jaune’s blonde locks, while her thighs locked tight around his head as she gasped and whined, instinctively bucking her hips straight into Jaune’s face.

****

Marcie, watching all of this happening with a perverse grin on her face, finally decided to join in when she caught sight of the knight’s thickened shaft. The grey-haired beauty paced forward, her core burning with anticipation and excitement, kneeling down besides Jaune, whose hands were well occupied with groping and kneading Neo’s firm behind.

****

“Gaahh…” Jaune couldn’t stop a moan from slipping as the ex-assassin’s hands closed around his engorged phallus, carefully and lightly stroking the shaft. Marcie’s breathing was ragged and quick, her eyes wide and shimmering with desire as she continued her ministrations. The smell of Jaune’s seed was driving her crazy, which pushed her to tenderly draw her tongue across his shaft.

****

Jaune’s own heightening arousal pushing him to begin sucking and licking at Neo even faster than he already was, while he pushed his own hips forward into Marcie’s quite eager mouth. 

****

“Aaahh, Jaune!” Neo practically shrieked, scrunching her fingers in the boy’s hair, feeling downright euphoric thanks to his worshipping her sex.

****

All three cried out happily as they began reaching their peaks… only for Jaune to set Neo down and withdraw himself from a disappointed Marcie. Both girls started at the knight, a little shocked that he’d stopped them getting off.

****

“Sorry about that, I just didn’t want to ‘run out’ before we got to the actual, you know…” Jaune explained, trailing off a little at the end, some of his nerves returning at the sight of their looks.

****

“Fucking?” Marcie quirked an eyebrow, smirking a little as she crossed her hands under her breasts. Off Jaune’s nod, she continued. “Heh, makes sense I guess. I gotta say, you taste pretty good, Jauney.” She licked her lips as a demonstrator, the salty taste making her shiver.

****

Jaune would’ve replied, if not for Neo practically tackling him to the floor, landing atop him as they hit the floor. Staring upward, the knight found himself faced with the ex-enforcer rubbing her hips against his, licking her lips and whining needily.

****

“Jaune, don’t make me wait anymore.” She whispered. “Take me Jaune, make me yo-waah!” Her plea was cut off when Jaune flipped them over, ensuring that the girl landed softly. Now lying on the ground, the panting Neo locked eyes with Jaune as he loomed over her, his hardened member brushing against her wet sex. Neo gasped out, her eyes’ pink colour deepening a shade as her arousal spiked, her firm breasts heaving up and down as she panted.

****

“Enjoying yourself?” Jaune asked, smiling down at her as he rubbed his engorged phallus against her yet again.

****

Neo didn’t reply verbally, she just nodded and whimpered.

****

“You want more?”

****

Neo responded by taking his head in both hands and yanking him down for a deep and passionate kiss, while Jaune wrapped his arms around her back to hold her tightly against him as he knelt near the ground. With one more thrust, the knight pressed himself forward into his partner.

****

Neo broke the kiss as she cried out, the heat in her core exploding as Jaune’s member pressed deep inside her, filling her so completely it made her tear up. It felt so  _ good. _

****

They quickly returned to kissing, pushing their tongues into each other’s mouths as Jaune began to thrust his hips. At first he was gentle, but as he felt the pressure begin to build again and Neo began to buck her own hips against him, the boy could no longer hold back.

****

The rhythmic slapping sounds as skin pressed against skin grew in volume as both teens desperately thrust against each other, wanting to bring each other to their peak as fast as possible, Jaune even gripped Neo’s backside with one hand to squeeze it repeatedly, while his other hand kept a tight hold on her back to keep the girl’s body against his. The sensation of her large bust pressing against his chest, as well as the feeling of her inner walls squeezing and pulsing against his member, were far too arousing to ignore or hold back.

****

Feeling his climax approaching, and remembering what he’d done with Velvet, Jaune channelled some of his Aura ‘down south’, before thrusting one last time.

****

The released Aura spread through the body of the girl below him, causing her to experience both comfort and pleasure in equal measure, all over her body and all at once. This was on top of the pleasure Neo was already experiencing from Jaune’s kissing her and their bodies rubbing together.

****

Just like Velvet, the poor girl didn’t stand a chance.

****

Neo’s scream of utter euphoria was muffled by Jaune’s lips against hers, but she clenched her body against his nonetheless, her legs wrapping tightly around the boy’s waist. Her sex pulsed and clenched against his member as she felt the thick ropes of his essence flood into her.

****

After the pair’s climaxes finally subsided, both broke the kiss to stare contentedly at their partner. Neo’s cheeks were flushed but her whole body was on fire with satisfaction and pleasure, she grinned brightly up at Jaune as he pulled out and picked both of them up, setting the girl on her feet as he stood up fully. Despite the ache in her legs and hips and how tired she felt, Neo still pecked him on the cheek happily.

****

“That was really nice…” She mumbled, hugging Jaune one more time before she sauntered off to join Emerald on the bench for a nap. She fired one last wink back at Jaune. “We’ll be doing this again, though.”

****

Jaune couldn’t help but smile back, until a finger poke on the shoulder got him to turn around, as did the voice that accompanied it.

****

“Hey, what about me, Jauney?”

****

The boy found himself face to face with Marcie, the girl pouting playfully with hands on hips.

****

“I’ve not forgotten about you, you know.”

****

“Heh, I know. But you better not take too long getting to the good stuff, Jauney.” Marcie licked her lips, running her hands up and now her curved and toned figure as she spoke, which caused Jaune’s once-limp member to begin hardening again. “Seeing you fucking my teammates like that got me riled up… and I need you, rright.  _ Now. _ ” She practically purred.

****

Only for her purr to turn into a squeak as Jaune pressed her against the wall of a nearby cubicle, his body sandwiched against hers, which aroused both teens to no end thanks to their chests rubbing together. Now that they were in such intimate contact, Jaune could at least confirm that Marcie was indeed the most well-endowed of the trio. The girl herself couldn’t help but moan happily, enjoying the feeling of Jaune’s abs against her stomach and his surprisingly muscular arms around her body.

****

“Hah, so… w-what now?” Marcie asked, panting a little from her rising excitement.

****

To her surprise, Jaune knelt down in front of her and, instead of doing to her what he’d done to Neo, he began tenderly kissing her prosthetics, slowly working his way up to the organic parts.

****

“Hey, uh… you know I’m up here, right?” The ex-assassin questioned, letting some of her nervousness leak into her tone. She’d never had someone do that to her legs before, so Marcie was understandably a little confused. “Why bother with my legs? They’re not really me.”

****

“I don’t think so.” Jaune replied simply, which actually shocked her. “It doesn’t matter that they’re metal, they’re a part of you too, that means they deserve as much of my attention as the rest of you.” With that, he went back to kissing his way up her legs, leaving the poor girl quite flustered and with pinked cheeks.

****

“J-Jaune…” She muttered, a hand reaching up to play with her hair, the girl suddenly feeling rather embarrassed at his praise, she’d not felt that way in  _ years _ . “You don’t have to say stuff like that.”

****

“But I want to, Marc.” Jaune insisted, the blonde had reached the gap between metal and flesh, his lips pressing against his companion’s bare skin, causing her to shiver and whine in appreciation. “I want to show you what I think of your legs; they’re odd, but strong and endearing… just like you.”

****

“S-stop saying mushy things like that and just get on with it!” The grey-haired girl all but shouted, both hands now covering her cheeks in an effort to cover up her luminescent blush.

****

“Well, if you insist.”

****

“Well I do insi-aaahh!!” Marcie cried out as Jaune yanked her down to the floor with him, while sliding into a sitting position so that he could drag the girl into his lap. Both of them moaned a little at the close contact, especially with Jaune’s shaft pressed firmly against the girl’s very firm and shapely behind.

****

“Heh, you like that Jauney?” Marcie began rubbing her rear against the blonde’s manhood, both of them groaning and shivering with rising excitement. “You like the feeling of my ass against your dick, huh? I bet you do… I’ve got a great ass haven’t I Jauney, with all the kicking I do that shouldn’t surprise you.”

****

Her dirty talk was already working, with Jaune just wanting to grab her and thrust into her, just to wipe the resurgent smugness out of her tone.

****

And this time, for once, he listened to that impulse.

****

Marcie just had time to register Jaune’s hands on her hips before the aroused boy drove his member into her sex in a single firm thrust.

****

“Gaaahhh!!” Both teens cried out, with Marcie gasping at the brief flare of pain that blossomed in her nethers, the feeling of Jaune taking her virginity. She couldn’t help a tear-filled smile at that, at least she was giving herself to someone she liked, someone she trusted, that was important to her. “Hah, g-god… that’s so good.” She moaned happily, snuggling back against Jaune’s own chest.

****

Another small squeak escaped her and the blonde’s arms wrapped around her toned stomach, drawing her even closer against him as he began to thrust gently into her. He took a slower and more leisurely pace this time, giving the Marcie a steady stream of pleasure from the feeling of his thick shaft rubbing and pressing against her sex’s inner walls.

****

“Huff… huff… J-Jaune, hold me here.” Marcie gripped Jaune’s hands and guided them to her breasts, while she began to grip him by his shoulders for support. She turned her head to give the boy behind her a kiss on the lips, then lock her grey eyes with his azures, a lustful grin spreading across her face.

****

“Make me scream, Jauney.”

****

His response was to resume his thrusting, but this time with as much force behind it as he could muster, such that he bounced the girl in his lap up and down a little, even as he gripped and fondled her bosom at the same time. Marcie’s fingers dug into Jaune’s shoulders just to steady herself, every thrust sending a shockwave of pleasure through her body from her burning core.

****

“Oh god! Oh… f-fuck! D-don’t you dare stop Jauney, keep fucking me!!” She screamed. Jaune even managed to chuckle through his grunting and gasping, of course Marcie would be the one girl who managed to swear during sex.

****

Their cries and gasps reached a crescendo fairly quickly, with both partners feeling pressure rising in their nethers, Marcie leaned her head back so Jaune cold kiss her on the lips again, a needy and desperate lip-lock of two teenagers on the edge.

****

“Hah… y-you better not pull out.” Marcie warned him, a slight stuttering in her voice as the pleasure overwhelmed her mind. “You’re dick’s gonna  _ d-drench  _ my pussy in cum, understand?”

****

“Heh… got it.” Well, since she wanted the same thing that Neo and Emerald got, it was only fair he finishes her off the same way. Channelling his Aura once more, Jaune gave one last mighty thrust as he exploded within her.

****

“GAAAAHHH!! OH MY GOD!!!” Marcie screamed, the Aura-amplified pleasure far too much for the girl to handle, her whole body spasming and twitching as her own climax hit her. Jaune simply held tight to her bosom while Marcie held his shoulders, both crying out and moaning until the pleasure subsided.

****

Jaune extracted himself from the girl’s sex, only to pick her up bridal-style to carry her over to the same bench that Neo and Emerald were curled up on. The grey-haired beauty latched onto his neck and laid her head on his shoulder, practically purring in appreciation, her grey eyes gazing up with the same adoration that Emerald and Neo had both displayed.

****

“That was amazing Jauney.” She whispered, all her usual bravado and confidence gone, replaced with nothing but affection for the boy holding her. “We gotta do that again, sometime.”

****

“We will Marc, I promise.” Jaune kissed her forehead as he set her down next to the other two. As he moved to leave, though, her hand snaked around his wrist.

****

“W-wait.” The girl called out softly. “Can you… can you stay with us?” She asked, as her equally drowsy and drained partners crawled over to Jaune as well. “We just… want to spend some more time with you.”

****

Jaune didn’t argue, he just sat down on the bench with them, the girls wasting no time in pulling him down with them and snuggling up to him. Emerald rolled onto his chest and stayed there, wrapping her arms around him in a hug, while Neo and Marcie both took an arm and a leg each to snuggle into. The towels were flung over all four of them, providing adequate cover.

****

As the knight and the trio prepared to drift off, something occurred to Jaune.

****

“Hey, girls? Did you-”

****

“We’re all on the pill.” Marcie murmured sleepily.

****

“Got some from Yang.” Neo confirmed, the smaller girl mewing as she pressed deeper into Jaune’s side.

****

“We’re fine Jaune, we took precautions.” Emerald insisted, the dark-skinned beauty smiling down at him.

****

“Heh, okay then. Night girls.”

****

“G’night Jauney/Jaune.” They all chorused back at him.

****

With that the quartet settled down, drained from their shared experience, content to drift off together.

****

While conveniently forgetting that it was nowhere near night time yet.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

Jaune felt utterly drained when he showed up in mindscape, very satisfied but drained all the same. His time with Neo, Marcie and Emerald had really taken it the energy out of him, among other things…

****

Who knew those three could be quite so thirsty for some time with him? Well he certainly wasn’t complaining, they had been pretty starved of affection one way or the other, at least before they met him.

****

Hopefully they felt loved and cared for enough now, they deserved that much after everything they’d gone through. Given that he’d felt all of them clinging and snuggling up to him as he’d drifted off, Jaune guessed that they indeed felt that way. At least toward him.

****

The knight sat back, realising just now that he was lying in a field of soft grass, with warm sun washing over it, under a clear sky. Well, he’d certainly been happy when he’d drifted off, it made sense his mind reflected that here.

****

The knight simply laced his hands into a basket behind his head, then lay back on the grass and began to drift off, content to simply relax in the sanctuary of his mind.

****

Only to jump up a few seconds later as a voice called out “Hi Jaune!” 

****

“GAH!” A rather unmanly shriek slipped through his lips as the startled blonde leapt upward.

****

“Wow, I wasn’t expecting quite that reaction.” The voice of his merge-partner called out again, closer this time.

****

“Yeah, sorry about that.” Jaune winced, rubbing the back of his neck while turning to face her. “Guess you just startled me, is aaaahh…” He trailed off into an open-mouthed stare as he finally got a look at Summer.

****

As the spirit flat-out  _ skipped  _ through the clearing to come take a seat beside Jaune, the knight could not help but notice a few differences in Summer’s physique.

****

For starters, well… she just looked  _ younger _ , there were no even barely-visible signs of anything approaching middle age anymore. She still looked like an older, more mature Ruby, but the changes were giving her the look of a recently-graduated Ruby instead. 

****

Her red and back hair was now practically waist-length, even with a few braids wrapping around the woman’s head. Her outfit still looked roughly similar, though it was noticeably…  _ tighter _ in a few places. The boy found his eyes wandering inexorably to her slim and shapely waist and gravity-defying bust a couple of times, though he was quick to look away and chastise himself. 

****

Unknown to Jaune, Summer was not only aware of her host’s wandering eyes, she was also fist-pumping mentally at her successful attraction of his attention. She preened a little at seeing him looking at her like that, it was a nice little boost to the ego to know that she still looked attractive to the opposite sex. Well, to Jaune, anyway.

****

Though Jaune’s attention was the only attention that mattered to her right now. Ever since his heart-to-heart with Ruby, Summer had resolved to pursue her own feelings for Jaune. She didn’t want to pass up on a second chance at love, no matter how unorthodox that chance might be.

****

“So, you look… different.” Jaune admitted, after a few moments of awkwardly staring at the motherly spirit he shared his mind with. “I mean, you almost look like a younger you.”

****

“Because I am.” She admitted, startling him into staring at her, a quizzical look on her face. “Yeah, explanation probably needed there. Well Alexa told me that, since this is our mindscape that we can shape as we want, we can alter our ‘projected forms’ to look as different as we like. I just decided to see if it would work.”

****

_ And give myself a body and look closer to your age so I can try and seduce you. _ Was the unspoken portion of that reason.

****

Luckily, Jaune accepted her given reason easily enough, as she slid into a sitting position near him. “Huh, fair enough.”

****

“So… did you have fun with those three little minxes, then?” Summer asked, causing Jaune to choke a little and his head to snap over in her direction.

****

“W-what!?”

****

“Well, you obviously just got back from your little naughty shower with them so… did you have fun?”

****

“W-well yeah! Of course I did, but where is this coming from, you’ve never asked about my love life like this before!” The flustered knight pointed out. He was right, this was her first time asking about something like that, and it was a little strange for her to begin right now.

****

“Well, that’s because you’ve never had a foursome before.” She pointed out smoothly. “I’ve heard of people having threesomes before,  I was involved in a few with Tai and Raven after all,  but foursomes? That’s new, can you blame me for being curious?”

****

“Uh, yes!” Jaune cried out.

****

“Oooh, you’re no fun.” Summer pouted cutely, so cutely that the blonde clutched at his chest for a second as his heart skipped a beat. Wow… Ruby really DID get her adorable nature from her mother, didn’t she? “Come on Jaune, I’m a lonely old woman and you're my only source of juicy romantic gossip here, won’t you indulge me?”

****

“Summer, there is  _ no way _ you could ever be considered old,  especially not when you look like that. ” He muttered the last part, with Summer only just picking it all up. Regardless, she smiled and preened a little once more.

****

“Aaaw, well aren’t you just a little charmer?” She cooed, patting the boy on the cheek affectionately. “Must be why all those young ladies like you so much.” She added, in a half-joking comment, half-serious attempt at flirting.

****

An attempt that went right over her dense knight’s head.

****

“Well, I’m not really that charming… at least, I wasn’t when I got here, especially not if I’d followed my dad’s advice and used my stupid catchphrase.” Jaune admitted, catching the mother’s interest.

****

“Hmm, what sort of advice? Actually, forget that, what sort of  _ catchphrase? _ ” She asked with no small amount of glee in her voice.

****

Jaune’s response was to blush slightly and look away in embarrassment.

****

“It… it was a pretty stupid catchphrase, to be honest, you wouldn’t be interested.”

****

“You do understand that now you  _ have _ to tell me, right?” Summer grinned, leaning forward a little, making sure that her leg brushed against Jaune’s as she scooted closer to him. Another mental cheer fellowed the deepening blush on the boy’s cheeks.

****

“Fine. But promise you won’t laugh.” He stressed, his azure eyes meeting her silver orbs.

****

“Jaune, I’ve been your constant mental companion and friend for what feels like years at this point. I am NOT going to laugh at you, I promise.”

****

“Okay.” Jaune cleared his throat, turned to her and gave her an exaggerated wink while saying. “The name’s Jaune Arc! Short, sweet, rolls of the tongue, ladies love it!”

****

… … 

… … 

****

“Snrk.”

****

Jaune turned to look at his companion, who was currently stuffing a fist in her mouth with her eyes screwed shut, with an exasperated look on his face.

****

“You said you wouldn’t laugh.”

****

“Snrk… ghrk…” Summer practically choked out, unclenching her fist to slap it over her mouth fully, though even this was not enough to stop the choked laughs from slipping out.

****

“Summer, y-”

****

“Ahahahahah!!” The white-hooded Huntress burst out, unable to contain herself any longer as she tipped over backwards, her legs kicking in the air as she began laughing uncontrollably. “What was THAT!?” She cried out in between her laughs.

****

“That was the catchphrase I would’ve used to introduce myself.”

****

“Oh my gosh, really!? How did you come up with that, d-did you just string together cheesy lines from romantic films or something!?”

****

“YEAH! How else would I have come up with it!?” Jaune cried out. Of course, this just made Summer laugh harder.

****

“Ahahahahaha!! I-I was JOKING Jaune, did you actually do that!? AHAHAHAHAHAH!!!”

****

Jaune, resolved to simply wait it out until she was done, folded his arms and actually  _ pouted _ , which his companion took quick notice of.

****

“OH, STOP STOP STOP, PLEASE! Y-you look just like Tai when I gave him a time-out that one time after he fought with Qrow, you even have THE SAME POUT!! HAHAHAHAHA!!”

****

Eventually, her laughter calmed down and then stopped entirely after a few minutes, if only because she started to turn red in the face and her laughter turned to breathless wheezing. The silver-eyed woman managed to get herself under control, before turning to face her host.

****

Jaune’s arms were still folded, but at least he wasn’t pouting anymore. Maybe she  _ had _ laughed a little too hard. She scooted a bit closer to the knight, who glanced at her before resuming his pout.

****

“It really wasn’t  _ that  _ funny.” He muttered, cheeks still aflame. Summer smiled lightly, and bumped his shoulder gently with her own.

****

“It was pretty funny.”

****

Jaune sighed, and uncrossed his arms before turning to face Summer with a small frown. “You promised you wouldn’t laugh.”

****

“I know, and I broke my promise. That wasn’t fair, and I’m sorry.” She admitted. Jaune nodded in agreement, but his frown remained present. Summer wasn’t going to stand for that.

****

Slowly, she slid her hand onto his knee, and tilted Jaune’s head to meet her gaze, her next words spoken with passion and a hint of lust.

****

“What can I do to make it up to you?”

****

Immediately, Jaune’s cheeks lit right back up to a burning red. He let out a nervous chuckle, and placed his hand over Summer’s, moving it to the ground. 

****

“N-nothing. It’s...it’s fine, I shouldn’t be mad at you.” He quickly stuttered, averting his gaze once more. “It, uh, it was pretty funny.” 

****

While seeing Jaune all flustered was cute, it wasn’t what Summer was looking for. She shifted herself so that she was in front of Jaune. She leaned over him slightly, giving him just enough room without invading his personal space. 

****

“Are you  **sure** ?” She asked. Jaune started at her wide-eyed for a few seconds, before nodding slowly. Summer beamed at the knight, and let out a cheerful, “Ok!” before lifting herself to her feet and offering Jaune a hand. “Well, I’m still sorry about laughing. That was rude.”

****

Jaune sat for a few seconds longer before grabbing her hand and allowing her to lift him to his feet. “Uh, right. It’s not a big deal, my sisters just always teased me about it and...it struck a nerve. You have nothing to be sorry for.”

****

Summer’s smile thined a tad at the mention of Jaune’s  _ step _ -sisters. They cared about him, that was for sure, but they also teased him relentlessly. She’d seen in a few of his memories, and it got to her a little bit. Clearly, she needed to make this better.

****

“Well, regardless...I think that it’d be a bigger success than you’d expect.”

****

Jaune scoffed at the thought, but gave her a genuine smile and shrugged.

****

“Well, some things are best left unknown, I guess.” He mused, before offering a hug to the mother. Within a second, she was in his arms, sighing happily as she nestled her head into his neck. If he thought anything of it, he didn’t say so. “Thank you, Summer. I...I appreciate that you cheered me up.”

****

“Of course, Jaune. Anything for you.” She answered, before the world around them seemed to get a little brighter. “Ah, it seems like you’re waking up.”

****

The pair separated, and Jaune took in the shattering landscape as well. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” He said, pausing before he met Summer’s eyes, a slight tinge of red to his cheeks. “Hey, I just wanted to let you know...you don’t  _ have  _ to change your look. I-I mean, if you really do like this new form, I have no problems with it! Just...I like you most as you…”

****

Summer stared at the blushing knight for a time, no words coming to her mind. He...he didn’t care what she looked like. He cared no matter what. He liked her...maybe...maybe even more than that. Before she could stop herself, she leaned forward and cupped Jaune’s left cheek before planting a kiss on the right one. As the world cracked and splintered, she leaned forward and whispered two final words into his ear.

****

“Thank you.”

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

The swirling red and black portal deposited Raven Branwen onto the cliffside once more, before closing behind her as the bandit queen stepped forward.

****

Sighing to herself, she made her way toward Summer’s gave once more. She had not brought any flowers this time, the last batch were still fresh, but she did have another purpose here.

****

Checking the headstone for any damage, Raven was relieved that her leader’s headstone remained untouched, unspoiled. She could not help but close her eyes and suck in a deep breath to try and steady herself.

****

Even if she was far away from any who might judge her for it, she still disliked showing weakness like this, especially in front of her leader’s grave. She had a purpose here, she needed to keep control until she was done.

****

Kneeling down before the headstone, Raven placed her hands on the patch of ground in front of it, the ground that contained Summer’s coffin-covered body. Drawing on the magical power of the Spring Maiden, she began to send tendrils of ice deep into the ground, ensnaring the coffin and beginning to coat it with a thick layer of ice all around. Raven could sense that some of the ice from her last visit still remained, a semi-thin coating around the coffin.

****

Good, she wasn’t too late, at least she’d gotten here before it had melted entirely. Magically generated ice may not melt anywhere near as fast as regular ice, but it still melted eventually. Raven had had a few close calls in the past because of that.

****

Thankfully, she’d discovered that the ice began to seriously melt after just over a month, which necessitated a monthly travel to the gravesite to make sure the coffin stayed frozen. To make sure that Summer stayed preserved.

****

After the ice had been fully reapplied, Raven sat back and wiped at her brow. She forgot how draining that was to carry out, it left her feeling absolutely sluggish at the best of times, but seeing as it was for Summer, it was worth it. Anything to make sure she didn’t decay and rot away like all those other fallen Hunters, to make sure she was remembered.

****

Raven began to feel tears pricking at her eyes at the thought of that happening. Her team leader didn’t deserve that, she hadn’t even deserved to die in the first place. Not the way she did. Lost. Alone.

****

Left behind…  _ abandoned. _

****

The thought, and the memory that surfaced with it, both enraged and saddened her all at once. Her hands clenched into fists, her eyes burning with both the Spring Maiden’s mystical flame and hot tears as Raven fought to keep herself under control.

****

_ Hey, are you doing that whole “I can’t show weakness” thing again, Raven? We’ve talked about this, it’s just silly and you know it. _

****

Her leader’s voice came unbidden into her mind, the memories rushing to the surface until she imagined Summer once more kneeling down with a hand on her shoulder and a supportive smile on her face.

****

“But I… I can’t look weak.” The bandit queen whimpered quietly.

****

_ You think crying makes you look weak? Everyone cries sometimes Raven, and I promise that we won’t judge you for it, we’re your team, we’re family. We look out for each other, that’s how this works remember? _

****

She couldn’t hold the tears back anymore, they slid down her cheeks as Raven rested her head gently against Summer’s gravestone, hands clutching at the sides as she wept silently. She couldn’t stop her face from twisting into a tortured grimace as she tried to rein herself in, to no avail. 

****

It was all coming out now. All her regrets and fears, her frustrations and anger. Leaving her new family and team behind, Summer’s death, the gradual degrading of the morals she’d sworn herself to as a member of team STRQ until she was little more than parasitic scum, just like the other members of her tribe. Even her inherited Spring Maiden powers had effectively ruined the life she’d intended to build and the honest friendships she’d formed along the way.

****

Raven stayed like that for a minute or two, until the tears stopped coming and the lump in her throat receded. Standing and swallowing hard, she gave the headstone on last pat as she wiped her eyes.

****

“Be safe.” She whispered, before turning about and slashing open a portal to return to the tribe. They may not have been the family she wanted, but they were all she had now.

****

She made her way back to her tent, only to be surprised when Vernal, her trusted second, came running up to her with a shout of “ma’am!”

****

“What is it, Vernal?” She asked, with a rather tired eyebrow raise. Probably something about Shay failing her again, Raven didn’t know why she kept that buffoon around, he was barely worth the trouble and rations.

****

“There’s… someone here to see you, ma’am, he says it’s quite urgent.” Vernal said, looking distinctly uncomfortable.

****

“Is it my brother?” Raven questioned with a sigh. Qrow probably hit on her, didn’t he? That idiot chased after anything in a skir-

****

“It’s not him.” Vernal admitted, interrupting Raven’s train of thought in the process. “It’s… you’d better see for yourself, ma’am.”

****

Raven followed her underling to the edge of the camp, where she found the perimeter guards and two men waiting for her. 

****

One of them was built like a mountain and at least half a foot taller than anyone else, with a green and black waistcoat covering most of his body, tanned skin and brown eyes with a full goatee. He seemed disinterested in what was going on, only nodding in Raven’s direction to acknowledge her arrival to his colleague.

****

It was that colleague that gave Raven pause, for he was a thin and wiry man with a thick moustache and a tailored waistcoat of his own, though rather more opulent than the other man’s. He had a certain look about him, one that promised no good.

****

Perhaps it was paranoia that drove her baseless insinuation, perhaps it was her instincts as the leader of a tribe of pillagers and thugs.

****

Or perhaps it was because the man then chose that moment to open his mouth.

****

“Greetings, miss Branwen. My name is Arthur Watts, I have… a  _ proposition _ for you.”

****

Arthur Watts. Raven had heard of him, a disgraced Atlas scientist with the reputation for unscrupulous research, research that was willing to break ethical and moral boundaries in the name of getting results.

****

And the last she had heard of him, he’d disappeared from the face of the earth about 10 years ago… while heading in the direction of the Grimmlands.

****

Raven swallowed and, as she motioned for Watts and his colleague to follow Vernal and herself back to her tent, sincerely hoped that her instincts were wrong this time.


	61. Unexpected Feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After his time with the villainous trio, Jaune returns to Cinder, and the two grow the slightest bit closer.

Jaune cracked open his eyes, barely having time to take in his surroundings before an odd sensation hit him. He looked down, and gasped sharply as Neo ran her tongue along the length of his erect member. Upon hearing the sound, she glanced up at him and smirked mischievously.

****

“Heh, you finally woke up...now you get to enjoy the show~” She hummed, before playfully licking Jaune’s tip while stroking him. Jaune let out a shaky chuckle which morphed into a moan as Neo took the entire length of his shaft in her mouth. 

****

“Jesus, Neo..!” He groaned as she bobbed her head erratically, pleasure overriding all of his other senses. “G-gods you feel amazing!”

****

Neo made a noise close to approval while she continued to lick and suck at the knight’s manhood, making sure to twirl her tongue around, driving the boy mad. Eventually, the pleasure became too much to bear, and as Jaune howled her name, Neo gulped down the warm liquid that shot into her mouth.

****

“You...really know...how to wake a guy up.” Jaune sputtered while smiling at the girl, who finally pulled back from his member, releasing it with a distinct ‘ _ POP _ ’ sound before smiling at him deviously. The dual-haired beauty offered him a cute little wink, accompanied by a soft hum of contentment as she licked her lips.

****

“I’m glad you enjoyed yourself, I know I did.” She hummed blissfully.

****

“Ditto.”

****

The knight and the assassin blinked at each other in surprise, before turning in the direction of the third voice, spotting a smirking Marcie and a blushing Emerald, both clothed.

****

“Quite the show you put on, Pintsize.” The silver haired beauty observed, licking her lips hungrily. “You know Jauney, if you’ve got any more left in you, I wouldn’t mind getting in on that.” Her eyebrows bounced up and down.

****

Jaune sputtered in disbelief while Neo stood up hastily, sporting her own blush. However, a subsequent ‘ _ ding’ _ from Jaune’s pants, which lay nearby, drew their attention. He quirked an eyebrow, before scooting over and pulling out his scroll, opening it.

****

“Oooooh shit.” He groaned, prompting the three girls to walk over and glance at his screen. There were 32 missed texts, and 7 missed calls from Pyrrha, Nora, Ruby, Yang, Blake, Amber, and Weiss.

****

“...Welp. Someone’s gonna be in the dog house.” Marcie mused, before both Emerald and Neo elbowed her respectively. “Ow, you bitches!”

****

“No kidding.” Jaune growled, before a new message popped up. “Hm? This one’s from Ozpin! It says that...I’m late for the next interrogation?! Shit, I gotta go!”

****

Jaune practically leapt to his feet, and began throwing his clothes on hastily. Marcie didn't even try to hide her snicker, while Neo and Emerald at least tried to keep from giggling as he nearly fell over putting his pants on.

****

“Need some help, Jaune?” Emerald asked, desperately trying to hold in any laughter that had spawned from the boy’s flailing.

****

 “Nope, I got this!” Jaune replied, pulling on his hoodie and clicking his armor back into place. “Can you three find the others and tell them I’m ok?”

****

“Sure, but it’ll cost you, handsome~.” Marcie quipped, before Emerald elbowed her again. “Agh, quit it! Sharp-elbowed mother fu-”

****

“Thanks girls.” Jaune interrupted, hoping to stop any potential fights between the three. “I’ll see you guys later!”

****

With that, the knight practcally booked it out of the room, leaving the three girls grinning as they exited the showers and went on their way. Marcie noticed Neo smirking mischievously, and quirked an eyebrow at the monochromatic girl. Neo just winked at her friend, jabing a thumb towards herself and holding up two fingers, then pointing to Marcie and holding up one. 

****

It took Marcie a moment to get what Neo was saying, but once she did, a vicious grin appeared on her own face. 

****

_ So Pintsized thinks she can pleasure Jaune better than I can?  _ She thought to herself, before chuckling evilly. _ Oh, it is  _ **_on_ ** .

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

As Jaune made his way into the small cell, Cinder lifted her head to look at him, her amber orbs meeting his own.

****

“Jaune.” She greeted, her tome formal and less cold than before. “I was wondering if you had decided not to visit today, you are several hours late, after all.”

****

“I was… busy. I missed the call asking me to come down here.” Well, it was  _ technically _ the truth, wasn’t it? Even if he wasn’t telling her exactly WHAT (or whom, in this case) he was busy doing.

****

Fortunately, aside from a tilt of the head and a raised eyebrow, CInder seemed to accept his excuse without much complaint, leaving Jaune to sit in his usual seat at his leisure. For a while, neither of them spoke, though Cinder was waiting patiently and looking at him expectantly, clearly waiting for the knight to ask his questions.

****

“Alright then, might as well start.” Jaune leaned forward. “So, what was next for you?”

****

Cinder blinked, eyes narrowing and head tilting in confusion. “What do you mean by that?”

****

“After Beacon, if things had gone the way you planned, what would’ve been next for you?” The knight asked.

****

“One of the other academies would have been next.” Cinder explained. “I believe the next target would have been Haven Academy, if memory serves.”

****

Outside the room, Ozpin and Glynda snapped to attention at hearing that, with the former turning toward Qrow.

****

“I need you to get in touch with Leonardo, Qrow. He needs to know about a possible threat to Haven and Mistral. Inform James as well, Atlas Academy might also be targeted in the future, he should be on alert.” Ozpin ordered.

****

The veteran nodded, slipping quietly out of the room as the two teachers, plus Amber, turned back to continue observing the interview. At least they’d gotten some useful information about Salem’s plans from her and could prepare accordingly.

****

“Well, that’s information we can use. Thanks.” Jaune offered her a sincere smile.

****

“You are…  _ welcome _ .” Jaune dutifully ignored her shudder and distaste at the word. “Any other questions?” Cinder folded her arms and quirked an eyebrow. The blonde knight just sighed, it was progress at least.

****

“Well, I’d like to ask a question about you.” Jaune requested.

****

In an instant, Cinder’s head lowered, her hands laced together and her body seemed to shrink and slump in her seat. Jaune was about to ask her what was wrong… until he remembered what had happened a few sessions ago.

****

She must’ve thought that he wanted to ask her about her breakdown. Considering her reaction the last time he tried… well, he didn’t want her to shut down again, so he cleared his throat.

****

“It’s not about… your incident, I promise.” Jaune hedged, hoping she’d understand what he was talking about.

****

Luckily, Cinder’s raised head and curious eyebrow meant that she had. At least she’d unlaced her hands and sat up a little straighter, so there was less of a worry of her collapsing in on herself again.

****

“What would you like to know?” She asked, though her voice was still quieter than usual.

****

“What’s your favourite colour?” The question came easily enough, but Cinder was hardly as forthcoming with her answer. Her mouth and eyes twitched for a few moments as she processed the words, her face crumpling up in dual shock and confusion.

****

“I… how is this relevant to the interview? This won’t tell you anything useful.” The dark-haired woman said finally. Jaune just smiled back at her.

****

“Maybe it won’t be useful for the Headmaster and the others, but it’ll be useful for me. It’ll help me get to know you a bit better, that’s all.” The knight explained.

****

“But why would you want to?” She asked in reply, her confusion only growing further. “After everything that has happened because of me, and my attempts on your life, ‘getting to know me’ should be the  _ last  _ thing you care about.” Cinder insisted.

****

“Maybe you’re right, but I’d still like to know if that’s alright.”

****

The red-dressed woman looked down again, twiddling her thumbs with her brows furrowed in thought. Jaune couldn’t help but chuckle softly, did it really take this long for her to think of a favourite colour? Then again, she’d had other things to think about lately.

****

“I mean, if you don’t have a favourite colour-” He began.

****

“ Red. ” She muttered.

****

“Hmmm?” Jaune leaned a little closer, straining to hear her. “What was that?”

****

“My favourite colour, it’s red.” Cinder spoke up.

****

“Huh, probably should’ve guessed that, since you like that dress so much and wear it all the time.” Jaune mused. “Alright then, how about another one?”

****

“...Alright.” Cinder accepted, rather subdued this time, though Jaune hardly noticed as he thought of another question. Finally, he came up with one he thought was appropriate, and he couldn’t help the sly smile on his face as he leant forward.

****

“Alright, what’s your favourite fairy tale?”

****

Cinder was frozen in surprise for a moment… before she started chuckling. It wasn’t even one of her arrogant gloating laughs, either. It was a laugh of genuine amusement, it had an almost musical quality to it. Jaune found himself enjoying it.

****

“Hehehe. What an appropriate question, considering everything that’s happened.” Cinder admitted, her laughter dying down at last, though a small smile remained on her face as she leant toward the knight. “I suppose, as for an actual answer to that question, it would be The Girl in the Tower. That is…  _ was _ , my favourite fairy tale.”

****

“Was?”

****

“I enjoyed it as a child.” Cinder explained. “The idea of a dashing knight… rescuing some imperiled and lonely maiden from a wretched existence, it was rather appealing to me as a young girl.” She looked down, a soft sigh leaving her lips as she finished her explanation.

****

“I see.” That was all Jaune could say in response. It didn’t really paint the best picture of Cinder’s childhood, but he decided not to comment on that.

****

Luckily, the door began to open at that point, allowing Headmaster Ozpin to enter the room.

****

“Thank you for your time, Mr Arc. You are free to go now, if you like. We will make sure to put the information your questions provided to good use.”

****

“Oh, thank you, sir.” Jaune stood up from his seat, before turning back to Cinder. “Well, I’ll probably be back in a day or two.”

****

“I… look forward to it.” Cinder actually managed another small smile as she made eye contact with him. Despite his surprise, Jaune returned her smile, before Ozpin led him out of the cell and locked the door behind him.

****

Jaune sighed to himself, that had gone rather well, all things considered.

****

Back in the cell, the lone occupant had already turned her attention inward. Why had she said that she’d look forward to another visit? She’d never done that before, and it wasn’t as if she was actually  _ enjoying- _

****

Oh.

****

Well, that was quite the realisation for her.

****

She  _ was _ enjoying it. The company, the small-talk, the way he’d reassured her when she was close to shutting down again, even the fact that he made her laugh. Perhaps that was why she’d asked for him in the first place.

****

Burying her head in her hands, there was only one thought that could summarise her situation right now.

****

_ Oh no. _

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

Jaune had barely made it halfway across the courtyard before a shout of his name stopped him in his tracks. Turning, he barely had time to register who it was before a panting and out-of-breath Amber skidded to a halt in front of him.

****

“There… th-there you are!” She huffed, breathing heavily for a few moments just to get her breath back. Jaune waited patiently, still slightly surprised by the fact that she’d just run up to him like that.

****

Well, Daniel HAD said earlier that she’d gone off looking for him.

****

“Oh, hey Amber.” He greeted her.

****

“Where were you!?” She burst out, hands shifting to her hips as she stood up straighter, eyebrows raised and expression stern. “You didn’t show up for three hours, I- we all got really worried! The others have been looking for you too, you know!”

****

“Oh.” jaune rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “Sorry about that, I uh… was busy.”

****

“What could you be doing for three hours!?” Amber asked, rather incredulously. The Maiden only narrowed her eyes and folded her arms over her chest.

****

Jaune was half-tempted to reply with something along the lines of ‘ _ more like  _ who _ was I doing _ ?’ but decided against it. He didn’t think that would go over well right now.

****

“Well… Neo, Emerald and Marcie needed my help with something-”

****

“Well, you still should have texted to say you might have been busy, okay?” Amber interrupted, her expression going back to concerned.

****

“-in the showers… with all three together.” Jaune finished, blushing a little at the memory of the trio of bad girls and what he’d done with them. Even after his rest, he still felt a tad sluggish from all the  _ activity _ that they’d put him through.

****

“O-oh, I see.” Amber’s blush matched, then exceeded, Jaune’s own in intensity, the mature girl’s face lighting up a bright red. With a small ‘meep’ she pulled the hood of her cloak over her head on instinct, something she always used to do when stressed or flustered in the past.

****

“Hey uh, you okay?” Jaune asked, head tilting and a small, concerned frown crossing his features.

****

“Fine! Perfectly fine! I get it, y-you were just spending some time with your girlfriends, that’s fine!” Amber babbled out, while her blush remained firmly in place. The poor girl’s mind was swimming with thoughts about what went on between Jaune and the three girls, most of them being incredibly explicit in nature.

****

_ O-oh my… him and three girls, all together!? No wonder he was alte, he must have needed a quick sleep after… a-after…  _

****

The spirits in her head were no help at all.

****

_ “I thought we had managed to move  _ **_past_ ** _ your preoccupation with Mr Arc’s sexual escapades.” _ Mira chided. _ “Apparently I was wrong.” _

****

_ “Wowee… Jaune had a foursome with those girls, I bet! Just imagine in Ami… I bet he pleased all of them at once. But don’t worry, I’ve seen those girls up close Ami! Even if they’ve got some pretty nice boobs, they’ve got nothing on your rack! Sure, they might be big girls, but YOU’RE the one with her own gravitational pull, that’s what counts!” _

****

It was a valiant and honest effort to cheer her up, up Alexa’s complete lack of a filter and carefree attitude about sexual matters only meant that Amber started blushing even harder, whimpering as her fantasies grew more explicit by the second.

****

A hand on her shoulder shook her out of the lewd depths her thoughts were descending into. Looking up, her brown eyes met Jaune’s azures.

****

“Are you okay?” He asked, the concern plain in his voice.

****

“Yeah. It’s just… Mira and Alexa distracting me, you know how it is.” She deflected.

****

“Heh, yeah. I still space out like that too from time to time.” Jaune agreed. “Hey, I gotta go make sure the other girls know I’m okay, but thanks for looking out for me.” With that, he pulled the startled young woman into a hug.

****

Amber barely had time to react before he released her and began to jog toward his dorm, he turned back to wave to her one last time.

****

“Bye Amber, see ya later!”

****

“...Bye Jaune.” She whispered back, still a little shocked from the contact. That hug felt nice, really nice.

****

_ “Wow, I bet you must’ve liked tha-” _

****

“EEEEE!!!” Alexa’s teasing comment was cut off by Amber’s loud and happy squeal as she wound her arms around her waist to hug herself, the giddy Maiden jumping in place for a bit while grinning an utter idiot. Even the stares she was getting didn’t deter her in the slightest.

****

Of course, the knight himself had long since left hearing range, making his way back to the dorms. He kept checking his scroll, even sending a few messages to the girls to tell them that he was sorry for worrying them and that he was on his way back. 

****

Surprisingly, they didn’t seem too upset, with Pyrrha telling him to just make it back in one piece, while Yang insisted that he drop by team RWBY’s dorm first. Well, he didn’t see the harm in a little detour.

****

Knocking on the door, Jaune waited for a moment until it began to open. It didn’t open far, with only enough space for a single lilac eye to peak out at him.

****

“Oh, hi there Jaune.” Yang greeted him, her voice unusually soft.

****

“Hey, Yang…well, here I am like you asked.” Jaune shrugged his shoulders and smiled at her.

****

“Thanks for coming Jaune.” The door was opened and Yang finally appeared in the doorframe, along with the other six girls from both his and Ruby’s teams, all of whom were taking up spaces in RWBY’s dorm room. As one, their gazes turned toward him, a glint in their eyes.

****

“Oh, hi girls.”

****

“You’ve been a bad boy Jaune, keeping us worrying like that, disappearing for hours.” Yang paced forward, the lilac in her eyes bleeding into a deeper pink. “That was naughty of you, very naughty.”

****

“Yeah Jaune-Jaune!” A pink blur suddenly rocketed past the others and latched onto Jaune’s left arm. “We were really worried about you, you know!”

****

“She’s not lying, Jaune.” Surprisingly it was  _ Blake _ , of all people, who latched onto his right arm, rubbing her face against his shoulder and nuzzling against him. “But you’re here now, that’s what matters.”

****

Jaune took a look at the situation, at the girls’ lip bites, the hungry gazes, the sudden close contact… 

****

“Let me guess, you want me to make it up to you?”

****

“Yep!” Ruby called out, the reaper bouncing lightly on her bed.

****

“It would be polite and gentlemanly thing to do, after all.” Weiss insisted, the Schnee girl nonetheless looking quite flushed herself.

****

“Besides, you can’t expect to spend a few hours nailing those three bad girls and then NOT give us the same treatment, right Jaune?” Yang asked rather shamelessly, the pink in her eyes growing a little brighter.

****

“Well, I guess you’re right.” Jaune smiled at her, at all of them. Then, feeling a little mischievous, added. “I’ll try my best to last long enough for all of you.”

****

The girls only grinned wider at that, even as they blushed up a storm at the implications.

****

In unison, a still-purring Blake and a visibly-excited Nora dragged him into the room, while Yang bumped the door closed with a hip check.

****

The girls were never more thankful for the soundproofing they’d gotten for their dorm room than they were that night. 


	62. Crackdown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the Vale Police cracking down on the White Fang's operations after their involvement in the attack on Beacon Academy, Detective Orion takes part in a raid to rescue hostages.
> 
> Jaune spends the day in Vale with Team NDGO, while Daniel and Winter are invited to a meeting with Headmaster Ozpin.
> 
> Amanda Taurus receives word of the crackdown, and resolves to deal with one of the White Fang's most persistent enemies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies this took so long to get out, real life and writer's block got in the way for both of us.  
> That being said, hopefully you'll all enjoy this chapter.  
> A thank you to 'ForceCommanderJoe' for his contribution to this chapter (aka writing the majority of it).  
> As always, reviews and comments are always welcome.
> 
> Jack.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Emergency Dispatch Center to Sierra-55, please respond. Over.” A female voice crackled over the Counter-Terrorism Unit radio channel.

Lieutenant Sonny Sevchenko immediately took his speaker and spoke back to the operator at the push of his talk button.

“Dispatch, go for Sierra-55.”

The voice in one of Task Force Brimstone’s command vehicles, which looked like an ordinary van with sirens and the VPD’s badge on the outside spoke back in a calm voice per standard operating procedure.

“485 call reporting shots fired at the Ack-Ack Nightclub on 87th and Harrington. Possible White Fang perpetrators. Caller described his S.O. being shot and scared off by Whiskey Foxtrot, both immediately evacuated the scene. Wounded boyfriend is hospitalized and condition is stable.”

“Dispatch. Do we have any witness evidence of Whiskey Foxtrot breaking in?”

“Negative, 55.” The operator responded with the shake of a head. “Caller mentioned that he saw individuals with firearms entering the club and heard gunfire. He saw a perp wearing a Grimm mask and a white tunic. Vale City General says that he’s in shock and too rattled to talk.”

“Were there any units directed on scene?”

“Sierra-55, officers were on scene but we ordered them to fall back and redirect any civvies who were outside the area. No Firearms Officers were on sight, EMS reports there were no wounded.”

Sonny sighed.

“Except for the caller’s partner.”

“Affirmative, 55. No solid estimate on the exact number. Escaped patrons of the club speculated there were about 10 plus a high-ranging Foxtrot officer.”

The SAC nodded grimly, then spoke back into the radio.

“Understood, Dispatch. Sierra-55 and CTU elements en route. ETA, drive time.”

He hung up the radio in the garage and put an index finger up to his mouth. The Fang? Here? Normally they were quieter and less outgoing for their missions in Vale. After two minutes of contemplation, he broke out his Scroll and dialed his tech staff lead, Lucas Folsom.

He tiredly answered on the other line, rubbing his eyes awake and yawning. He smacked his lips before finally speaking to his boss about being late on his morning routine.

“Hello, Sev.” He mumbled. “Lovely day for a post- -“

“Shut the hell up and listen to me, Luc. We just got a report at HQ about a hostage situation at the Ack-Ack. Whiskey Foxtrot. Repeat, Whiskey Foxtrot.”

Although he had a wild ride with a friendly escort last night, he immediately catapulted out of bed. Bloodshot eyes widened and he blinked in terror.

“Wha?” He replied. Voice still gravely from his lack of caffeine. “Shit. I just picked someone up from there yesterday. What’s happening?”

“Dispatch says it’s about 10 of ‘em holding patrons. Have you seen the news?”

Folsom immediately grabbed the TV remote, almost slipping out of his hand as he switched on the news. Showing Vale News Network and Cyril Ian reporting from a network VTOL.

“…Are demanding the immediate release of their comrades in captivity which is under order from the 9th Atlas Cavalry Guards. Who are currently posted on alert under the order of General Ironwood and Headmaster Ozpin in light of the Vytal Festival Tournament being canceled amidst recent Grimm attacks on Valean soil.”

Lucas’ jaw was so agape it nearly hit the floor at how vacant the club’s parking lot was. Gone were the fancy vans, now were simple sports cars and an…Armored Personnel Carrier? The encryption specialist hit the zoom button on his remote, now recognizing the unwelcoming red beast insignia adorned with a circle and a trio of claw marks which bore a look of anger.

The sigil of the White Fang.

“How long has this been going, Sev?”

Quickly brewing his coffee, Sevchenko looked to the news feeds and saw the trending tag: “Ack-Ack hostage crisis.” He quickly mashed in the system command to trace the exact moment at when the club started trending. Which was….40 minutes ago.

The Special Agent in Charge informed his tech lead and told him to scramble Brimstone to HQ immediately for a debrief. Lucas hung up as he immediately reached their Private Eye liaison.

\------------

Line Break

\------------

In a nearby hotel, Joseph Orion stepped out of the bathroom wearing a towel. Fresh out of the shower and about to put on a fresh pair of pants when he saw his Scroll vibrating. He immediately picked up, unlocked the screen and now his jaw went agape. Seeing the reports of the latest joint in peril to put a mark on Vale’s nighttime scene. And noticing the now viral photo of the Buffalo APC bearing the Fang insignia.

“Aw, fuck.” Joe whispered. He quickly disrobed his towel behind a privacy curtain and dressed himself. Hopping on one foot and into a pair of socks as he regained his balance literally setting foot inside a pair of combat boots with Velcro straps. He reached for his badge and gun but heard his Scroll ringing. He hastily put on a wireless headset and pressed the blue call button.

“Yeah. Orion.”

“I’m gonna go ahead and assume you saw the reports.”

He nodded, finally grabbing and holstering his badge and gun. Making sure to conceal them during his mad dash down the hotel lobby.

“Oh, I heard it alright. How many?”

“Caller on 485 said that he saw Fang grunts enter the building. Grimm mask, sleeveless tunic and everything. Authorities are saying it’s about ten of them.”

Joe donned his shades while listening to Sonny speak and he double checked to make sure he had everything. Also leaving a note that said: **Police business! Please leave my belongings in sight!** For the staff at the four-star hotel he was staying at that just happened to be close enough to CTU headquarters in the 28th Precinct so he could be within arm’s reach of the group that Professor Ozpin and his subordinates assigned him to.

“Are there any friendly elements on sight?”

“SRT is on the way to lock down the area, so we’ll be feet first through the door while they provide overwatch.” Sevchenko answered. “I’m sending an armored car your way so you can gear up and we’ll debrief.”

“Way ahead of you, Sonny.”

Orion gunned it down to the lobby, flashing his badge to security to showcase his firearm usage, then went into the van. Soon he arrived at the converted Lucian’s club which served as base of operations for Operation Wildfire. He, along with Folsom and Kira Bannister, a Faunus attaché with CTU had gone into the war room to get the lowdown on the situation.

“What are we looking at, Sev?” Kira asked. Her canine ears lifted in intrigue.

The SAC looked up from his laptop in the command vehicle and gave a grim look at his agents.

“Trouble.”

The timeline of events went as follows.

07:54 – Vytal security reconnaissance reported a suspicious vehicle coming out from the Apogee settlement on the edge of the northeast section of the city. Mysteriously vanished off of radar soon afterwards.

07:59 – The crew reported they were Atlas military police and had just escaped White Fang and bandit attacks. Control had demanded clarification; APC crew did not respond.

08:03 – 9th Cavalry Guards sent dropships to investigate and flag down vehicle.

08:12 – 9th Cav identifies the vehicle as a Buffalo Mk. III APC. Standard issue in Valean Army. Unarmed. Bearing White Fang insignia.

08:15 – Dropships warn Buffalo crew to halt their vehicle. Did not fire warning shots due to heavy civilian traffic and congestion.

08:24 – Cav is ordered to jet ahead into the district they tracked Buffalo to and await further instructions.

08:31 – Buffalo arrives into Mutual District of downtown Vale. Radios ahead to Atlas high command and confirms that APC was hijacked from Army base.

08:34 – Vehicle crew demands release of members of Faunus members of Torchwick cartel, then insists they have been sent to retrieve Cinder Fall.

08:39 – Atlas Command within Vale tells Police commissioner that Whiskey Foxtrot wants their demands broadcasted on VNN.

08:44 – Request denied.

08:50 – APC shakes off 9th Cav and goes dark. Eventually banking into the mutual district of downtown Vale.

09:00 – Suspects park into the parking lot of the Ack-Ack nightclub on 1536 Arleigh Avenue. Break into the building and start taking hostages.

09:10 – Emergency caller reports shots fired and hostages taken inside. Evacuates alongside an off-duty bartender. Bartender reports to Police with rough sketches of the nightclub layout. Showcasing exits and floor plans.

09:30 – Ack-Ack hostage crisis goes viral.

Meanwhile, at Lucien’s…

“We’re being called for rapid deployment along with Special Response to a hostage situation instigated by the White Fang over at the Ack-Ack nightclub. At least 10 gunmen, plus a high-ranking Fang officer.” Sevchenko explained, the photos materializing into holograms on the infodesk within the war room.

“They’re not actively attacking any civilians but have the campus area around the club locked down. And are warning authorities to steer clear, or they will start killing hostages. Witness testimony is mixed on this one. Many were confused in the chaos, so reports are naturally conflicted. We have reports of the Fang wounding several hostages. EMS will be on standby until the all clear, because our secondary goal is to get in there and rescue civvies from the Fang’s talons.”

Kira’s head tilted at one of the blurred aerial photos taken from VNN’s news dropship. Then raised her hand at the anomaly she sniffed out, for lack of a better term.

“Sev. Do we have a beat on the leader of the mastermind of this takeover?”

Special Agent in Charge shook his head with a shrug.

“Afraid not, Bannister. What we do know, however, is straight from a desk at Beacon. A faculty member has provided us with intel on the Lieutenant leading this attack. Appears to be a dark-skinned Faunus male, about 7’00. A Huntsman team on recon looked at the persons of interest records with Huntsman Affairs and Beacon staff and confirmed that this knucklehead was last seen at Mountain Glenn along with several goons from the Torchwick cartel.” He replied. “Real name, unknown. His breed, unknown. An informant who was hunted down and assassinated shortly after he reported this to OCID (Organized Crime Investigative Division) notified them that this was a high-ranking officer. Known only as ‘The Ripper.’”

 _Real Class-A personality type._ Joe thought to himself.

“Rumor has it that Ripper was last seen working with a big figure in the Fang. One Amanda Taurus. Wanted for murder in three Kingdoms. Robbery. Assault and battery. Conspiracy with intent to harm. Collateral damage. Destruction of Atlas property.” He spoke the last one while resisting the urge to vomit upon the mention of that Kingdom. “She’s no joke. Few have seen what she looks like or know what her goals are.”

 _And the next one is behind door number three._ Detective Orion, Badge #2137 snarked. _When Ozpin and Ironwood said I’d be going against the Fang, they weren’t kidding. The surprises keep coming faster than a ‘64 Salvatore Coupe in an early Schnee Dust Company ad to appeal to Vale’s auto industry._

“Anyway.” The SAC continued. “We’ve got two possible points of entry. Front door, past the ticket booth. And a back-alley loading dock. A bartender who was off-duty at the time provided us with a rough sketch of what we could be marching through. Give it a once over if you have to, but don’t take it to heart.”

As he said this, he inputted another piece of evidence into the info desk. A napkin bearing the Ack-Ack’s logo: A quad-barrel beer and wine tap with triggers in the lower right corner. The letters spelling out the club’s name emblazoned in stencil font on the top and bottom of the logo.

Joe did a brief round of research on the club and found that it was popular with active military personnel and veterans. Did a lot of charity work for vets and their families, and frequently worked with Beacon to see that no one would go home hungry or broke again.

Well, it was a touching story. Did the Fang target Ack-Ack for its’ significance to demoralize Valeans into surrender? A possible motive.

Was it the nearest place they could hold up? Even with limited knowledge on them, any idiot with a Scroll and search engine could tell you that they could strike anywhere, except for a densely populated urban center unless it was for a good reason.

Sure as hell wasn’t viable when it was within walking distance of docks to a Bullhead that went straight for Beacon. SRT and Hunters could be there within a minute’s notice, and they would be none the wiser to not surrender.

Did the owner have any criminal ties? Also unlikely. Shepard Salinger had a clean reputation and wasn’t affiliated with crime syndicates like the Torchwicks. The guy held charity parties for the Brothers’ sakes.

 _Why don’t we clean the place out, THEN we can theorize what they want?_ The detective told himself as he refocused on Sevchenko’s briefing.

“Most of the patrons made it out; however, there are still civilians holed up in there. We know some of them are wounded from witness reports. The perimeter is still reporting sporadic gunfire inside, and the paramedics won’t go in until we’ve cleared the building. Our objective is to get in there, rescue the civvies, arrest gunmen or shoot on sight if necessary. But most importantly we need to take Ripper into custody for questioning. But first things first, we must evacuate the wounded. Review our intel. Choose your entry. And gear up. It’s time to roll out.”

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

“Dispatch to TOC (Tactical Operations Command), Sierra-55 and other elements are on site now.”

A “no siren, no lights” entry was in order as the counter-terrorists parked their own armored vehicle to a back alley, straight across the parking lot from the Ack-Ack. Joe stepped out first in a Kevlar vest, pads and gloves armed with a .223 assault rifle. Stealth was going to be a hard one under the light of day, and yet they could be covered by two snipers, callsigns Loxley 1-2 in case the Fang got any ideas on harming the hostages, suspected to be in the top office on the second floor of the club.

Sonny, Lucas, and Kira stepped out next with a remote tablet in Lucas’s hands. He swiped left on the lower half, then tapped a button with two fingers to bring up the controls to an AUV-29 ‘Gnat’ recon drone provided by Atlesian forces. The video feed popped up as he inputted the command to put thermal vision onto the drone’s camera.

About 18 or more armed individuals inside. The blobs that signified a person, Human or Faunus, flickered on the screen as the camera also picked up several unarmed persons either lying on the floor of the club, and it’s lobby, or bound inside the main office. No doubt that Mr. Salinger was out of town today.

“Sev, it looks like we’ve got twenty or so hostages inside. Suspect count has risen to eighteen plus.”

Sonny cursed under his breath.

“Any sign of Ripper?”

“I don’t see any bigguns in there. He must be hiding out or has some cloaking shit.”

 _Doubt it._ Joe thought. _Resourceful as the Fang are with stealing tech, I’m not sure they’d have Mistrali cloaking technology so easily._

He was right. Mistral was pretty adept at stealth technology, as jumbled as their organization with funding was for entities with their government they were no joke with their history in ambush tactics in all the conflicts and engagements that they had taken part in before, during and after the Great War.

Vale was quick and massive. Atlas had the best guns and air power available. Vacuo were masters of guerilla warfare. And Mistral? You go to them for surprise attacks and training your soldiers, police, and others in the ways of stealth.

The napkin sketch was the best evidence they could obtain for the club’s layout. Not that the Gnat wouldn’t help, but it was going to be rough with the crude sketch that at least pointed out where the manager’s office was on the second floor. Likely where the hostages were being held, according to the bartender.

Front entrance was going to be a no-no for the counter-terrorists. Given how there were too many chances for them to be turned into Swiss cheese. Special Response had the front covered and would be given the green light to clear the front upon Sonny’s orders.

Thus, the back alley was the best way in without getting mowed down by the Buffalo’s guns. The chilly Autumn wind didn’t do any favors for the chills already running down the spines of all parties involved. It was a very tense situation with too much on the line. And Joe knew damn well that the time window for negotiations was closed faster than a Huntsman’s bullet could reach a Beowolf’s jugular.

Given how he had done several cases with SRT in the past, many involving the discharge of a weapon, he didn’t feel out of place with Brimstone. A, they were fellow officers. B, these guys operated similarly to SRT to begin with. All-in-all, he knew what they were doing as he had done it before, so they treated him like a decorated vet should have been.

Removing himself from his thoughts, Joe stepped ahead and drew out an optical camera wand to scan the area behind the door in the back alley. He stuck the telescoping camera tube, reminding him of how Captain Westbrook and the other old cops would use a piece of a mirror on a stick back then to scan what was behind a door. A neat toy, to be sure.

“Okay, guys.” Joe whispered as he folded the Optiwand back up. “Looks like we’ve got a wounded civilian inside as well as one armed hostage. On the suspect’s right is a door which looks like it leads to the bar area. Closed door on his left, might need to wedge that shut.”

Sonny nodded, then tapped his Scroll into the camera view from Loxley 1. He whispered into the speaker as well so as not to alert the suspect in the room.

“Loxley 1, this is Sierra-55. Blue team is in position. Do you have eyes on hostages in the manager’s office?”

The sniper adjusted his scope and found what the Special Agent was asking for. His radio crackled with the talk button as he reported in.

“Sierra-55, not many hostages in sight. I see one male, bound and gagged. No identification. No sign of Ripper or other Fang goons.”

“Understood. Whatever you do, stay focused on that office. Loxley 2, do you have eyes on the front entrance?”

“Copy that.” The other sniper replied on her end of the line. “Windows are barricaded shut, so I’ve got no targets. Just chilling with Special Response until the bullets start flying, over.”

Sonny acknowledged as Joe and Kira lined up with Blue team. Red team would not be far behind alongside Lucas and the SAC. He pulled out a gas grenade to subdue the tango inside, two Blues stacking up to the door which opened quickly.

The grenade flew from Orion’s hand as the grunt barely had time to notice the non-lethal device discharging it’s vapors. Stinging his eyes and making him cough as if his lungs were on fire.

Remembering his training from the academy, Joe did what any cop would be taught best for confronting armed suspects: Aim your gun. Yell at the top of your lungs for compliance and bring him to his knees.

“POLICE! GET THOSE HANDS UP!”

The young woman being held hostage shrieked as she dived out of the way, avoiding inhaling the tear gas in a split second. But the Fang grunt dived out of the way before he could get shot, bumping into the corridor walls of the hallway he ran down like hell. His eyes still drenched with tears as he retreated.

Kira attempted to run after him, but nearly tripped over a body as she noticed it. One downed civilian, squirting blood from the abdomen. Currently writhing on the floor from a shot fired earlier. Kira leaned down and noticed a makeshift gauze and alcohol combo that was ripped off from the civvie. She growled at the sight, making a note to bag a few of these murderous bastards and pushed the talk button to report in.

“TOC, this is entry team. We’ve got two civilians. One dead and one alive.”

While TOC was listening to Kira, Lucas drew a door wedge and slid it under. Rigging it with his own creation with a tripwire taser in case the enemy got any ideas. No doubt saved best for last against Ripper or one of his officers. He punched the door shut as he nodded to confirm that it was rigged.

“Red team, go!” Sonny ordered. “Orion, Bannister, fall in. We’ll link up to the dance floor and get these knuckleheads. Light up any White Fang you see, but don’t kill Ripper.”

“Got it.” Joe replied as Kira took the lead on sniffing out any more hostiles. As Red dashed up the stairs to the main floor, Joe broke out the Optiwand again. This time surveying another door which was just around the corner to the staircase.

Behind door #2 was a hostage. In the background, Red pointed out another downed civvy before they went upwards to the next floor. The next hostage was busy begging her captor not to hurt anyone else, and the tone of it was nothing like in the movies with how they dramatized the real thing.

“Why are you doing this?” She tearfully asked. “We didn’t do anything.”

The perp leaned down and looked her dead in the eyes behind his shutter-shaded Grimm mask.

“This is part of our message, sweetheart. If you keep quiet then we’ll let you go unharmed. Much as my brothers and I wanna cook one of you Humans and feed you to a Deathstalker our orders are not to kill. You read me?”

It took a lot of effort on both officer’s parts as Blue team leads not to strangle the son of a bitch who wanted to hurt this young lady. Kira had her obvious motives behind her fiery hatred of the Fang. Seeing as how her parents were lynched for supporting them long ago and had to live in hiding, along with her ex-boyfriend nearly killing her class at the police academy.

Joe on the other hand, while having no previous brushes with the Fang – Unless you counted their very pissy supporters among the civilian populace – wanted to make sure whatever hostages they could get out of this club could go home safely. For that reason, he stocked up, cocked his assault rifle and quietly opened the door to see that the hostage was gone. As was her oppressor.

“Duffy. Bang & clear.” Kira ordered to a nearby officer on Blue. Her superior hearing pointing out where the poor girl was to a door across from the beer keg storage. Officer Duffy stocked up alongside the detective and pushed the door open, then threw in a flashbang to shut the captor up.

“What the fuck?!”

The grunt’s exclamation was topped off with a shout of pain as the grenade went off, his head clutched as he went blind from the blast. Ears flooded with shouts of compliance on his part.

“Police! Drop your weapon!”

Eventually, the grunt came to his senses and was greeted by a 9mm submachine gun and a 12-gauge shotgun pointing in his general direction. He held his gun towards the hostage and demanded the cops to back off.

“Damn it!”

“Help!” The hostage yelled. “He’s got a gun!”

Duffy continued to point at the grunt as he inched towards the hostage. Joe followed suit by drawing his .45 caliber pistol, joining Duffy in screaming at him.

“Hit the floor!”

“Get back, I’ll shoot her!”

“Hit the god damn floor now!” The P.I. yelled back.

Another hostage sounded in the back as the grunt’s hands began shaking, loading his rifle.

“Last warning, motherfucker!” Bannister yelled. “Drop your weapon and get down on the ground, or we will shoot you! Do you understand?!”

A gasp was sounded as Officer Chamberlain stepped inside along with Duffy, the corner of his eye saw the source of the gasp: The same White Fang mook when they breached, dropping his weapon and making a mad dash for the top floor.

“Police!” Chamberlain shouted. “Put your hands up and get down!”

But the grunt didn’t listen, shoving Duffy out of the way as Chamberlain readied his SMG.

“Suspect running.” He pointed out, aiming his subgun and firing warning shots in an attempt to get him to comply, only for his eyes to widen at one little detail they missed.

His gun was unsuppressed.

\-------------

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\-------------

At the top floor in Mr. Salinger’s office, several of Ripper’s henchmen were busy loading munitions to be shipped to the nearest hideout of their Fang brothers. Nail bombs were a popular one. Not only effective at clearing out a Grimm nest but giving their enemies a reason to piss their pants running away from a challenge towards them.

Ripper’s personal lieutenant, Timothy Schwarz, was chilling at Salinger’s desk. Sipping a beer and watching a basketball game from the Collinson district. Where young kids found a lot of room for getting noticed in junior leagues and payment for their low-income homes by competing in local games.

It was almost nostalgic for Tim. Given how he and his folks grew up in a low-income home no thanks to Valean bias against Faunus. Sure, it may have been Humans playing, but it still brought him some joy as to how he and his buds would shoot hoops after school, bonding together amidst shitty conditions and shittier stigmas among society.

Which is why he enlisted in the Fang in the first place. Here they were now, showing these Humans that they were not to be trifled with. Nothing could possibly have bungled this plan.

_Ratatatatatatat!_

Schwarz jetted himself up from the chair along with his minions at the sound of…Gunfire? No, no no no, how did the fascists get through? The entrance was supposed to be impenetrable! Unless they breached the lower floor before it could be sealed off. Or worse: They got intel from General Ironwood!

 _Fuck. We’re breached!_ The toad Faunus thought to himself. _Fuck! Alright, calm down, Tim. There’s still a chance to bar them off from our prisoners. Still a chance to get them out in exchange for getting our friends out of there._

His train of thought was interrupted by the sight of several goons coming in.

“Tim, you hear that?”

He took a breath and composed himself to address his soldiers.

“Yeah. Looks like they got in already, grab your weapons! Go!”

They each nabbed their combat rifles, knives and pistols as they left their shipments behind. Schwarz cocked his pistol as it hummed to life. Dispersion energy blasts ready to kill any fascist pigs that would dare to play hero. Before he radioed ahead to the getaway driver, several loud footsteps came in. A man in a chainsaw resting on his back bearing his Grimm mask before stepping inside the office.

It was Ripper.

“What’s happening, Tim?” He asked in his booming voice.

“Looks like the Valeans got through. Those idiots on the first floor didn’t do a thing to seal them off and now they’ve breached the club.

“Huh. That’s not good.” He scoffed as he and his lieutenant looked to the camera feeds, the sight of Blue team from Task Force Brimstone putting zip ties onto one henchman and recovering both hostages successfully, then downing a suspect with a burst of gunfire. The grunt was bagged by a man, no older than 31, with a square jaw and black hair. Three more hostages were escorted out as the lantern-jawed man spoke onto a radio strapped to his Kevlar vest. The other cops, while there was no audio on the camera feeds were giving reassurances to the liberated hostages as they were escorted to the entrance of the back alley where they showed up.

“Well, well, well. Secure the dance floor, Tim. Get the vehicle crew up here and tell them to lock down this office. Any of those pigs get in here, you start dropping hostages.”

“You got it, boss.”

\-------------

Line Break

\-------------

“I want my my lawyer.” One of the suspects bitched as he was zip-tied by Kira.

“Tell it to the judge, asshole.”

That was five suspects in custody, three hostages secure. Joe wasn’t buying the ‘all clear’ signals from his squadmates though, as he checked the storage room behind an abandoned bar in the second floor with the Optiwand. Appeared to be vacant but ordered Officer Newton to deploy a stinger grenade as he checked the room across. One person, unarmed. Unscathed.

His instinct Semblance picked up this guy’s breathing as he made a note to secure him once the storage room for the booze was secured. Newton opened the door and tossed the stinger in. The resulting blast sending non-lethal ball bearings around it’s radius, hitting several bottles of alcohol in it’s wake. The glass shattered as well as another set of bearings hitting a nearby soda fridge which bounced off. What Joe saw next in the storeroom along with Duffy, Chamberlain and Newton was mortifying.

Six college students in critical condition. One crumbled into the fetal position at a separate wall adjacent from the door at the end of the room.

“No…”

Joe shook his head, then backed out to jimmy the lock on the civvy who was hiding inside the supply closet. In his place, Kira looked to the sight then was about to radio ahead before she heard sniffling, she slowly walked over, hearing another voice of a woman which spoke up.

“Hello?” She spoke. Voice breaking in between her sobs. “Who’s there? What do you want?”

Kira’s ears drooped as she spoke less harshly.

“Vale Police Department, miss. Come on out.”

The hostage slowly stepped out as she held herself, trembling as she nearly flinched at the sight of the shotgun in Bannister’s hands. As she walked forward, she collapsed in tears, with the Golden Retriever dropping her shotgun and catching her as she broke down sobbing again.

“My friends are fucking dying! Help!”

“Shh. We’re here now. I’m sorry we couldn’t get here in time.”

“It’s not your fault. I know you’re doing whatever you can, they just came out of nowhere.”

“Kira. We’ve got a live one here.” Duffy called out. “He’s in shock.”

“Howard, is that you?” The hostage spoke, lifting her head up from Bannister’s embrace.

Howard said nothing as he stood up, freezing from the sight of the shotgun on the floor and trying to run. Kira reached his hand out to him to get him to calm down…

“Sir! Calm down! We’re not gonna hurt- -“

Too late. As Howard ended up banging his head on a PVC pipe that cracked and fell into his path. Joe almost reached for his gun, but his mouth fell agape as the kid tripped. The lock just becoming undone releasing the other student.

“Howard!” The young lady shrieked.

“Oh my god, Howard!” The boy that was just freed from the closet exclaimed as he looked at his friend. Currently with his eyes rolling into the back of his head as he examined him.

“Aaron, the cops are here. We’ve got to move.” The girl said.

“What about Howard? We can’t move him because he’s already fucked up.”

“Don’t worry, son.” Joe spoke. “We’ll get EMS back here to get you and your friends out. But you gotta stay calm. The Fang is gonna find you if you panic. So get to the back alley, and EMTs will come help you. Okay?”

“Please, hurry, officer.” Aaron begged.

“We’ll get them. Duffy!”

“Yeah!”

“How are the other kids doing?”

“I’ve stabilized them, but they’re not gonna last long without proper medical attention. We need this door wedged so the bastards won’t get them down here!”

Joe nodded, then pressed his radio’s talk button.

“Entry team to TOC. We’ve got multiple college kids wounded and in need of medical attention. Two in shock, one with a concussion. We’re moving slower than expected. Continuing out.”

“Roger that. EMTs standing by.”

The detective attaché stepped outside while Kira sealed the door. Chamberlain and Newton aimed down separate corridors in the hallway to give cover fire to EMS so they could do the grizzly work in treating the students.

“Entry team, this Loxley 1, I have you on scope.”

Kira did not reply as she regrouped with Orion. Picking up her shotgun along the way and sitting down at the bar to catch her breath. Joe noticed this and put his hand on her shoulder, saying nothing and shaking her head.

“It just doesn’t get easier. You think you have a beat on the suspects, but then they’re another step ahead of you. All the drills just don’t count for anything sometimes.” She moaned. “How do you live with that, Joe?”

“Well, I’m not really one to ask about that.” He said quietly. “I guess I just knew the risks unlike most recruits when I signed up for police training. Probably not the right words, but we’ve all got a job to do. Risky as it is.”

EMS had arrived into the storeroom, getting the kids out safely. Loxley 1 scared off any suspects that would let loose on the CTU or hostages. But that only tipped off the Fang. Shortly afterwards with no word from ground elements, and when Kira managed to calm down, a call came in from the front entrance.

“Entry team, this is Loxley 2. Do you read?”

“Entry team to Loxley 2. What’s happening?” Joe asked.

“I’m getting word from Red team that they’re engaged with the Fang on the main dance floor of the club. We can’t reach Sev! I think he pressed his panic button.”

Joe and Kira’s eyes widened at the words and switched to Red team’s channel. Before he could hit the talk button he gestured Duffy, Newton and Chamberlain to get to work backing them up as he ran to the top floor.

“This is Sierra-55 to all units nearby the Ack-Ack nightclub on 1536 Arleigh Avenue! We’ve got two patrol officers down! Looks like they got into the club but were found out by the White Fang! We’re cornered and we need. If any armed response units are nearby, please get your asses over here NOW!”

Before Joe could reply, the only other recipient was the Emergency Dispatch Center on the channel.

“Sierra-55, Dispatch copies. We have units on the way to assist.”

But Sevchenko didn’t hear them.

“Drop your weapons, now!”

“We haven’t got all day, pig.” A Fang member taunted. “Come on, shoot back. We can make this quick.”

“Drop it. I said drop it, or we will fire upon you!”

“55, if you can hear this don’t be a hero. Wait for back-up. Please acknowledge presence of armed response units in your vicinity.”

“Drop it, fascist!”

“No. YOU drop it!” Another CTU operator shouted.

“I repeat, we need back up at 1536 Arleigh Avenue. Suite #600. Does anybody copy?”

“Not good…” Kira growled. “Looks like he can’t hear us.”

“For Amanda!” No doubt that one was referring to Amanda Taurus.

“Dispatch to Sierra-55, what’s going on?”

“Okay! One more step and we’ll fucking shoot you! Stay away, hands up!” Sonny barked.

“55, do you copy?!”

“Kill him!”

All that was heard next were sporadic gunshots as well as yells and people diving into cover. Blue team immediately ran up to rescue their colleagues from certain death, hoping they weren’t too late.

“Dispatch to Sierra-55, what happened? Are you still there?”

“Damn it!” Joe exclaimed, then tuning his radio to the dispatch center channel.

“Sierra-55 are you there? Code 11! I repeat, Code 11!”

Just before they entered the door to the main hall, Joe finally tuned into the Dispatch channel.

“Mayday. Mayday. Dispatch, do you copy?”

“Yes, we copy. Who am I speaking to?” The 485-operator replied.

“This is Detective Orion, Badge number 2137. I’m a private investigator assigned to the Counter-Terrorism Unit checking out the Vale branch of the Fang. We’re currently on site and have SRT about to breach the front entrance to the nightclub, but it sounds like we need some back up. Sounds like they need clearance to get in. Requesting authorization for them to get in and kill these guys. We have hostages being held by the Fang in the manager’s office of the nightclub and a high-ranking suspect. First Name Unknown, nicknamed the Ripper. Need EMS, fire brigade and additional firearms officers on sight.”

“Understood, Detective. I’m sending backup now. Get in there and hang tight.”

Blue team’s leads had reloaded, and locked in for the fight ahead with one goal in mind…

Bring order to chaos.

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At the same time as the police raid was occurring, two young men were sparring in one of Beacon’s training arenas.

****

“So, word on the street is you’ve been pretty busy with those lovely ladies of yours. Care to comment, buddy?”

****

Jaune laughed as he blocked a slash from Daniel’s sword,  before jumping back and putting some distance between them. He had been more than happy to join his friend for a spar, especially since Daniel wasn’t using the Sentinel suit this time, instead using a training sword from the spare weapons rack within the training arena.

****

“No comment, actually.” He responded, barely blocking a second shot. “Damn, you’re better with a sword than I expected.”

****

“Well, Winter insisted that I improve my combat skills, so decided to try my hand at swordplay.” The gunslinger explained, beaming at his friend. “Not too shabby, right?”

****

“Not bad, but-” Jaune started, pausing as he lunged forward, swiping the sword from his friend’s hand before putting the sword to his throat. “You still got some things to work on.”

****

“Huh. Guess you’re right.” Daniel mused, frowning a bit as Jaune pulled away and sheathed his blade. “Got a bit over my head there.”

****

“Hey, you pilot the most advanced suit of armor in the world! If you couldn’t handle a sword, I’d be worried.” Jaune quipped. “Besides, given that hand cannon you always carried around, you’re probably the kind of guy to bring a gun to a swordfight.”

****

The pair laughed for a moment before moving to sit down on the nearby seats in the viewing area, Jaune sporting an oh-so-slight limp in his step. His hope that his companion wouldn’t notice was quashed when he spied Daniel’s smug grin out of the corner of his eye.

****

“What?” He asked, to which Daniel simply grinned harder. “ _What?_ ”

****

“Oh nothing… just wondering how you got that limp is all.” Daniel ‘innocently’ commented, his grin not diminishing one bit. Jaune just scowled lightly at him in reply.

****

“Guess I’ve just been working too hard lately.” The knight said, only for a small laugh/snort combo to reach his ears.

****

“Oh I bet something was pretty hard last night.” His friend suggested breezily. “Then again, if I got dragged into a night in with seven lovely ladies, I’d probably be the same way.”

****

“And here I thought Marcie was the one I could rely on for casual questions and insinuations about my sex life.” Jaung grumbled.

****

“Well, sorry for being concerned about my friend’s physical health after hearing he had a long, _hard_ night last night.” Daniel said, feigning offense with maintaining his smile. 

****

“Now, why don’t I believe that?” Jaune snarked at him. The gunslinger just rolled his eyes and clapped a hand on his friend’s shoulder, looked him in the eye and said his next piece with nothing but honesty.

****

“Probably because I just want to hear about you having a borderline orgy with seven hotties.” 

****

Jaune just widened his eyes, before shoving Daniel lightly, both of them breaking out into a another round of lighthearted chuckles at their usual camaraderie. For Jaune, it was another welcome break, considering the things that had been happening in his life thus far.

****

“Shut up. It wasn’t… wasn’t an orgy.”

****

“Oh? So they took turns?” He prodded.

****

“Yes.” Was Jaune’s blunt reply.

****

Daniel’s eyebrows rose slightly.

****

“Really?”

****

“Well, yeah… d’you really think they’d all just pile on, or something?”

****

“I mean… if that’s what you’re into-”

****

“No. No it isn’t.”

****

“Alright.”

****

The duo then lapsed into silence for a minute or two, both young men simply taking the opportunity to sit quietly and rest, especially after the surprisingly intense training session they’d had a few moments ago. 

****

Daniel in particular took the opportunity to appraise his friend, he was genuinely proud of how far Jaune had come in his time at Beacon, he’d started off with barely any combat skills and now Daniel struggled to beat him in melee.

****

He’d always known that Jaune had quite a good learning curve, this was simply proving his point. The gunslinger smiled to himself, his friend really had grown up a lot since he’d last seen him.

****

Especially since he had the balls to go into that cell several times, not only facing down the woman who’d maimed and tried to kill him, but also managing to make the bitch freak out at one point. Speaking of…

****

“Hey Jaune, how’s it going with, y’know, _her_?”

****

Jaune sighed, Cinder would definitely always be a sore spot for Daniel, but that was understandable considering that she’d done to his team. If she’d done the same to his teammates… to his _girlfriends_ , Jaune didn’t think that he could stand being near her the way he was without getting violent.

****

“It’s still going quite well, to be honest with you. I managed to ask her some personal questions in the latest interview, just about her favourite things. Did you know her favourite fairytale was the one about The Girl In The Tower? She said that she, well… ‘related to it’ as a kid, that doesn’t paint the best picture of her childhood.” Jaune explained, the knight rubbing the back of his neck. “What do you think?” He asked of his friend.

****

“I think you’re getting too close.” The gunslinger admitted, turning a critical gaze on his best friend.

****

“Too close?”

****

“To her. You’ve already gotten close enough to begin asking about her personal life. That’s… that’s dangerous Jaune. I know you’ve always liked to see the best in people and hope that they can change, that’s something I actually admire about you buddy.” Daniel paused to smile at the blonde knight. “But thinking that _she_ can… actually _change_ , after everything she’s done? I just don’t see it happening.”

****

Jaune was silent for a moment, considering the gunslinger’s words.

****

“Maybe… maybe it is just a pointless exercise, but I still want to try. I’d rather try and fail to change someone than just give up and accept they can’t change without doing anything.” He boy vowed.

****

Daniel couldn’t help but whistle a little in appreciation of his friend’s resolve.

****

“Well, I can only wish you luck, can’t I?” _Even if I think you’re just wasting your time._ Was the part that went unsaid, shuffled away with the rest of the gunslinger’s private thoughts. Even if he was privately skeptical, Jaune was still his friend, and deserved the older boy’s support.

****

A chime from his scroll brought the two out of their talk. Opening the incoming message, Daniel could see it was from General Ironwood, asking for both his and Winter’s presence at the next meeting with Headmaster Ozpin. The gunslinger sighed.

****

“Well, this has been fun Jaune, but I gotta go.” Off Jaune’s quizzical look, he explained. “The General called, he wants me and Winter at the next meeting with your Headmaster.”

****

Jaune just nodded in acknowledgement, the pair hauling themselves to their feet and making their way out of the arena, Daniel making sure to replace the training sword in the weapons rack, while Jaune shucked his armor and weapon to place in his locker.

****

The boys had made it about halfway across the Beacon courtyard before running into a familiar group of girls.

****

“Oh, hey Jaune!” Unsurprisingly, Nebula Violette was the first to greet him. “What have you been up to?”

****

“Oh, just getting in some training with my friend Daniel.” The knight answered breezily, before leaning in and ‘whispering’ conspiratorially. “Turns out he needs a few pointers from yours truly.”

****

The NDGO girls all let loose some giggles and laughs at the blonde’s ribbing of his friend, while said friend simply rolled his eyes and gave Jaune a light elbow to the ribcage.

****

“Yeah yeah, laugh it up while you can buddy. Next time, I’ll wear my suit, we’ll see how cocky you are when you’re facing down a fully armed power armor suit.” Daniel challenged.

****

“I’d like to see that match!” Dew cut in, a giddy grin on the girl’s face just from thinking about the showdown.

****

“It’d certainly be interesting.” Gwen threw in her two cents.

****

“Yeah, no doubt it’d be some nice entertainment for you ladies.” The gunslinger agreed, before checking his scroll again and sighing when he saw the time. “Well, this has been fun, but I gotta go to my meeting with Ironwood. Have fun with Jaune for me, alright ladies?” Throwing a non-at-all subtle wink towards the knight, Daniel began jogging away in the direction of the Emerald Tower, leaving the knight alone with the girls of team NDGO.

****

For a while, all five students simply watched him go, before turning back to one another. Nebula offered Jaune a smile, while the others simply waited for someone to speak.

****

Jaune decided to get things back on track.

****

“So, what are you all doing out here? Anywhere you girls need to be?”

****

“Oh, not really. We don’t have classes today so we decided to spend the day in Vale, just seeing some of the sights. We’ve not really seen much of the kingdom yet.” Nebula replied.

****

“Heh, alright. Well, hope you all have fun and enjoy yourselves!” Jaune began making his way back to his dorm before Octavia, who had thus far remained silent, decided to speak up.

****

“Jaune?” That got his attention, the knight turning to face her with a curious eyebrow. “If you don’t have anything else on today… would you like to join us? They always say sightseeing is more fun with company.” While it was a believable enough explanation, the slight blush on her cheeks indicated that she had another motive for asking Jaune to come along.

****

“Well… alright then!” Jaune agreed, he didn’t have anything else on today, so why not spend a day with the NDGO girls? They were nice enough company, after all.

****

“Great!” Nebula cried out, struggling to contain her excitement, much to the amusement of her teammates. “Come on then!” Without thinking, the violet haired beauty grabbed Jaune by the wrist and began dragging him toward a Bullhead, her teammates following closely behind with grins on their faces.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

When the lift doors to Ozpin’s office opened, Daniel could see that everyone else was already present, apparently in the middle of a discussion.

****

“All I’m suggesting, is that we need to keep an eye on-” Ironwood was saying, though the General cut himself off at the sight of his Specialist. “Ah, Specialist Wilson, thank you for coming.”

****

“Well, just happy to help, sir.” Daniel replied, still a tad confused about what was being discussed before he showed up. “So, what’s on the agenda today?”

****

It was Winter who spoke up this time. “General Ironwood was simply discussing what he believed to be suspicious behaviour on the part of Leonardo Lionheart.”

****

“Haven’s Headmaster?” Daniel raised an eyebrow. “What’s the problem there?”

****

“Jimmy’s getting pissy cause his boyfriend Leo’s not called him back.” Qrow snarked from his position by the window, Daniel struggled to suppress a grin, while the general himself threw a sharp glare at the Huntsman.

****

“Would you _please_ take this seriously, Qrow?!” Ironwood barked, scowling. “Leonardo’s been out of contact since we informed him about a possible threat to Haven Academy. I don’t like that.”

****

“C’mon Jimmy, pull the stick out of your arse for once, not everyone can keep up with your kinda discipline y’know!”

****

The two men proceeded to glare at one another, before Glynda interjected in an attempt to quell the rising tension, stepping forward and flicking her riding crop to get the duo’s attention.

****

“What Qrow is _trying_ to say, James, is that Leonardo is likely a very busy man. He does have a whole academy to administrate, after all. He will get back to us when he has enough free time between his duties.”

****

“When it comes to a meeting with or information from a fellow Headmaster, his duties should be able to wait.” The Atlesian asserted, refusing to change his stance. Daniel and Winter glanced back and forth between the others in the room, unsure of whether or not they were even needed here.

****

“What about you, Ozpin?” Glynda asked, deciding that a third opinion might break the stalemate between Qrow and Ironwood, before one of them goaded the other into a physical confrontation. The woman briefly flashed back to her memory of her restraining a younger Ironwood to stop him attacking a smirking Qrow, the blonde Professor held her head, she really hoped she wouldn’t need to do that again.

****

The enigmatic Headmaster tilted his head, considering the opinions of his two allies carefully. On the one hand, Leonardo was his chosen ‘guardian’ for this generation, being the person meant to find Ozpin’s new host when he reincarnated again, that spoke well of the level of trust Ozpin had in him. On the other hand…

****

One of his guardians had betrayed him before, selling him out to try and keep her home village and family safe. She’d fallen under Salem’s sway, the Dark Queen quickly noticing and taking advantage of her fear, and before Ozpin knew what was happening he’d been forced into a new body after his current host was led into an ambush.

****

At least he’d lasted long enough to see the traitor get what she deserved for her disloyalty, that being impalement and  evisceration at the hands of one of Salem’s ‘Seer’ type Grimm. Ozpin was rather ashamed to admit he’d taken quite a bit of pleasure in seeing the woman begging for her life before being killed, even Salem herself had called the woman a coward.

****

If there was a chance that Leonardo was going the same way, that he’d been compromised… 

****

There was no way they could ignore it. James might occasionally be a little too suspicious for Ozpin’s liking, but perhaps that suspicion was exactly what they needed.

****

It reminded him of an old saying, ‘You’re only paranoid when you’re wrong.’

****

Noticing his allies looking at him expectantly, Ozpin cleared his throat.

****

Time to make a decision.

****

“Leonardo is one of our trusted allies in our fight, trusted enough that I have given him the responsibility of continuing in my stead, should anything happen to me.” Glynda, Qrow and Ironwood all shared a look, while Winter and Daniel just nodded along, unaware as to the true meaning behind those words.

****

“However…” This caught the attention of the general and Huntsman. “If James’ instincts about Leonardo _are_ correct, and if he has indeed been compromised by our enemies, then we must investigate and expose him as soon as possible.”

****

“Thank you, Ozpin.” Ironwood nodded in his direction, an appreciative smile on the man’s face, while Qrow just accepted the decision with a casual shrug.

****

“Well, you’re the boss, Oz.” The man admitted, taking a swig from his flask, only the alcohol that once resided there was now replaced with water. 

****

Honestly, it had been quite the pleasant surprise for Ozpin, Ironwood and Glynda to see that Qrow had cut down on his drinking, and so quickly too. He’d not drunk on the job for weeks now.

****

While the teachers finished their current discussion, the two Specialists shared another look. Why were they here if the issue had been resolved already?

****

Daniel’s attention was caught by Ozpin addressing the others again.

****

“Now that the issue with Leonardo has been resolved, at least for now, I think it would be prudent to discuss what is to be done with our prisoner.” The Headmaster stated, which caused Daniel to stiffen a little.

****

Well, that was probably he and Winter were here.

****

“Well, she’s been giving us good information so far and no one’s come to try and break her out.” Qrow cut in. “What’s the problem with her?”

****

“The problem is what to do with her _after_ she can no longer provide us with information.” Ironwood admitted. “Though I should think that life in prison would be a suitable punishment for her, her attacks on Beacon and Vale have seen to that.” He continued.

****

“I agree.” Surprisingly, both Winter and Glynda spoke at the same time, the two woman glancing at each other in minor shock before Winter continued. “She is a threat to the kingdoms, she should be imprisoned indefinitely the minute she can no longer provide information.”

****

“Gotta say, that seems like the only real choice we got.” Qrow observed.

****

“You know, besides the obvious…” Daniel cut in, hand twitching over his sidearm, which got him a look of disapproval from his superior.

****

“We will not be executing a prisoner in cold blood, Specialist Wilson.” The general reminded him sternly. “No matter your personal grievances with her, she will be treated just like any other prisoner of war.”

****

“Yes sir.” It was the only response Daniel could muster up that didn’t involve shouting or swearing, neither of which seemed especially advisable right now. “Well, probably better than trying what Jaune wants to try.”

****

He intended that last part as a quiet mutter, but since it got him curious looks from Glynda and Ironwood, it was obvious he’d been a little louder than he’d thought.

****

“What exactly does Mr Arc want to do with Miss Fall then, Mr Wilson?” Glynda asked, the instructor narrowing her eyes over her glasses.

****

“Y’know, besides the obvious.” Qrow snarked, only to receive a glare from Daniel and a stern look from Glynda and Winter. “Oh come on! The brat’s already got like a dozen women on his arms, including my nieces!”

****

“Are you sure you’re not still upset that they blew up at you for your whole ‘overprotective uncle’ shtick?” Daniel shot back, a smug smirk appearing on his face as Qrow growled in reply.

****

“Enough, you two.” Glynda didn’t even sound angry as she intervened, she just sounded _tired_ more than anything. She and Winter shared a brief look of understanding, both women silently acknowledging how hard it sometimes was to work with these chaotic and impulsive men. “Now then, Mr Wilson, what exactly did Mr Arc say he wants to do with Ms Fall?”

****

“He said he wants to help her.” That got him quite a few incredulous and mildly shocked looks, so he decided to explain. “It’s about her… meltdown. Jaune wants to try and find out the story behind that, try and help her confront it if he can, or at least get her some closure.”

****

“This is the same woman responsible for attacking the academy he attends, and for the attempts on his life, is she not?” Winter asked, half-rhetorically, half incredulously. “Why would he want to offer her his help? It defies all reason for him to be concerned for her, after everything she’s responsible for putting him through!”

****

“Yeah, I know, but that’s just the kind of guy Jaune is.” Daniel allowed a smile at that. “He’s never really been one for holding grudges, or to ignore someone in need. He was like a regular good samaritan back in our home village.”

****

“Well, forgiveness is all well and good, but don’t you think this is a little too far? Seems pretty naive to me, thinking someone like that can change.” Qrow observed.

****

“As… _unrealistic_ as Mr Arc might be in his ambitions to help the prisoner, I suppose there’s no harm in it, since he can convince her to cooperate and keep providing information.” Ironwood threw in his opinion, before turning to his subordinates. “Specialists Schnee and Wilson, your thoughts?”

****

“If Jaune can forge a closer connection to the prisoner to extract more information from her, then there’s no reason that we shouldn’t let him try to help.” Winter asserts. She, and the others, then turned to Daniel, waiting for his input.

****

“I-” Daniel sighed before continuing. “Honestly? I don’t think he’ll be able to help her or get through to her. People like Cinder, they’re not going to change, no matter how much effort he puts in. I think it’s a lost cause… but that doesn’t mean I won’t let Jaune give it a shot anyway, he’s my friend, and friends have their friends’ backs.” The gunslinger asserted confidently.

****

While the others acknowledged Daniel’s declaration with varying degrees of acceptance or skepticism Ozpin, who had been taking in everyone else’s opinions quietly, decided to speak up himself. The Headmaster steepled his fingers and cleared his throat to catch the attention of the others.

****

“Well, it seems that everyone agrees that Mr Arc should be allowed continued contact with our captive, is that a fair assessment?” Off the murmurs of assent, he continued. “Very well, though we should still make sure their meetings are adequately supervised. While Miss Fall might appear to be opening up to Mr Arc, we should still be on our guard in case she attempts anything.”

****

“Easy solution, just ask Fall to do it.” Qrow spoke up.

****

“Don’t you think she might be distracted with other responsibilities?” Winter asked.

****

“Nah, you just tell her the kid needs her help with the _other_ Fall and she’ll be there in a jiffy.” The Huntsman replied.

****

“And why would she do that?” Ironwood asked. “Surely the Fall Maiden has greater responsibilities than supervising one prisoner.”

****

“It ain’t about responsibilities, Jimmy.” Qrow said. “It’s about that Jaune kid. Doesn’t matter what you ask Fall to do, if it involves him she’ll be there.”

****

“And _why_ would-” Ironwood’s eyes narrowed, and then widened as realisation set in. “Ah, I see.”

****

“What?” Winter asked. “Am I missing something here?”

****

“You mean, besides the fact that Amber has a _massive_ crush on Jaune after he saved her life and offered to be her friend?” Daniel asked rhetorically. “Nope, you’re not missing anything.”

****

He struggled to suppress a wide grin at Winter’s expression.

****

“I-I see.” The Specialist couldn’t suppress her slight frown, though it did shift into a small smile as she recalled her sister’s relationship with the boy. “Well, as long as he continues to ensure Weiss is happy, then I don’t have any problem with any other attention he attracts.”

****

“There’s the spirit!” Daniel offered her a supportive pat on the shoulder. “Just accept that Jaune’s gonna be drowning in ladies _other_ than your sister for the foreseeable future, and you’ll have an easier time. Just make sure he doesn’t seduce you too, okay?” He added that last part with a cheeky grin.

****

The others tried to suppress amused smiles of their own as Winter turned on her partner and began a flustered tirade, with the gunslinger smirking the entire time.

\-------------

Line Break

\-------------

“So, did you girls enjoy yourselves?” Jaune asked as he walked alongside Team NDGO on the way back from the bullhead dock, having been lucky enough to make it on one of the last flights back to Beacon.

****

“I know I did!” Nebula answered, currently hanging onto Jaune’s arm with a smile. “Thank you for hanging out with us today!”

****

“I’ll admit, it was nice to have some company.” Dew commented, shooting the knight her own grin. 

  
“You kidding? Today was a blast!” Gwen added, hanging onto Jaune’s other arm. “We should’ve done this way sooner!”

****

“Hell yeah, we should have!” Octavia endorsed. “What’d you think, Jaune?”

****

Jaune considered the question for a second, before beaming at Octavia with genuine happiness.

****

“I think today was one of the best days I’ve ever had in Vale.” He confessed. “And I owe it to you girls...thank you for that.”

****

With that, all the girls of team NDGO blushed bright red, before Nebula unhooked her arm from Jaune’s, and interlaced her hands nervously.

****

“W-well, you made our day just us spectacular. Maybe you deserve a...reward of some kind.” She stated, the rest of her team also coming to a stop and turning to Jaune expectantly.

****

“Well...what exactly did you have in mind?” He asked, even though he had quite an idea of what they were thinking of. Sure enough, Nebula leaned forward tentatively and brought her lips to Jaune’s, resulting in a passionate kiss that lasted several seconds. When the two finally disengaged, Nebula let out giddy giggle as she backed up.

****

“Heh, wow.” She muttered, her face still aflame while she smiled at her crush. Jaune wore a similar expression, which morphed into surprise as Dew spun him to face her before planting her own kiss on his lips, followed by Gwen as soon as Dew pulled back. Both girls were wore wide grins as Jaune’s blush increased.

****

“Team up move for the win~.” Dew hummed, high fiving Gwen before turning to Octavia expectantly. “Beat that, Oct.”

Jaune also turned to the last girl, and despite the previous moves, he found himself unprepared for her to lace her arms around his neck and pull him down into her own kiss, this one much more intense then her teammate’s. The other three girls gawked at their teammate as she let out a low moan before separating from the knight, who looked absolutely star struck at the end of the kiss.

****

“Thank you, Jaune. I think we’ll be heading back to our room now.” Octavia hummed, starting towards the main section of campus. The rest of her team stuttered quick goodbyes before catching up with her, the red-head shooting her friends a cocky grin. “Consider yourself beat, Dew.”

****

“Heya, stud!” The exclamation caught the knight’s attention. Whirling around, he found that none other than Coco Adel and Velvet Scarletina were making their way towards him. The former was sporting her classic grin, while the latter restrained herself to a simple smile.

****

“Oh, hey there girls!” Jaune greeted the duo, jogging over to meet them in the middle of the courtyard. “So, where have you been?”

****

“Oh, just a routine search-and-destroy mission near Vale’s borders.” Coco said breezily. “Nothing team CVFY couldn’t handle.”

****

“Well, glad to hear it.” Jaune replied. “Speaking of your team… where are-?”

****

“Yats and Fox went on ahead to the dorm shower first, we’ll go along when they’re done.” The fashionista explained, before her grin turned rather suggestive. “But since we’re free now and you’re here with us… mind keeping us company for a bit?”

****

“Well, okay then, I got nothing better to do anyway.” The knight agreed, only to be surprised when Velvet stepped forward to snag on of his arms for herself. “Uh, hey there Vel.”

****

“Hi Jaune.” The bunny girl cooed happily, leaning her face on his shoulder. “I missed you.”

****

“Heh, I missed you too.” Jaune couldn’t resist gently petting her ears a few times, earning a soft hum of approval from the second year. The blonde was about to continue, until his free arm was snagged by Velvet’s team leader, the brunette offering her own smile.

****

“What? You think I’m gonna let Bun-Bun here have all the fun? C’mon stud, let’s go.”

****

“Where?”

****

“Who knows?”

****

Velvet and Jaune both shared a look, the former looking sympathetic for the other victim of her team leader’s latest antics, but didn’t protest as Coco led the knight (while dragging her teammate with her via her grip on Jaune’s arm) off in a random direction in the courtyard. 

\-------------

Line Break

\-------------

The White Fang soldier practically panted as he came to a skidding stop outside his boss’ chambers. He did his best to calm himself down, though the constant twitching of his ears was a dead giveaway of his fear. Slowley, he reached up and knocked on the oak door. 

****

“Enter.” A crisp voice responded on the other side of the door. The grunt did as he was told, opening the door to reveal Amanda Taurus, facing away from the door, sharpening her sword. “Do you have an update about our operations in Vale?”

****

‘Y-y-yes, m-ma’am.” The grunt sputtered, now practically shaking in fear. “The operation...failed. A-a majority of our agents were captured or killed, and Ripper is missing.”

****

Silence hung in the room for a moment, before Amanda turned on her heel and stuck out her blade, so that it was an inch from the grunt’s neck. The grunt himself let out a pitiful squeak of fear before realising that he was still in one piece and that his boss had lowered her sword, though she was still scowling.

****

“Unfortunate.” She growled, before sheathing her weapon and turning away from him once more. “Send out another team to find Ripper, and bring him back.”

****

The grunt nodded hastily and moved to leave before Amanda stopped him.

****

“Wait a moment.” She said, clearly contemplating something. After a moment, she turned back to him and continued. “Get into contact with Sienna Khan. It’s time we rally our forces.”

  
The grunt gulped at the thought of putting out that call, but nodded once more and scampered away. Amanda took a seat on her bed, and growled in frustration before punching her bed frame, allowing a hiss of pain to slip past her lips after she did so.

  
She needed a victory. She needed _something_ to keep her from absolutely losing her shit. Her thoughts drifted to a certain traitor, the girl who cost her and the White Fang dearly, her former student and best friend.

  
_Blake…_ She thought to herself, a slowly growing feeling of both rage and melancholy filling her. _Perhaps it is time I pay you a visit, for old times sake._

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


	63. New Challenges, New Relationships

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Willow attempts to patch up her relationship with Weiss, Jaune and Amber get closer, and several new girls take an interest in Beacon's resident dork knight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, over 350k words with this chapter, dear readers! Another milestone passed!
> 
> Comments and reviews are, as always, welcome.
> 
> Jack.

Jaune released a yawn as his eyes fluttered open, the first few beams of sunlight streaming in from the window next to him. He shifting slightly before noticing the distinct forms that were currently keeping him in place. 

****

Velvet was practically wrapped around his left side, content hums emanating from her sleeping form while her head rested on his chest. Coco was in a similar position on Jaune’s right, one of her hands resting on his cheek, the other currently resting...a bit lower.

****

_Damn it, Coco…_ he thought to himself, more out of amusement than actual annoyance. Clearly, he wasn’t going to risk waking either of the lovely ladies next to him, so it was time to play the waiting game.

****

Apparently, it was a short game, because within minutes of waking up, Jaune felt Velvet stir beside him.

****

“Mmm...Jaune?” She groaned, lifting her head off his chest and rubbing her eyes. “What are you doing here…and why are you wearing Coco’s shades?”

****

“You and Coco dragged me here after you got back from your mission.” He explained, smiling a bit as he recalled the evening prior. “You were both tired when we arrived, so I suggested that we go our separate ways. You guys didn’t take that well, and ended up dragging me over to your beds and insisted on “snuggle time”.”

****

By the time Jaune finished explaining, Velvet herself recalled the night before and began blushing in embarrassment.

****

“I-I’m sorry! We didn’t interrupt anything, did we?” Velvet asked, receiving a chuckle from the knight in question.

****

“No, nothing at all. I managed to text the girls before you trapped me here that I’d be with you for the evening.”

****

Velvet released a sigh of relief, followed closely by a yawn from Coco, who stretched and sat up before smiling nonchalantly at Jaune.

****

“Hey, stud. Thanks for keeping us company last night.” She hummed, before plucking her shades off Jaune’s head and putting them on. “And thank you for keeping these warm for me. Such a gentleman.”

****

“No problem, Coco, though you really didn’t give me a choice.” Jaune mused, shooting the fashionista a mock glare of annoyance. The glare died a moment later as Coco smirked, and immediately mounted Jaune, pinning him to the bed.

****

“Oh, should I make it up to you?” She asked, tilting down her shades and wiggling her eyebrows suggestively at the blushing boy.

****

Jaune managed a few startled sputters before Velvet intervened, thumping her partner on the side of her head, scowling a little.

****

“Coco, we’ve talked about this.” The bunny girl insisted. “No flirting with Jaune all the time.”

****

“Ugh, you’re no fun, Bun!” Coco whined, but obeyed and dismounted the blushing knight. “Guess you’re safe...for now~.”

****

“Oh, joy.” Jaune scoffed, before accepting the girl’s hand as she pulled him to his feet.

****

“Well, since my plan has gone outta the window, here’s what I propose now.” Coco started, stretching as she spoke. “Velvet and I are gonna get cleaned up, and then we’ll join you and the rest of our little group. Sound good, stud?”

****

“Yeah, sounds good!” Jaune agreed with a grin, before starting for the door alongside the fashionista. “See you guys in a few?”

  
“You know it.” Coco confirmed, before pecking him on the cheek. “Hey Velv, wanna get some in before we-”

****

Coco barely finished her query before the rabbit faunus bolted across the room, and gave Jaune her own kiss, before stepping back while sporting a raging blush.

****

“T-thanks, Jaune.” She muttered, averting her gaze. “See you in a while?”

****

“I sure hope so.” Jaune replied, grinning as he stepped out into the hallway and started for the mess hall. As he pulled out his scroll and text Pyrrha, telling her that he was alive and would meet her and the others for breakfast, his gaze lingered on a second contact. 

  
Amber.

****

_Hey, Summer? Amber and I are hanging out today, right?_ He asked his mental companion, only to be met with silence. _Um...Summer? Hello?_

****

The silence continued for several seconds before a tired voice finally responded.

****

“ _Wha...Jaune?”_ Summer groaned, clearly exhausted, though from what, Jaune was unsure. _“Did you need something?”_

****

The huntress’s question was punctuated with a frankely adorable yawn, which Jaune chuckled at.

****

_No, sorry to wake you. Didn’t realize you were asleep._ He explained. 

****

“ _It’s fine, Jaune. I should be up by now anyway.”_ Summer admitted, before a teasing quality entered her voice. “ _So, what’s your plan for your date with ol’ Amber?”_

****

Jaune groaned and rolled his eyes, but found himself smiling as he continued through the halls of Beacon. _What a tease..._

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

After she’d found a sufficiently quiet and deserted corridor that she wouldn’t be overheard, Weiss took out her scroll and finally answered the ringing chime, the same chime that had pulled her away from an otherwise pleasant breakfast with her friends and teammates. The actual number was one she’d not seen before, so she was naturally a little confused as to who it might be.

****

“Hello.” She began, holding the scroll to her ear. She thought it best to be as polite as possible, since the number was an unfamiliar one. “Weiss Schnee speaking.”

****

“Hello, miss Schnee, I was wondering if I might have a moment of your time?” Weiss couldn’t help but flinch in surprise at the voice on the other end. Why was General Ironwood calling her?  Was she in some sort of trouble?

****

“O-oh, General Ironwood! Of course, how may I help you?” She managed to reply.

****

“Well, it isn’t me you’ll be helping.” Ironwood admitted. “I have someone here who would like to talk to you for a while, can you spare a few minutes? Don’t worry, I can assure you it isn’t a reporter.” He finished with a chuckle.

****

“I suppose that won’t be a problem.” Weiss agreed, smiling herself at the man’s little bit of humour.

****

“Thank you, let me transfer you over to their scroll now.” There was a small burst of static as Weiss’ scroll re-acquired the new signal, the Schnee scion waiting patiently all the while. After about 10 seconds, she decided to speak up, while also continuing with a polite introduction. It was only proper, after all.

****

“Hello, Weiss Schnee speaking, how many I help you?”

****

“Hello Weiss.” That voice. There was no mistaking it.

****

“Mother.” Weiss managed to say. “I… it’s good to hear from you.”

****

“I’m pleased to hear that, it’s lovely to speak to you too, honey.” Willow replied. “Thank you for agreeing to talk to me. I apologise for having James contact you, but I… didn’t have your scroll number.”

****

Weiss couldn’t help but wince a little, it was yet another reminder of how strained and borderline-nonexistent their relationship had been for the last 7 years. She’d not even bothered to give her mother the ability to contact her at Beacon, was that really how bad things had gotten?

****

Even then, the last time Weiss had seen her mother, it was when she had fled from that disastrous confrontation with their father, tears in her eyes. Even if Weiss and Winter had later received assurance from General Ironwood that he’d been able to find and comfort their mother, the siblings hadn’t heard from her since then.

****

Well, until now.

****

“I’m sorry for that, mother.” Weiss admitted. “I left for Beacon without giving you a way to stay in touch, that was… a mistake.” A mistake she needed to correct.

****

“No.” Weiss was surprised at the firmness in Willow’s voice. “Please, don’t apologise Weiss. If anything, I’ve been the one making the mistakes these past years.” There was a soft sniffle over the other end of the scroll, which made Weiss bit her lip in a flash of emotion. 

****

“I was happy to hide myself away, drinking myself into a stupor day in and day out, letting Jacques do whatever he wanted to me, to Winter… and to you. Letting him hurt both of you, try and turn you into the perfect little heiresses he wanted you to be.” Willow’s voice was shaking through her whole explanation, but she didn’t stop at any point. “I’m sorry, little Snowflake, for being a terrible mother to you these past few years.”

****

That made Weiss’ heart skip. Snowflake? She’d not been called that since her childhood, when her mother would sit by her bed and tuck her in, then read her a bedtime story until she fell asleep. Naturally, Jacques had taken exception to his wife ‘coddling’ their children, which meant no more nicknames or bedtime stories from that point on.

****

“M-mother…” Tears began to sting at Weiss’ eyes. “Please don’t blame yourself too much. Jacques… he hurt all of us, you most of all. You were trapped in a loveless marriage, with a… a controlling, abusive monster for a husband. You-”

****

“Please, Weiss.” Her mother interrupted. “Don’t try to defend my drinking. It was wrong, it was cowardly, I chose the easy way out rather than fight back. That was a mistake, _my_ mistake, and I need to make it right. I just… I don’t know how.” Another choked sob sounded through the scroll, which immediately stabbed at Weiss’ heart again.

****

“Well, I promise that whatever you decide, I will support you the whole way.” Weiss promised, hoping it would calm the older woman down. “You don’t have to do this alone, mother. I promise I’ll be here for you, and I guarantee that Winter will feel the same way.”

****

“T-thank you, Weiss dear.” Willow managed to choke out over the scroll connection. “I… feel like I don’t truly deserve your support, after everything that’s happened. After all the times I’ve neglected you, Winter and Whitney.”

****

“I know, but even after all of that, you’re still my mother.” Weiss insisted. “That means that I’ll support you through this, regardless of whether or not you think you deserve it. That’s what family does, after all.” The younger Schnee managed a smile as she spoke, even if her eyes still had a few tears around her icy-blue eyes.

****

“Thank you, Weiss. Thank you so much.” There was visible shaking in the Schnee matriarch’s voice. “That means… so much to me.”

****

“You’re welcome… mum.” It had been ages since she’d referred to her mother by that less formal address, but it still felt nice to say nonetheless.

****

For a while, neither of them said anything, both women simply trying to process the emotional turn their conversation had taken, their scrolls shaking in their grips. Willow was currently sniffling and trying to wipe away her tears, thanking the Gods that she had such a wonderful and forgiving daughter. She had originally intended to ask about her daughter’s day, but now… well, she had a lot to think about, but perhaps another conversation at a later date wasn’t out of the question?

****

“Is there anything else you wanted to talk about?” Weiss asked shakily, the heiress herself choking back some rather happy tears of her own. It had been far too long since she and her mother had just _talked_ like this. She wanted more talks like this again.

****

“There was, but… well, I have a lot to think about now. P-perhaps we can pick this up at a later date?” Willow asked hopefully, praying that Weiss would agree.

****

The younger Schnee smiled as she replied. “I would love that, though we should exchange contact information to make sure we can stay in touch.”

****

“Oh, well I already have yours, I might have asked James for your contact information before asking him to contact you on my behalf.” Willow couldn’t help but blush a little in embarrassment, it sounded a little desperate on her part.

****

Surprisingly, Weiss actually chuckled a little at that. “Well, alright then mother. I suppose I will wait for you to get in touch again.”

****

“Yes, I will be in touch in at least a couple of days, is that alright?” Willow asked.

****

“I would like that.” Weiss confirmed. “Well, I suppose I should be getting back to breakfast with my friends now. Will you be alright, mother?”

****

“Yes dear, I think I will. Goodbye for now Weiss, I… I love you.” The Schnee matriarch said.

****

“I love you too, mum.” The younger Schnee replied.

****

As the call ended, both the elder and younger Schnee girls had tears in their eyes, happy that they’d made the first few steps in repairing their familial relationship.

****

Willow began wiping her eyes, sniffling a little and needing to blow her nose a few times to clear it of phlegm. Nevertheless, the mother was happier than she’d been in years. Not only had she started the process of reconciling with Weiss, but her daughter had been okay with further contact and talks with her. That was very encouraging indeed.

****

Her scroll began to chime again. After wiping her eyes and blowing her nose one last time, Willow answered the cell, and was immediately greeted by James’ face on the screen, though he quickly adopted a look of concern once he got a good look at her.

****

“Willow, are you alright?” He asked, his brows knitting. “Did the talk with your daughter not go as planned?”

****

“No.” Willow admitted, before smiling shakily. “I was better than planned. We… I think we’re one step closer to fixing our relationship. She doesn’t even hold my drinking against me, she told me that I was just as much a victim of Jacques as she and Winter were. I feel so blessed, James, to have such a forgiving girl in my family.”

****

“Well, I’m pleased to hear that, Willow.” James smiled back at her, the matriarch’s happiness quickly proving infectious. “So, you’ll be getting in touch with her more in the future then?”

****

“Yes, I will.” She replied.

****

“Well, I can only hope that goes just as well.” James continued. “If there is anything else I can do to help, don’t hesitate to let me know, alright?”

****

“You’ve already done so much for me, James. Honestly, if I ask for any more help I’ll feel like I’m taking advantage of your kindness.” Willow admitted, sighing a little.

****

“Willow, I can assure you that you’re not taking advantage, I’m happy to help you.” James insisted firmly. “And while I know we’ve been… out of touch for some time now, I would like to think that we’re still friends. That’s why, as your friend, I’m happy to help you.”

****

Willow couldn’t help but grin at that. She really was lucky to have James in her life. Even with his assurances that his help did not need repaying, the matriarch still thought that some manner of repayment was necessary.

****

“Well, it still wouldn’t be proper for me not to repay you anyway. After all, my father never left any debts unpaid, and neither will I.” She asserted. James made to protest, but seeing the surprisingly defiant and stern glare from the woman, closed his mouth and simply nodded.

****

Privately, the man was pleased to see that spark of defiance in Willow again, it reminded him so much of the immovably stubborn and determined snow-haired young woman she’d been when they’d attended Atlas Academy together.

****

“Well, I suppose I don’t have much of a choice here, do I?” He asked, half-jokingly.

****

“No, you don’t.” Willow affirmed. “Now, tell me what I can do to repay you.”

****

“Honestly? I… I don’t know if there’s anything I can think of. At least, not right now.” James admitted, his own cheeks pinking a little in embarrassment. Willow quirked an eyebrow and propped her other hand on her hip in reply.

****

“So, what you are saying is that you… the greatest military mind and strategist of our generation… can’t even think of a single thing I can do to repay a debt?”

****

“Yes.” His answer was blunt, if a little quieter than usual.

****

“Hmph.” Willow rolled her eyes, unaware of how _very much_ she resembled her daughters when she did that. “Alright then, I’ll let you off for now, but you’d best think of something I can do to repay my favour. Schnees always repay their debts, after all.”

****

James smiled at her again over the scroll-link. “Yes ma’am. Noted.” He replied, semi-cheekily.

****

“Well, goodbye for now, James.”

****

“Goodbye, Willow.”

****

With that, the call ended, and the Schnee matriarch was left alone in the room of the apartment she’d been staying in since the incident with Jacques.

****

Despite her being alone, she couldn’t help but smile.

****

It might take a while, but she would fix things with her children.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

“Thanks for agreeing to spend some time with me today, Jaune.” Amber said, the Maiden currently accompanying the knight through a nearby park they managed to find with in Vale. Thanks to it being the middle of the day on a weekday, the park was reasonably deserted, allowing the duo to simply enjoy the silence and fresh air. “It was honestly getting a bit dull for me lately.”

****

“Really?” The knight asked, rather surprised. “I mean… you’re one of four mythical people who can wield literal, honest-to-god magic, and you’re saying your life’s been dull?” He snorted softly in disbelief. “Well, I’m sorry but I don’t quite believe that.”

****

“Hey! It isn’t like there’s much for me to do around here, you know?!” Amber cried out defensively. “I can’t go outside Vale anymore, in case i get more assassins sent after me, which means I’m basically stuck in here. There’s only so much a girl can do in a big city like this, and there’s even fewer options when I’m alone.”

****

“Okay, okay! I get it. Well, lucky for you, today is a day for us to do something fun! Whatever it is you like, we can do!” Jaune proclaimed heartily, sticking a finger up in the air in the process. Both Amber and Summer giggled at his goofy antics, with the former leaning in close and nudging him.

****

“It’s okay Jaune, hanging out with you is fun.” Amber assured him, a smile on her face. “After all, with how your life’s been going lately, you can’t deny that just being around you really spices up a girl’s life these days.”

****

Jaune chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah, but it’s much less hectic now, you can’t deny that!”

****

“Well, aside from the fact that you regularly have facetime with a violent terrorist.” Amber insisted, her expression turning concerned. “How’s that actually going? Have there been any more freakouts?”

****

“Not lately.” Jaune scratched his chin. “I mean… we’ve actually been getting along okay, Cinder doesn’t toss out death threats anymore and she actually said she was looking forward to another talk with me.” The knight explained. “I actually think I might be able to help her.”

****

Unsurprisingly, Amber’s expression didn’t really change, if anything her brows simply creased further in greater concern. “I… don’t really know if that’s a good idea Jaune. I mean, this woman hurt you! She attacked this school and Vale as a whole! Do you really think she deserves your help?”

****

“Well, yeah.” Jaune replied, honestly, which genuinely shocked the Fall Maiden. Was he really so empathetic to Cinder’s plight, despite everything she’d put him through? “I… I know she’s done some pretty terrible things in the past, but she’s suffered a lot. At least, I think she has. As strange as it might seem, I can’t help but want to help her out, guess I’m just incredibly forgiving.” The knight explained.

****

“Well, please be careful okay?” Amber asked, a pleading note in her voice. “I don’t like it when you put yourself in danger like this. I… I like you a lot, Jaune. I know you’ve not been in my life for too long, but I never really had the chance to make friends when I was a nomad. Compared to that… well, this is one of the longest friendships I’ve ever had, and I don’t want to lose it.” 

****

She bowed her head a little, biting her lip to try and stop herself from crying, partly from the fear of something happening to Jaune and partly from the sheer relief at actually having a dedicated friendship with him right now.

****

Of course, this meant she was rather caught off guard by the knight’s hug, his arms wrapping around her ample frame rather nicely and snugly, causing a squeak of surprise to slip by Amber’s lips. She returned the hug, trying not to seem too eager and secretly enjoying the way her bosom began to press against his chest. His stomach and abs felt… wow.

****

Oh gods. It really did feel good. The Maiden couldn’t help but blush, forced to bite back a whine of pleasure at the _friction_ of her breasts against Jaune’s chest. For the first time, Amber found herself wishing that the healing process hadn’t changed her quite as much as it did. While she did enjoy having a more feminine form, her new bosom was actually significantly more sensitive, so the tight-fitting clothes she once enjoyed were no longer an option.

****

Though it didn’t take long for her to start appreciating that fact again as her thoughts took a steamy turn. After all, if she was this sensitive to pleasure and stimulation, how easy would it be for her have fun in the bedroom, especially when she was writhing and squirming as Jaune pinned her to the bed and-

****

_Down girl, stop it!_ Amber chastised herself, thoroughly embarrassed at letting her thoughts get this dirty, especially when the guy she was basically fantasising about was _right there_ ! What was she _thinking_!? Oooh, why did Jaune have to be so nice and honest and handsome and cute and innocent and lovable and oh gods she was getting sidetracked again-

****

Fortunately for the distressed and dirty-minded Fall Maiden, the knight embracing her was far too engrossed in trying to stop his _own_ body’s… natural reaction to having such a beautiful and curvaceous girl pressing so closely against his chest. The blonde was forced to bite his lip to distract himself from the sensation of Amber’s large, firm and perky bust mashing against him.

****

_Oh god… she’s bigger than Yang, Pyrrha and Marcie…_ Was all the coherent thought his mind was able to conjure up before it started shutting down.

****

Of course, his mental companion was of no help whatsoever. Summer’s mindscape was engulfed in a steadily worsening dual heatwave and shower of rain, reflecting the mother’s own less-than-pure thoughts regarding her host. Specifically, what it would feel like if SHE was the one being hugged right now, how that well-built and muscled chest of his would feel against her own skin…

****

In Amber’s mindscape, meanwhile, her companion Maidens were both observing the current events with differing reactions. Mirabelle was simply shaking her head, the captain tutting at her host’s lack of confidence with her new feelings.

****

“ _This is simply tragic.”_ The red haired Valean soldier sighed. “ _Were Amber a little more confident and forward with her emotions and feelings, perhaps she would make more progress. If this continues any longer I may have to force the issue, I would rather she faces up to her feelings before… circumstances take the chance from her.”_

****

Truthfully, Mirabelle was speaking from personal experience, the older woman had fallen in love herself. It had been with a fellow soldier in the Royal Guard, they had similar interests and hobbies, fighting side-by-side on the battlefields of the Great War had only strengthened their bond. Nothing forged bonds of friendship quite like the crucible of battle.

****

Tragically, it had never progressed beyond that. Mirabelle had been too afraid of damaging their existing relationship by confessing her feelings for her comrade, so she had kept silent… until he had suffered fatal injury on the fields of Vacuo, in the final conflict of the war. Her confession had only come as her prospective love had died in her arms. The memory haunted the captain to this day.

****

She did not want Amber to make that mistake, to refrain from confessing to Jaune until it was too late and one of them died.

****

_“If she has not confessed her feelings to Jaune within two weeks, or if he has still not noticed then on his own, then we will have to step in.”_ Mira continued, turning to her fellow spirit. _“What do you think, Ale… ALEXA!!”_ The captain’s calm question turned into a frustrated shout when she saw what the other woman was up to.

****

_“H-hmm? W-what is it Miri?”_ The blonde asked, trying to sound casual, though her telltale flushed face and sweat-soaked body betrayed her earlier actions. 

****

That being taking advantage of Amber’s close contact with Jaune to tap into her senses, allowing Alexa to experience the sensations of Jaune’s body pressing against her host’s. From how flushed she was and her heavy breathing, it was clear that she had been _enjoying_ the contact, much to the frustration of the soldier in front of her.

****

“ _WHAT are you doing?”_ The captain snapped out, arms folded across her breastplate and a scowl on her face.

****

_“Oh, I-I was just… um-”_ Alexa began, knocking her fingers together nervously. 

****

_“A-ta-ta-ta!”_ Mira cut her off. “ _I know what you were doing, Alexa. You were linking with Amber’’s senses to experience her close contact with Jaune Arc for yourself, weren’t you?!”_

****

_“H-how did you guess?”_ The other young woman asked, her head drooping a little.

****

_“Because we’ve done so before, remember?”_ Mirabelle sighed. _“To feel the sun on our faces and wind in our hair once more, though I would never have imagined that you would pervert this ability for some sort of enjoyment! There must be boundaries in place, Alexa!”_ The captain chided.

****

_“I’m sorry Miri, but I just wanted to feel what it was like to be hugged by a man again, that’s all.”_ Alexa admitted, wrapping her own arms around her body, the blonde met the eyes of her fellow Maiden at last. _“It’s just… it’s been more than 25 years Miri. Can you really say you’ve not been lonely like I have?”_

****

Mirabelle paused at that, opening and closing her mouth a few times, trying to process Alexa’s statement. Finally, the old soldier lowered her own head, before muttering out. “ _Yes, I have. I still am_.” 

****

_“Really?”_ The redhead could hear the quiver in the other Maiden’s voice, Mira’s head snapping up to see some sympathy in Alexa’s eyes.

****

“ _Y-yes. It might have been a quarter of a century of you Alexa, but it has been… considerably longer since I have experienced a man’s touch. Or company.”_ Mira admitted, a sigh slipping past her cheeks. _“I sympathise with your loneliness Alexa, I truly do, but you cannot abuse our influence over Amber’s body like that, it’s a breach of her privacy and trust. Do you understand?”_ She placed both hands on the blonde woman’s shoulders as she spoke, as if to emphasize her point.

****

_“Yeah, I get it… thanks Miri.”_

****

_“What for?”_ The captain quirked an eyebrow.

****

_“For keeping me on track and focused, and doing the same with Ami when she starts drifting off. Even if you do occasionally act like a super-hardass drill sergeant, 90% of the time you’re like the stern but fair mum Ami and I needed as kids.”_ The blonde young woman explained, offering her fellow spirit a small smile.

****

Her smile rather quickly froze as Mirabelle reached forward to seize Alexa in a rather unexpected hug. Was this really happening? But Miri _never_ gave out hugs like this! _SHE_ was the one who gave out hugs like this!

****

_“Thank you for appreciating my disciplinary efforts… Lexi.”_ The captain mumbled happily, tightening her hold on the other woman slightly. She was honestly pleased that her abrasive exterior hadn’t pushed her companions away, and that they could see she acted the way she did out of concern for them.

****

In retrospect, that simply meant that the high-pitched squeal from Alexa’s mouth blew out her eardrums even more easily.

****

Mira tried to move away, purely out of instinct, but quickly found out that her younger blonde counterpart could be _very_ strong when she wanted to be. Her arms formed a vice around the redhead’s waist as she kept squealing happily.

****

_“Aawww!!! I knew you cared about me Miri! I knew it I knew it I KNEW IT!!”_ She cheered excitedly.

****

As the Valean soldier tried to wriggle free from the younger Maiden’s iron grip in the mindscape, out in the real world, Amber and Jaune finally disengaged from their own hug. Both of them were slightly red-faced at how intimate that physical contact had gotten, with Amber’s shapely proportions and Jaune’s increased muscle mass not at all helping.

****

She huffed, knowing that the Maiden Magic within her was responsible for her new body, responding to Amber’s own desire at the time to be attractive enough for Jaune to notice her after she woke up. That simply made the name more ironic in her eyes, that the magic sourced from a line of  ‘maidens’ (which usually meant pure and ‘unspoiled’) could give her such a sensual and attractive form. 

****

Amber didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at the fact that her own magic decided to help out her abysmal sex life.

****

“Heh, well, that went on a bit, right?” Jaune joked half-heartedly, the knight looking a little pink himself. Well at least it wasn’t just her who felt awkward.

****

“Heh, that’s fine, I liked it.” Amber assured him. “I’ve never really had hugs before now, except with my parents… but that was a long time ago now.” The Fall Maiden couldn’t suppress a small frown at the memory of her parents, she just wished she’d not had to abandon them when her powers manifested, but after the first time she’d fought off an assassin trying to kill her Amber knew she couldn’t stay there.

****

She hoped they were okay, wherever they were now.

****

“Well, even if you can’t hug your parents anymore, you’ve got new friends now, I’m sure they’d be happy to give you hugs if you were feeling down and asked.” Jaune assured her.

****

“Even you?” Amber questioned, shyly.

****

“Uh, yeah! Even me!” The blonde affirmed. “Come on, we should probably get going, eh?”

****

“Yeah, we should.” As they began to walk off, Amber leant into Jaune shoulder, just to test the waters, while also shivering a little as a cool breeze blew through the park. She was rewarded with Jaune’s arm snaking around her own shoulders and upper body.

****

“Cold?” He asked.

****

“Uh, y-yeah.” She stuttered out.

****

“Okay, well I guess this will have to do for now, but we’re going to find you something to keep you warm, if that’s alright?” 

****

“Sure.” Amber managed to squeak out, her cheeks pinking again. Thankfully, Jaune didn’t notice, too distracted with his new quest to find a clothing store for his friend.

****

The duo exited the park and made their way into a street full of shops, Amber struggling all the while not to squeal and vibrate with excitement. 

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

“Well, here we are.” Jaune stated as he and Amber came to a stop outside of Beacon’s main hall. “I guess this is where we go our separate ways.”

“Yeah, I guess it is.” Amber confirmed, smiling warmly at the blonde knight. “Thank you for taking me out today, Jaune. It was nice to get away from all the usual drama that happens around here.”

****

“Of course, my pleasure!” Jaune responded, before rubbing his neck anxiously. “Well, guess I’ll...see you tomorrow?”

****

“Ah, yes. I’ll, uh, see you then.” Amber agreed, before turning away and starting for Ozpin’s office. Despite the joy she felt while hanging out with Jaune, it was overshadowed by the disappointment she felt leaving him. Yes, it was temporary and she’d see him the next day, but it still felt...bad.

****

_“C’mon Ami, don’t feel down!”_ Alexa said, doing her best to comfort the maiden. “ _You’ll just have to hang out again soon! Maybe even tomorrow after his session with Cindy!”_

****

_“Perhaps.”_ Mira agreed. “ _However, try not to get too invested_ . _Arc could have prior arrangements. Then again, knowing him, he’s also likely to help you however he can._ ”

****

Amber smiled a bit at Mira’s observation, as it was dead on with Jaune’s habit of putting others before himself. Her thoughts were interrupted by the knight in question calling out from behind her.

****

“Amber, wait up!” He shouted. Amber turned back around, and tilted her head in question as he stopped in front of her. “I just wanted to let you know, I’ll always be there for you. You name the place, I’ll be there. Arc’s promise.”

****

And then Jauen did something, something that Amber couldn’t have predicted if she tried. Jaune Arc leaned forward and pressed his lips to her cheek. The kiss couldn’t have been more than a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity of bliss to the maiden. Just like that, Jaune pulled back and sped off behind her. Amber stood there for a few more moments, her mind still reeling from what had just transpired.

****

“ _EEEEEEEE!_ ” Alexa squealed within the mindscape, jumping with joy. “ _HE KISSED HER! MIRA, MIRA HE DID IT_!”

****

“ _I_ **_saw_ ** _, Lexi.” Mira deadpanned, before her own smile rose on her face. “Well, I’d assume that Amber is quite pleased right now.”_

****

The soldier’s suspicions were confirmed mere seconds later, as Amber let out a ear-ringing squeal of joy, practically dancing in place while smiling non-stop. Luckily, the grounds were mostly empty at the moment, not that it really mattered to the girl, who was indeed over the moon.

****

Meanwhile, Jaune finally came to a stop outside of the entrance to the dorms, his cheeks bright red and gasping for breath.

****

“Th-that was stupid, what was I thinking!?” He hissed, clutching his head. “Oh Gods, why’d I go for a kiss?! She probably hates me!”

****

“ _Woah woah WOAH! What!?”_ Summer interjected, disbelief clear in her voice. “ _Why on Remnant would she hate you?”_

****

“Because I pulled a move on her!” Jaune spat, not even bothering to talk to Summer though his thoughts as he usually did. “She’s my friend, I shouldn’t be doing things like that to a friend!”

****

_“Jaune...you have literally_ **_slept with_ ** _your friends.”_ Summer replied, near face palming, while also blushing at her own phrasing. _“Besides, did you not see the look on her face?”_

****

_I...I...didn’t._ Jaune admitted, finally using his thoughts to speak to the spirit. _Why?_

****

_“Because she looked happy!”_ Summer cried, almost frustrated with how dense the boy was. “ _Jaune, she likes you!”_

****

_...What?_ He asked, followed by an actual screech from his mental companion.

****

_“Oh my GOD, Jaune, you can’t be this dumb! You PHYSICALLY CANNOT BE!”_

****

_O-ok, ok! I get it, Amber...Amber likes me._ The knight repeated, a small smile growing onto his face. _Amber likes me. Wow...how long do you figure she’s..?_

****

_“Well, I can’t say for sure, but I figure it’s been a while.”_ Summer answered, less irritated now that the blonde listened to her. “ _I’d assume soon after you saved her.”_

****

_Geez, that long?_ He asked, shaking his head. _I mean...was there anyone else?_

****

_“What do you mean?”_

****

_Well, if I really missed Amber have a crush, is it possible that I’ve missed others?_ Jaune asked, now realizing that his dense nature really went deep.

****

_“...Oh boy…perhaps we should refer to your team’s list of...other candidates.”_ The huntress mused, tapping her chin in thought. Jaune shrugged, and started back towards his dorms, allowing a slight smile to appear on his face.

****

_Maybe it won’t be that bad!_

****

_“X to doubt.”_ The huntress deadpanned, earning a sputter of confusion from Jaune, who nearly tripped in surprise.

****

_...how do you-_

****

_“I’ve been looking through your memories again.”_ She explained, smirking to herself as she shook her head. _“Daniel’s sense of humor is...strange.”_

****

_Ha, you’re telling me!_ Jaune responded, allowing his own chuckle to slip out, echo throughout the halls as he continued towards his dorm.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

“I gotta be honest, I think you’re looking into this too much, May.” Nolan groaned, tapping his baton on his bed frame in an attempt to occupy himself while the rest of his team got food from the cafeteria.

****

“Nolan, the Tournament is starting back up tomorrow! Don’t you want to be ready?” May asked, the sniper perched on her own bed while cleaning her rifle. “What’s the harm in getting to know our competition?”

****

“There’s no harm in that, I ‘spose.” Nolan answered, before a smirk crept onto his face. “You seem awfully interested in a certain team, however. Maybe even a certain _knight_?”

****

May tensed up, before releasing a nervous chuckle and shaking her head. “Wha-I, uh, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

****

“Mhm, sure.” Nolan responded with an eye roll, before laying down and closing his eyes. “Look May, at least talk to the guy. Get to know him properly, see if this Jaune guy is even worth your time!”

****

May didn’t answer Nolan’s suggestion, but privately considered his words. _Maybe...that wasn’t such a bad idea._

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

“So, ready for our fight tomorrow, Arslan?”

****

Arslan Altan quirked an eyebrow at her teammate’s query. While she herself was quite excited for the Tournament to start back up, Reese seemed particularly invested in getting back into the festivities.

****

“That’s why we’re sparring and training, isn’t it?” She asked, earning a playful eyeroll and smirk from her green-haired friend.

****

“Well, yeah! But I meant more about...y’know, meeting these other teams!”

 

“You’re excited for the Tournament...so you can meet people?” Arslan asked, disbelief heavy in her voice. Reese blew a raspberry at her team leader in reply, shrugging casually. 

****

“Well, yeah! It’s not all about fighting, though we are gonna crush the competition.” She boasted, earning a chuckle from Arslan. As she continued however, the chuckle died off. “Besides, isn’t there someone you and I both want to meet?”

****

Arslan stared at her friend for a moment, trying to decipher who she referring to. Then it clicked.

****

“R-reese, you can’t be serious!” She sputtered, her cheeks heating up as the other girl laughed.

****

“Why not? You saw how he stood up to that Cardin asshole and his dumbass goons after they harassed NDGO, and Katt says that’s he’s the best hugger ever! Aren’t you curious?”

****

“Well...I…” Arslan trailed off, fiddling with her dagger. “I...suppose so.”

****

“That’s the spirit!” Reese cheered, looping an arm around her leader and beaming at her. “Let’s just introduce ourselves tomorrow, and see where it goes!”

****

Arslan allowed a dry laugh to escape her lips, and nodded as she privately wished that she had her teammate’s confidence.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

“Ms. Pollendia, please follow me. We do have a schedule to keep.”

****

“Oh! Sorry, miss Ciel!” Penny apologized as she hurried after her friend/keeper. “I was just thinking.”

****

“Of course.” The operative responded curtly, before she pulled her key card and scanned it before entering the elevator. “Anything of particular interest, ma’am?”

****

“Just Friend Jaune.” The synthetic ginger responded, smiling as she did so. Ciel’s own expresion dipped slightly as she saw the girl’s. That smile was...different, and her cheeks were red. Was it possible that…

****

“Friend Jaune, you say?” She asked, maintaining a neutral tone. Penny seemed to come back to reality, and nodded gleefully.

****

“Affirmative! He’s a good friend, and cares for me very much!” She insisted, drawing out a thin smile from Ciel. While taking care of Penny was a...stressful job, there were moments that made it worth it.

****

“Well, I’m glad to hear that.” She responded, even patting the ginger’s shoulder. “Is there anything else I should know about him?”

****

“Oh!” Penny exclaimed, as though something in particular had just hit her. “He assisted in the apprehension of Cinder Fall!”

****

Now _that_ caught Ciel’s attention. While she didn’t know much about Fall, she knew that the woman was extremely dangerous, and had killed many Atlas personnel, as well as Hunters. She had picked up a bit from conversations between Specialist Scheme and Daniel Wilson. 

****

Wilson in particular was quite adamant on Fall’s ruthlessness, though he refused to answer why when she questioned him. If this “Friend Jaune” assisted in that monster’s capture, then perhaps he was more skilled than Ciel first suspected?

****

“Hmm. That’s...quite impressive.” Ciel admitted, before realizing that she had spoken aloud. “Ahem. Well, perhaps you could take me to meet this Jaune some time?”

****

“Oh, do you want to be friends with him too?” Penny asked, her emerald eyes sparkling with excitement. Ciel barely stiffend a chuckle, before nodding.

****

“Yes, I believe I would.”

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

Cinder Fall drummed her fingers on the cold metal of her bed as she tried to drift off to sleep. At the moment, it wasn’t going very well. 

****

“Ugh, how long must I lay here?” She growled to herself, before shaking her head. “I have only myself to blame for this anyhow.”

****

A few seconds passed before Cinder registered what she said, and sat up slowly. She...admitted guilt and took responsibility. It _was_ her fault she was there, of course. Still, to admit it...that she hadn’t done before.

****

“Strange...what is happening to me?” She wondered aloud, looking at her hands. They felt...tainted. Dirty. Like she herself was covered in a filth that would never wash off. 

****

An uncomfortable chill ran down her spine, and she groaned once more. She _was_ feeling guilty. She had always ignored the effects of her actions, simply considering them necessary sacrifices for her mission. But now, alone in that cold cell, they weighed heavy on her shoulders. She was the bad guy in this story, not the hero to usher in an age of strength and power as she once believed. She was...nothing more than a monster.

****

The chill returned, and Cinder actually shivered as she curled up slightly. Why was she even alive? They could have executed her by now, maybe even should have, but they hadn’t. Why? A moment later, the answer popped into her head, as if it was always there.

****

“Arc.”

****

He kept her alive. He questioned her, made her valuable. Yes, initially she had asked for him, only to keep herself alive a bit longer. Now? No rescue was coming, not that she’d even welcome it at this point. And yet, Jaune Arc was something that kept her going. Maybe not as a worthy challenger, or even a simple enemy. Perhaps...as a friend…

****

“No.” She interrupted her own thoughts, uncomfortable with where they were going. “No, he’s not my friend. He likely despises me. He would never befriend me, let alone...alone…”

****

A new feeling sprung up in her chest, this one less painful then the rest. A dull warmth, that slowly radiated throughout her body. She sighed, and allowed herself to slump against the wall behind her bed, feeling both defeated and distantly hopeful.

****

“Let alone love me.”

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

****

A knock on the door of her sanctum drew her attention.

****

“Enter.” Salem called, looking away from the image displayed within the bulbous head of the Prime Seer towards the door. The familiar bowler hat and suited form of Roman Torchwick poked his way through, his cane tapping against the floor as he approached.

****

Ah, he’d returned, hopefully with the information she’d requested.

****

“Um, greetings your hig- I mean, Salem.” He greeted her, visibly nervous.

****

Well, that was unfortunate, she’d hoped he’d have gotten used to her by now. Oh well, it couldn’t be helped.

****

“Greetings, dear Roman.” She replied. “Is there a reason for your entrance?”

****

“Uh… yeah.” The thief continued, clearing his throat. “I reached out to whatever contacts I still have in Vale, and they’ve gotten back to me about this Arc kid you wanted me to look into.”

****

“Ah, that is welcome news, most welcome indeed.” Salem said, hoping that the smile on her face was contented enough to not unnerve the thief further. An unnerved thief was an unproductive thief.

****

“Oh thank god.” Roman breathed out, though he’d intended it as an almost-silent mutter, Salem’s Grimm-enhanced hearing could pick it up with little difficulty. "Well, I’m glad I could help.” His smile was forced and still hiding some fear, but he had done well, that was the important part.

****

“You have indeed helped, dear Roman.” Salem tilted her head in curiosity.

****

“Well, I’ll just set this info down right here and you can-”

****

“I would like you to relate it to me.”

****

“Peru- uh… w-what?” The orange-haired man stuttered, his eyes going wide.

****

“I said, I would like you to relate this information to me personally.” Salem repeated. “You did  gather it for me, after all, I think it is only fair.”

****

“Um, r-right then.” The man’s voice had jumped an octave, and indicator of fear. Oh dear.

****

“Will that be an issue for you, _Mister Torchwick_?” Salem allowed a small amount of her eternally-unquenchable anger to leak into her tone. Judging by the way the thief’s face drained of colour, he clearly picked up on it.

****

“N-n-no! Not at all, it’s not a problem at all, I can do that right now!” He babbled nervously.

****

“Well? I am waiting.” The Grimm Queen steepled her hands in front of her body on the meeting table, her crimson orbs gazing expectantly forward, waiting for her newest servant to begin.

****

“Okay… let’s see, where to start?” Roman muttered, shuffling through the papers in his hands. “Alright then… personal information.”

****

“Right then. Jaune Arc. Age 17. Currently studying to be a Hunter and attending Beacon Academy.” The man began. “He’s got uh… wow, that’s a hellava lot of kids.”

****

“Explain.” The Grimm Queen commanded.

****

“Well, he comes from a pretty big family, according to this the kid’s got seven sisters. Well, step-sisters. His dad remarried into the Arc family after his first wife and her first husband passed away, they’ve been married for about 14 years now.” Roman continued, shuffling some of the papers around.

****

“And his attendance at Ozpin’s Academy?” Salem asked, unable to keep a slight snarl from her voice at the mention of that hated man.

****

“Well- oh wow, wow… the kid’s got some stones.” Roman actually sniggered at the information he was currently reading, which simply caused the corrupted woman to quirk an eyebrow once again.

****

“Is there something you find humorous, dear Roman?”

****

“Sorry, it’s just… the kid’s not even supposed to BE at Beacon, if this info is right.”

****

“Oh?” Now this sounded interesting.

****

“Well, it’s the kid’s transcripts, the documents he used to get in there.”

****

“”Is there an issue with them?”

****

“They’re fake.” Roman said, bluntly. “They’re forgeries. The kid cheated his way in.”

****

“Truly?” Salem lowered looked down at the table, tapping her fingers together as she considered the information she’d been given. “... thank you, dear Roman. I have much to think about, you may leave now.”

****

“S-seriously?” The relief in his voice was palpable, but Salem ignored it. “I mean, there’s lots more in here-”

****

“I will review it at my leisure, you may go.” The dark Queen said.

****

The thief made his way to the door as fast as he could while trying not to run or look too eager to leave, Salem thought it was rather cute.

****

Or she would’ve done, were the woman at all focused on Roman at that point, or indeed focused on the present at all for that matter.

****

Instead that last little tidbit of information, that the Arc boy had faked his way into Beacon, had struck a chord within the Dark Queen, unearthing a memory she had long thought forgotten.

****

The image of a young man with tanned skin and brown hair, clad in armor and wielding a staff, swam into her mind’s eye. In the memory, he was seated on the floor, near the campfire they’d set up near a forest. But the location hardly mattered, not when the words filtered into her mind as well.

****

“ _I said I’m a fraud!”_ The young man had finished yelling.

****

_“But, what do you mean, Ozma?”_ Salem heard her own voice ask. _“Of course you aren't a fraud! You saved me from that tower, and how can you be a fraud if all I hear in ever village we’ve visited are more tales of your good deeds?!”_

****

_“Because I lied, alright?!”_ He had shouted back. _“When I was accepted into the mages school… I lied to them. I lied about my age, and about my qualifications. I didn’t have a letter of recommendation from my family, either!”_

****

_“I… I don’t understand.”_ She had replied. 

****

_“I was 16 when I applied, not 18 as I said. I knew that my family would never support my learning magic for combat, they didn’t believe I could make it out in the world, so… I stole some of our savings and found a forger, he produced the documents I needed to get accepted. I was always tall for my age, so no one questioned my appearance.”_

****

_“But why lie…? Did you really need to be accepted so urgently, why not wait until you were of age?”_ Her younger self's voice asked.

****

_“Because… I couldn’t stay at that house for one more moment.”_ Ozma had replied. “ _Family are supposed to believe in you, and support you… aren’t they? Well, mine did nothing of the sort. My mother believed the path of an adventurer was too dangerous for me, and my father insisted that it wouldn’t be profitable. That was all that mattered to him, profit and coin.”_ Ozma had snorted.

****

_“Well… my father wasn’t much better, as I’m sure you know by know.”_ She had said, it was partly an attempt cheer Ozma up, but it was also an accurate summation of her early life. At least Ozma’s father, no matter how miserly and unsupportive he had been, had not imprisoned his own son in a misguided attempt to ‘protect’ him from the outside world.

****

_“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-”_

****

_“It’s alright, that’s the past now.”_ She had assured him.

****

_“Well, I suppose we’ve both proven our parents wrong, haven’t we? I just… I just wish they’d had more faith in my abilities.”_ Ozma had lamented one last time.

****

Salem’s memory-self reached across to place her hand on her companion’s shoulder. “ _Well, just know that they may not have believed in you, but I do, I’ll always believe in you. You might think that you’re a fraud… but you’re a hero to me.”_

****

_“Thank you… that means a lot to me.”_

****

With that, the memory ended and Salem found herself back in her inner sanctum, once more alone. She swallowed and blinked, trying to steady herself.

****

She might not have intended to draw parallels, but now she couldn’t stop thinking about it.

****

Did the Arc boy’s reasoning for lying parallel Ozma’s? Was the boy’s desire to be a hero, a protector, not supported by his family, both adoptive and blood-related?

****

Salem found her hands curling into fists at that thought. If that was the case, it was a disgrace, all families should support the dreams and ambitions of their children. How those parents and siblings of his could justify sidelining him and denying the boy his dreams was beyond her.

****

From what little she’d observed of him via her Seers, the Grimm Queen could tell that the Arc boy had talent. He was rather gifted in terms of strategy, given that he had been able to draw Cinder into a trap and had assisted in reviving the Fall Maiden. His willingness to face down her former servant, even backed by half the Maiden’s power, proved he had the courage of a true hero. 

****

In all her centuries, the only man she had seen possess a similar level of courage and selfless determination was Ozma himself. That spoke volumes as to his heart.

****

Well, one thing was for sure, there was far more to Jaune Arc than first met the eye.


	64. A Change of Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaune learns that he's amassed some unexpected popularity for his actions in the previous weeks, while his latest interview with Cinder reveals some shocking new information.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After being closed for several weeks for repairs and renovations, Amity Arena was finally reopened. Thanks to Cinder Fall being imprisoned, and the Vale police cracking down on the White Fang’s operations, the Vale Council had decided that it was safe to begin the Vytal Festival once more.

****

Of course, the tournament would need to be restarted from scratch, since team CEMN would no longer be participating (what with their whole roster being  criminals and all). None of the students seemed to mind, all of them eager to show off their skills once more.

****

Needless to say, there was one girl whose excitement was a cut above the rest.

****

“So, are you guys ready to crush our enemies and drive them before us, while we take victory over the lamentations of their classmates!?”

****

“Nora…”

****

“What!? Come on Renny, we’re gonna be tournament fighting, we need to show how good we are!”

****

“That doesn’t mean ‘crushing our enemies’ Nora, it simply means that we deplete their Auras, that’s all.” Lian gently reminded her.

****

“I KNOW that Ren, but why can’t you live a little!” The orange-haired hammer wielder pouted and flung her arms up in frustration.

****

“The last I took your suggestion to ‘live a little’ I ended up with syrup in my hair, it took at least two hours to wash it all out.” Lian actually grumbled, allowing some rare emotion to seep into her voice as her magenta orbs narrowed at the smaller girl. “That was not a pleasant experience for me.”

****

“Sorry Renny.” Nora apologised sheepishly.

****

“Apology accepted, but it was rather annoying straightening out my hair again.” The lotus ninja said.

****

“You know, if that ever happens again, I could brush your hair for you.” JNPR’s leader interjected. “I used to do it for my sisters all the time and they all liked it, so I like to think I know what I’m doing.”

****

“Oh…” The ninja was rather surprised at her lea- at her  _ boyfriend _ ’s (that still felt nice to say) offer. “Thank you Jaune, I’ll certainly take you up on that.”

****

“You’ll brush my hair too, right Jaune-Jaune!?” Nora bounced up to the blonde knight, a pout on her face and her teal eyes wide and pleading. “You can’t just brush Renny’s hair and not brush my hair too!”

****

“Sure thing Nora, I’ll brush your hair too if you want.” The girl’s little grin was cute enough that Jaune reached out to ruffle her orange locks. Nora just giggled cutely and rubbed her head into his hand like a pleased cat, even letting a surprisingly convincing purr.

****

“Thanks Jauney, you’re the bestest leader ever.” She mumbled into his hand.

****

“Heh, I try.” He admitted, only for Ren and Pyrrha to ensnare him from behind, pressing their faces against his own.

****

“Well, we all think you’ve been doing a wonderful job so far, Jaune.” The champion cooed, as the three girls squeezed their leader and boyfriend into a tight and warm hug. For a while, team JNPR stayed that way, the team’s sole male enjoying the affection he was receiving from his three loving girlfriends. 

****

“Erm, Jaune?” Pyrrha spoke up softly.

****

“Yeah Pyr?”

****

“Well, would you mind… brushing my hair as well? I-It’s only fair, after al-eep!” The spartan was cut off by her partner’s hand on her cheek, an adorable squeak coming from the girl’s mouth in the process. Jaune just smiled indulgently at her.

****

“You just had to ask Pyr, I’d be happy to brush your hair if you want.”

****

“YES!” She cried out, before blushed and whispering out an embarrassed “Um, I mean, yes.” Her teammates just laughed softly at the redhead’s cute antics, with Nora playfully slapping Pyrrha on the back and Ren allowing a smile onto her face.

****

“Wow, P-Money, you’re pretty eager for some action with Ladykiller. Can’t say I blame you though…” Another slightly amorous voice spoke up, as another pair of arms snaked around Jaune’s neck. Turning his head, Jaune’s azure eyes locked with the lilac orbs of Yang Xiao-Long, a grin on the brawler’s face.

****

“Hey, Yang.” Jaune greeted, returning her grin. “You excited for the Tournament to start back up?”

****

“You kidding, Lover Boy?” She jeered, releasing the knight and cracking her knuckles. “I’m stoked! I’ve been needing a good outlet for punching.”

****

“Good to know you have your priorities straight, Yang.” Blake deadpanned, making Jaune jump in surprise as he noticed her arrival. Blake shot the knight a smirk, and tilted her head playfully. “What about you, Jaune? Excited to get back into the fight?”   


Before Jaune could answer, a blur of red and white slammed into him, knocking him to the ground. Looking up with his head spinning, Jaune could see the dual forms of Ruby Rose and Weiss Schnee lying on top of him, both girls rubbing their heads and groaning in pain.

****

“Ugh.. you two sure know how to make an entrance.” He commented dryly, causing both girls to look up and realise who it was they’d knocked down. Both silver and blue eyes widened in unison when they recognised their dorky blonde boyfriend.

****

“Oh, hey Jaune! Sorry for knocking you over, but we were running really late.” Ruby explained. “Weiss was using her Glyphs and I was using my Semblance to try and get here on time, but I guess we went a bit too fast.”

****

“Ugh, you THINK?!” Weiss groaned, rubbing at her head as she sat up. “I told you this was a bad idea, Ruby!”

****

“Hey, you agreed to it, Weiss!” The younger girl rounded on her partner indignantly. “Besides, we’re here now, aren’t we! Jaune’s fine and we’re on time, so stop worrying!”

****

“Ugh… fine!” The heiress sighed. “Well we’d better not waste any time then! The first round will be starting soon!” With that, both girls pushed themselves up to a stand before reaching down to give the fallen knight a hand, then hauling him to his feet.

****

“Ugh… thanks, girls.” The boy mumbled, rubbing his head and letting out a short breath. “Well, guess we’d better get inside, huh?”

****

The girls nodded, all of them following groups of people beginning to make their way into the stadium. Ruby and Weiss both moved to Jaune’s sides, capturing one of his arms to hug against their bodies. Not to be outdone, Yang, Pyrrha, Ren and Blake all fell into step behind him, just close enough that they could be near him. Finally, Nora skipped along right in front of her fearless leader, occasionally letting her orange locks brush and rub against the boy’s chin.

****

_ “Heh, seems like you have quite the entourage.”  _ Summer quipped _. _ Despite the obvious tease, Jaune couldn’t help but agree. This was quite the group.

****

A few minutes later, the eight were in their assigned seats, and were waiting for the first teams to be announced. As the rest of the girls chatted amongst themselves, Jaune drummed his fingers on his seat idly. Suddenly, his stomach let out a harsh grumble, reminding him he forgot to eat breakfast.

****

“Damn, I knew I was forgetting something!” He muttered, before standing and walking towards the exit of his section. He barely took ten steps before a new voice called behind him.

****

“WOAH, LOOK OUT!”

****

Jaune managed to turn around just as a black and green blur crashed into him. For the second time that day, Jaune found himself on the ground with a girl lying on top of him, only this time he didn’t recognise her.

****

“Ow...sorry about that, dude.” The girl groaned, sitting up and rubbing her forehead. “I wasn’t looking where I was goooooing…”

****

The girl trailed off as she met Jaune’s eyes, her cheeks lighting up as she realized who she was currently on top of.

****

“It’s fine, I get it.” Jaune said, offering a small smile to the green-haired girl. “Nice hoverboard, by the way.”

****

“Oh, um, thanks!” She cried out, cheeks still pink as she hopped up off of the knight. “Heh, glad you like it.” She offered Jaune a hand to help him stand up again, with her face reddening a little further as she felt just how strong and calloused the boy’s hands were. “Hey uh, do you mind-?”

****

“Oh sorry, yeah! Here we go!” Jaune handed the girl her board back. She gave it a critical once-over, humming happily when she saw it was undamaged. “So, I’m Jaune. What’s your name?”

****

“Hah, the name’s Reese! Reese Choloris!” The mint-haired girl replied. “And uh, I kinda already know who you are.”

****

“You do?” Jaune asked, quirking an eyebrow. “How?”

****

“Well, most teams have heard of you.” She explained, shooting him a grin. “You’re  _ kinda  _ famous.”

****

Jaune was baffled at the very notion of being famous, chuckling while rubbing his neck.

****

“I’m sure you’re over exaggerating a bit.”

****

To his surprise, Reese glared at him before throwing up her arms. “Dude! You’ve fought Roman Torchwick, the White Fang, dozens of Grimm, including a Titan-class! Face it, you’re a badass.”

****

“...ok, so I’ve done  _ some  _ cool stuff.” Jaune admitted, blushing a bit from the compliments. 

****

Reese’s retort was cut off by a shout from nearby, the pair turning to see another girl walking towards them.

****

“There you are! Reese, why must you always-“ The girl started, before noticing Jaune and smiling. “Oh, hello. Thank you for taking care of my teammate.”

****

“No problem!” Jaune responded, offering his hand to the girl. “Jaune Arc.”

****

“Arslan Altan.” She greeted, before taking his hand, blushing slightly. “I already know who you are.”

****

“Boom, told ya you were famous!” Reese cheered, reviving a chuckle from the knight in question.

****

“Maybe, but I still think you’re exaggerating.”

****

A sudden ding from Jaune’s scroll drew his attention, followed by a thin groan.

****

“What’s wrong?” Arslan asked, tilting her head curiously. Jaune pocketed his phone, before shrugging his shoulders loosely.

****

“Nothing, I just have to go interrogate a terrorist for the Headmaster.”

****

A beat of silence passed between the three before Jaune jolted in realization. “I probably shouldn’t have said that.”

****

“So cool~.” Reese hummed in response, her eyes practically shining as she gazed at him, ignoring her partner’s eye roll.

****

“Well, we won’t hold you up any longer.” She said warmly, taking her dazed partner’s hand and dragging her in the other direction. “Best of luck with your interrogation!”

****

Jaune couldn’t help but laugh as he tired and started towards the exit. Hopefully, the first round of the Tournament was quick.

\------------

Line Break

\-------------   
Coco tilted her shades down as she scanned the members of Team SSSN, their opponents for the first match of the Vytal Tournament. The four boys were currently looking around the stadium, likely searching for friends or just taking in their surroundings. Taking it all in, Coco noticed two things.

****

First, their fashion sense was fairly on point. Second, and more importantly, they were relaxed. Unsuspecting. Just what she needed.   
  
“And now, with both teams on the field, it is time for the Vytal Tournament to BEGIN...AGAIN!” Peter Port announced, followed by a roar of cheers and applause before the boisterous man continued. “Begin in 3...2...1!”   
  
Just like that, the arena erupted in action. Coco activated Gianduja and unleashed a volley of rounds towards the all male team, who hurriedly separated and ran for cover amongst the two large boulders on their side of the stadium. 

****

The current layout of the arena contained five boulders, two medium sized rocks on each side, followed by a large one in the center. No water traps, nor other terrain attributes that could deter proper performance. Coco vaguely recalled a rumor that part of the renovations to the stadium was due to the 30-foot deep water trap that near killed that Sustrai girl.   
  
Snapping out of her thoughts, Coco followed Velvet as she also ran for cover, while Fox and Yatsuhashi went the other direction. She glanced over to her teammates after they were in position, before turning to her partner with a smile.   
  
“Any ideas, Velv? I’m open to suggestions!” She asked, glancing around the edge of the rock to make sure that none of SSSN were moving up. To her surprise, a sharp gasp from her partner was followed by an excited nod.    
  
“I have an idea.”   
  
Velvet pulled out Anesidora, and selected one of the photos. A second later, a Hard-Light copy off Crocea Mors and it’s matching shield appeared in her hands. Coco’s lips quirked up once more as the rabbit faunus continued.   
  
“Yatsuhahi and I should go around the sides, while you and Fox go down the middle.” Velvet explained, returning the fashionista's smile as she spoke. “We surround them, and take it from there.”

****

“Heh, I knew you had it in ya, Bun!” Coco crowed, before turning to her other teammates. “Ok, boys! Here’s the plan!”   
  
Meanwhile, on the other side of the stadium, Sun and Neptune were attempting to formulate their own plan. 

****

“Ok, so Sage and I get to the high ground and provide support while you and Scarlet fight from the ground?” Neptune asked, cocking his head at his faunus friend in thought.   
  
“Yeah, dude!” Sun confirmed, smiling at his blue-haired friend. “It’s perfect!”   


“Um, is it?”

****

“Well...no, but I think we can pull it off!” Sun replied, before another voice called out.

****

“Um, chaps?” Scarlet yelled, fear audible in his voice. “I think they’re moving up!” 

****

The brit’s concerns were confirmed as dust rounds peppered the area around them, forcing the boys to move back. Sun gripped his staff tighter, and turned to Neptune expectantly. 

****

“Ok, new plan: Wing it. You ready?”

****

Neptune nodded, and hefted up Tri-Hard with a look of determination. The determination died a moment later as the hulking form of Yatsuhashi rounded the corner, followed by his claymore crashing into rock, inches away from Sun’s head.

****

“Ok, new plan again: RUN!” Sun shouted, darting under Yatsuhashi’s blade and making a beeline for the other rock, only for Fox to clothesline him halfway there, followed by three shots to the chest, taking Sun’s aura straight into the red. Neptune looked at the red-clad man, then his green-clad partner, and sighed.

****

“This is gonna hurt.”

****

Sage was thinking a similar thought as he sidestepped a slash from Velvet, who responded by bashing him with her shield, sending him sprawling. He barely regained his footing before a squawking Scarlet bumped into him, eyes wide with terror.

****

“RUN, RUN!” The redhead shrieked, causing Sage to look past him and see what terrified the boy to that degree. The sight of Coco Adel’s minigun being aimed straight at them was scary enough, but the glow at the end of the barrel expressed only one thing.

****

Coco Adel had just used her semblance.

****

Seconds later, a barrage of explosive shots rained down on the two boys, who’s aura dropped into the red within seconds. Both slumped to the ground, while Coco just whistled and admired her handy work.

****

A moment later, Neptune skidded back from behind his former position, letting out a pained groan before his aura dropped, and he was out.

****

“And just like that, our first round in the Vytal Tournament has ended. Your winner: Team CFVY!” Oobleck announced, followed by roars of applause and cheers. Coco’s team circled around her, all smiling at their triumph. 

****

“Nice work, guys!” Coco complimented, shooting Velvet a knowing smirk. “Specially you, Bun.”

****

For the first time, possibly ever, Velvet smirked right back and agreed.

****

“Damn right, I did.”

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

Checking his scroll and the message he received one last time before the lift doors opened, Jaune began making his way through the vault, following the familiar path towards Cinder’s cell.

****

Ozpin had asked him to come down for another interview today if he had time. Thanks to the Vytal Tournament being done early today, the knight had decided to heed the summons and check up on Cinder once more. Hopefully their last talk had helped her, she had said that she was looking forward to seeing him again… that was encouraging.

****

Walking into view of the cell’s security door, Jaune could see Winter, Daniel, Ironwood, Glynda and Ozpin standing in front of it and talking amongst themselves. As the knight drew closer, the two Specialists were the first to notice his presence.

****

“Hey, Jaune.” Daniel greeted casually.

****

“Thank you for taking the time, mr Arc.” Winter was rather more formal than her partner.

****

“Well, not like I had anything else to do today.” Jaune said honestly.

****

“Really?” A teasing little grin grew on the gunslinger’s face as he spoke now. “You sure you didn’t have anything else to do?”

****

“Um… pretty sure.” Jaune replied.

****

“How about any _ one _ else to d-ow!” He was cut off as Winter clipped him round the ear with an indignant huff and glare.

****

“I would appreciate it if you, as my partner, would stop making filthy jokes about your friend’s sexual escapades. Especially since one of his girlfriends happens to be  _ my younger sister _ !” The elder Schnee growled into Daniel’s ear.

****

Rather than involve himself in the duo’s argument/heated talk, Jaune wisely decided to move on and slipped past them, approaching the two headmasters and the deputy head. Glynda noticed him first and indicated his presence to the other two.

****

“Ah, thank you for agreeing to another interview mr Arc.” Ozpin began. “I do hope we haven’t interrupted anything else you planned on doing today.”

****

“Um, no. It’s fine, I didn’t have any other plans.” Jaune assured him. “So, what do you need from me this time?”

****

“The prisoner has been rather… silent lately.” Ironwood began explaining. “When she was questioned about this by Specialist Schnee, she simply told us that she was ‘considering a new perspective’.”

****

“And you want me to find out what that is?” Jaune guessed.

****

“If you would, yes.” The general continued.

****

“Well, we’ll be observing here if anything goes wrong.” Glynda assured the knight. “You can go on in now.”

****

Before Jaune could move forward, he heard a call of “Hey, Jaune!”

****

Turning, he saw Daniel approaching him, the gunslinger’s expression having shifted to one of concern.

****

“Hey, what’s up?” He asked his friend.

****

“Just… be careful in there, alright?” Daniel asked, placing a hand on the knight’s shoulder. “I know she’s been acting all docile recently, but I still don’t think she’s on the level.”

****

“Well, I don’t know about that… but I’ll still be careful.” Jaune assured him. Daniel released his shoulder, before returning to his partner to continue his conversation with her.

****

With that said, the knight moved past the adults and toward the security door, Headmaster Ozpin followed along to input the code and open the door. After Jaune moved past the door and into the cell proper, Ozpin closed the door behind him and retreated into the viewing room with Ironwood, Glynda and the Specialists.

****

In the cell itself, Jaune moved to take his seat opposite Cinder, who was once more staring at the table in front of her and seemed to be deep in thought. She didn’t seem to have noticed his presence, at least until he dragged the chair back slightly, causing a faint screeching sound that had the woman’s head snapping in surprise. Her expression softened slightly when she realised who it was.

****

“Ah, hello again Jaune.” She greeted with a surprisingly soft voice. “I was… hoping you would come back soon.”

****

“Really? Well, guess I shouldn’t be surprised , since you told me you’d be looking forward to another talk.” The knight replied. “Um… was there any reason for that?”

****

“Well, you treat me with more civility and courtesy than anyone else has since my imprisonment here, perhaps with more than I really deserve.” The red-dressed woman admitted, glancing down for a moment. “Also, I enjoy our talks. Without them, I’m simply left alone with my thoughts, which is not at all pleasant for me.”

****

Jaune quirked his eyebrow and tilted his head. “Huh… care to explain why?”

****

Cinder didn’t reply to that question, merely looking down once more. She began to twiddle her fingers and thumbs, biting her lower lip with a contemplative look on her face. Jaune waited for a minute, but it didn’t seem like she’d be responding on her own any time soon. He decided that he needed to speak up once more, if only to move things along.

****

“Cinder?” She raised her head to lock eyes with him. “Are you alright?”

****

“I- no. No. I have recently come to a… rather uncomfortable conclusion regarding my past actions.” The raven-haired beauty admitted.

****

“Oh?” The knight raised an eyebrow, genuinely curious now. “So, what do you think about what you’ve done?”

****

Whatever answer he was expecting, it was clearly not the one he got.

****

“That it was wrong. That… that I was wrong.” Cinder admitted quietly.

****

“R-r-really?” Jaune stuttered out in surprise. “Uh… okay. H-how did you realise that?”

****

“It wasn’t very difficult.” Cinder replied. “Look at where I am, look at what’s become of me. All of my efforts, all of my labours… what have they done for me? Nothing.” Jaune simply stared in rather stunned silence, so she continued. “I was… deluded. My belief that I was some noble harbinger of a new age was nothing but a delusion I used to justify my cruelty… to justify flaunting my strength in front of those weaker than me. After everything I’ve done to try and exercise some control in my life, I end up losing everything.

****

“And finally… I’ve not been happy, Jaune. I have never been happy. Not during my childhood, not in my teenage years, not during my early adult years… and certainly not now.” She finished, looking down once more, her expression twisting into one of sadness and regret. Before Jaune could get over his shock and try to respond, Cinder had started talking again.

****

“It is a strange thing indeed, to realise that you’ve been wasting your life on a pointless journey, to realise that nothing you’ve accomplished meant anything, and that you’ve been fighting for the wrong cause this whole time.

****

“Truthfully, I am rather envious… envious of you. Of how fulfilled and content with your life you are, of how much control you have over your life compared to me.” The woman’s amber eyes met Jaune’s azures. “You might not be the strongest or the most intelligent, but whatever challenge comes your way, you meet it head on with courage and determination. You constantly aspire to improve and better yourself, from my view you have a strength all your own… the inner strength of character to fight for your ideals, even against opposition that far outclasses you.

****

“Were I given a second chance to start over, I would pursue a quieter life. No magic. No maidens. No ‘destiny’ of any kind. Just a quiet and simple life, with all the struggles that entails. After all, what better show of strength is there than being the master of own life and carving out a stable existence for yourself?” Cinder’s small yet hopeful smile then collapsed into a melancholic frown. “Though that seems to be nothing more than a delusion now, I will likely never leave this cell for the things I’ve done, if that is my punishment, then I have no choice but to accept it.”

****

Jaune just sat there for the next few minutes, his mouth frozen in a gape, still trying to process this rather sharp turn in stance Cinder had taken on her past actions. Sure, her reasons were fairly sound, but the fact that she’d just…  _ decided _ on all this while he was away was still jarring for him to process all at once.

****

“Jaune?” He looked up to see Cinder staring at him, this time it was her expression showing concern, her eyebrows knitting together. “Are you alright?”

****

“Uh… yeah.” Jaune managed to reply. “Just… this is a lot for me to process all at once. I mean, when you’ve spent weeks before now boasting about how strong you are and how you’d make me suffer and get the power that’s ‘rightfully yours’, you can’t blame me for being a bit surprised when you suddenly turn around and say you were wrong about all that.”

****

“Yes, I can understand that.” Cinder admitted. “It was not the easiest of conclusions for me to come to, but here I am.”

****

“I can imagine. Well, I can’t really. But this is still a good thing, right? The fact that you regret your past actions means that you’re changing, that you’re becoming a better person now.” He smiled encouragingly at the raven-haired woman in front of him, who offered a sad smile in response.

****

“I’d like to think that, Jaune. I truly would, but the kind of person I was- I  _ am _ , that doesn’t just go away with a split decision. I doubt I’ll ever change the way you think. This is simply a fleeting and finite moment of clarity, give me a few more days and I imagine I will be back to deluding myself once more.” Cinder insisted, sounding resigned to the fact already.

****

Jaune just frowned at her pessimism. He felt like he could do something to cheer her up. But what could he do?

****

Well, maybe there was something…

****

“Hey.” Amber eyes flicked upward to meet the teen’s own. “Want to hear a joke?”

****

Confused reigned in those eyes now. “I… I fail to see the relevance, but alright.”

****

“Alright, so I realised something the other day.” Jaune began.

****

“And, what was that?” Cinder quirked an eyebrow.

****

“That Torchwick, Marcie, Emerald and you all put a certain special something in your evil deeds.”

****

“Oh?” She sounded interested, that was good.

****

“Well, Roman puts the ‘fun’ in ‘funeral’. Marcie puts the ‘laughter’ in ‘slaughter’. Emerald puts the ‘cute’ in ‘execute’, and you?”

****

Cinder leaned forward now. “What about me?” She nearly whispered.

****

“You put the arrow in me.” Jaune finished with a small grin.

****

For a moment, silence. Then…

****

_ Snrk. _

****

Cinder might have ducked her head and covered her mouth, but Jaune could still hear her choked laughter.

****

“So, I take it you enjoy-”

****

“Pffftt!!” She couldn’t hold it in anymore. “Hahaha! W-where did you get that from!?” She asked through her soft laughs.

****

“I just made it up on the spot.” Jaune admitted.

****

“I-I wouldn’t have expected something like that from you.” Cinder replied as her laughter died down. “Well… thank you, Jaune. I needed that, I think.”

****

As the pair continued to laugh and smile at each other, the observation room beside the cell was a hive of activity. The three teachers were talking amongst themselves, while an irate Daniel was busy venting his worries to his partner and girlfriend.

****

“I don’t trust her.” The man snarled. “This-this little ‘epiphany’ of hers… it’s crap, it’s obviously crap.”

****

“Daniel.” Winter sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “I thought we’d moved past this.”

****

“No.” He replied curtly. “She’s just fucking with him, I’ll never trust her, Winter. I’ve not trusted her since she woke up in that cell, I didn’t trust her after her breakdown and I don’t trust her now.”

****

“But don’t you trust  _ Jaune _ ?” Winter asked. “Even if you can’t trust the prisoner, will you at least trust your friend?”

****

“I… that’s part of the problem, Winter.” Daniel admitted, which stunned his partner. “Jaune… he’s always been quick to trust others, eager to see the best in people. It’s what made him so popular in our home village, and it’s probably why your sister and all those other girls like him so much.”

****

“Then why are you speaking as if this trait is some handicap?” Winter asked, her icy eyes narrowing curiously.

****

“Because in this case, it is. Like I said, Jaune’s always quick to see the best in people… even when it isn’t there.” Daniel explained. “I’m worried that she’s just taking advantage of his trusting nature, that she’s just spinning him a sob story to convince him to vouch for her.”

****

“If she is, then we will keep an extra careful eye on her, is that acceptable?” Winter soothed, taking one of her partner’s hands in her own and laying the other onto his shoulder.

****

“Yeah, that sounds good.” The gunslinger agreed.

****

While the Specialists continued to talk, Ozpin, Glynda and Ironwood were having their own conversation about Cinder’s future.

****

“Well, this is certainly an interesting development.” Beacon’s headmaster admitted, scratching at his chin with one hand, his cane in the other. “Remorse is not something I expected from her, I must admit. It seems mr Arc’s interviews and talks with her have been helping more than we thought.”

****

“It is rather strange, especially considering he awakened some past trauma and drove her to a complete breakdown a few interviews ago. I’d have never considered that mr Arc would be able to get through to her, especially enough for her to reconsider her worldview like this.” Ironwood agreed.

****

“This certainly changes things…” Ozpin continued.

****

“No matter what it changes, trusting her out of that cell unsupervised would be a very bad idea.” Glynda insisted, the combat instructor levelling a glare through the viewing window at the raven haired woman. “If indeed we let her out at all.”

****

“I don’t have any problem keeping her detained indefinitely.” Ironwood said. “She’s a dangerous criminal who has attacked Hunters and Atlas military personnel, we have all the evidence we need to-” He was cut off by a chiming noise from his personal scroll, causing everyone, even Winter and Daniel, to glance in his direction.  The general looked rather irritated at the interruption, but still pressed the scroll to his ear and answered.

****

“General Ironwood speaking, what is the reason for-” He started, only for his eyes to widen when he heard who was on the other end. “Willow, what a pleasant surprise.” The man continued, causing Glynda and Ozpin to raise their eyebrows, Daniel to suck in a breath and Winter to gape in confusion.

****

“Well, as pleasant as it is for you to call me, I’m afraid I am rather busy right now. Would it be alright if I call back later?”

****

“Actually James.” Ozpin interrupted, stepping forward. “I think everything is in good hands here, feel free to continue your call with miss Schnee outside if you like.”

****

“Yes, we will fill you in when you return.” Glynda assured him.. “Well, hurry along now general, you don’t want to keep miss Schnee waiting do you?”

****

Glancing between his peers, who were both sporting small smiles now, Ironwood could see that he didn’t really have a choice. Sighing, he placed the scroll to his ear again.

****

“Actually Willow, I suppose I can spare a few minutes to talk, just let me find somewhere quiet.” With that, the man strode out of the room, everyone watching him go.

****

It was Daniel who recovered first, his earlier hostility against Cinder now sidelined as an irresistible opportunity to tease his partner presented itself. Leaning over to the still-stunned Ice Queen, the gunslinger began to whisper in her ear.

****

“Wow, I bet you never imagined that your mum and your superior officer would be gossiping about you behind your back.”

****

“Daniel!” Winter hissed back. “I assure you, my mother and general Ironwood both have  _ far  _ better things to do that to…  _ gossip _ about me, especially behind my back!” The woman huffed and folded her arms.

****

“Yeah, you’re probably right…” Daniel admitted, causing Winter to relax a little.

****

At least, until he continued.

****

“... it’s probably just a booty call.”

****

“WHAT!?” His snow-haired partner screeched, her sheer volume causing both Ozpin and Glynda to wince. “H-how DARE you assume something so… so  _ vulgar _ , so FILTHY and CRASS about not just our superior officer, but my MOTHER as well! Have you no decency, Wilson!? Is your mind permanently in the gutter or something!? I can’t believe-” Noticing his wide grin brought her ranting to a sharp halt, causing a deep sigh to issue forth instead as her palm met her face.

****

“You were riling me up on purpose, weren’t you?”

****

“Guilty as charged, Snow Angel.” The gunslinger responded.

****

“You… you… you…” Winter repeated, stabbing a finger in his direction over and over again. “I cannot believe you.” She huffed, only for Daniel to draw her in for a hug.

****

“I know, but you still love me, right?”

****

Winter wrapped her arms softly around her partner, burrowing her head into his shoulder.

****

“Yes.” She mumbled. “You might be a childish dolt half the time, but you’re  _ my  _ childish dolt.”

****

That was the moment Ironwood chose to re-enter the room. He took one look at everyone in the room and levelled a questioning glance at Ozpin.

****

“Oh, you’ve not missed much, mr Arc and miss Fall seem to be conversing normally.” The enigmatic man assured his peer, who relaxed at that. At least, until Ozpin spoke up again. “So, dare I ask what that unexpected call was about?”

****

Winter and Daniel perked up as well, both wanting to know why the Schnee matriarch was calling their superior officer so suddenly.

****

“Well, Willow was simply asking whether or not I had any ideas about how she could repay me for the help I’ve given her.” The general explained. “I told that I hadn’t thought of anything yet, she was rather… disappointed.”

****

“Really?” Glynda raised an eyebrow herself, the combat instructor staring over her glasses. “Why was that?”

****

“Because ‘a Schnee always repays their debts’ according to Willow. She has insisted I let her repay the debt she feels she owes to me, even though I was simply helping out a friend.” Ironwood explained, before sighing and running a hand through his hair. “I’ll need to find  _ something  _ she can do as a favour to me, and soon.”

****

After a moment of consideration, Ozpin spoke up again.

****

“Perhaps I might have a solution.” Off Ironwood’s questioning look, he continued. “Well, since the Vale Council decided to re-open the Vytal festival, my fellow teachers and I decided to host the Beacon dance this semester, to give the students a chance to unwind from the inevitable stress that participation in the tournament will bring.”

****

“And how will this solve my problem?” Ironwood asked.

****

“Well, there is nothing stopping adults from attending alongside the students. And of course, it is encouraged for attendants to bring a date.” Ozpin explained, raising an eyebrow and smiling encouragingly at the general.

****

To his credit, the man quickly picked up on his old friend’s suggestion, and turned to leave the room while bringing out his scroll again. As the door closed behind him, they could just make out the beginning of his question.

****

“Hello Willow, it’s me again. I think I might finally have an idea for something you can do…”

****

Glynda, noticing the pleased smile on her boss’ face, leaned over and tapped him on the shoulder.

****

“What was that about, Ozpin?”

****

The old wizard simply smiled in reply, before opening his mouth.

****

“I have lived for millennia Glynda. In all of my lifetimes, all of my reincarnations and all of my occupations, I have seen countless close friends and compatible partners deny the opportunity to grow closer to one another. Whether it’s done out of fear, or ignorance, it is still a tragic loss in my eyes. I would rather not see James make the same mistake with miss Schnee, not if I have the opportunity to bring them closer together.”

****

“That is quite the selfless thing to do.” The combat instructor observed with a smile of her own.

****

“Whether we acknowledge it or not, Glynda, it is a dark world we live in. I will always do what I can to make it a little brighter.” The headmaster promised, before swallowing and taking a breath to fortify his resolve as he turned to look his second in the eyes.

****

“And, with that in mind… would you accompany me to the dance, Glynda?”

****

The combat instructor’s face flushed a little as she realised what Ozpin was getting at. It was… it was scandalous, wasn’t it? Two teachers dating or getting together like this!? What would the press think if they found out? What would their peers think? What would the  _ students _ think!?

****

…did she even  _ care _ what they thought?

****

No. As she thought about it further, she realised she didn’t.

****

With that thought firmly in her mind, Glynda met Ozpin’s surprisingly timid and hopeful gaze with one of her own.

****

“I would love to, Ozpin.”

****

It was at that moment that general Ironwood made his reappearance, he had a pleasant smile on his face and was even humming a little. This prompted some strange looks from Winter and Daniel, who didn’t think they’d ever seen Ironwood so chipper before.

****

“So uh, I take it you’ve got a date for the dance sir?” Daniel asked.

****

“Yes, Specialist Wilson. Yes I have.” The man responded calmly, striding right past them and approaching Ozpin and Glynda. “So, have I missed anything this ti-” His gaze shifted to the cell, which he noticed only had one person in it. “Oz? Where is mr Arc?”

****

His question was answered when the door opened once more, allowing the knight himself to walk in.

****

“Uh, hello sir.” Jaune greeted them. “Was that alright for today?”

****

“Yes, mr Arc. Thank you for your willingness to help.” Ozpin assured the blonde boy. “I think that will be all we need from you today.” As Jaune turned to leave, Ozpin began to speak again, which caused him to pause. “However, given miss Fall’s rather… drastic change of opinion, I must ask you, would you be willing to take on a new task? It will be risky, but I believe you are up to the task.”

****

The knight considered it for a few moments, then gave his answer.

****

“Just tell me what you need me to do, sir.”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


	65. The Dance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beacon has a dance, Amber gets her time with Jaune, and Tai finds himself in precarious position.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...hey everyone. Mega here.  
> Sorry that this one took so long to release, Jack and I just had some...setbacks.  
> We'll try to keep it closer together from now on.  
> Now, onto the show.

Jaune came to a halt as he reached his dorm, sighing and rubbing his neck anxiously. This was gonna be an...interesting chat, but it was one he needed to have. The girls needed to know about this, even if it wasn’t certain.

****

“ _ Jaune, I really don’t like this.”  _ Summer protested, the mindscape currently dark and cold with storm clouds rolling overhead.  _ “Normally I’d trust Oz, but this time…” _

****

_ I’ll admit, I’m nervous too.  _ Jaune confessed, before a determined look crossed his face.  _ But if this is what it takes to help Cinder, I’m game. _

****

_ “Alright...I’ll trust your judgment, Jaune.”  _ Summer answered, the clouds above her dissipating slightly.  _ “But if she tries  _ **_anything_ ** _ , I’m taking control.” _

****

_ OK, deal.  _ Jaune agreed, before taking a second breath and opening the door. To his surprise, all the girls were already gathered there, and turned to face him as he arrived.

****

“Oh, Jaune! We were about to call you!” Pyrrha greeted, smiling at her boyfriend excitedly. “Did you hear about the dance?”

****

Jaune momentarily set aside his prior thoughts and allowed a smile to slip onto his face as he recalled the announcement. With all the tension relating to the Tournament's closing, reopening, and heating back up, Beacon decided to offer a more peaceful outlet; a dance for all students to attend and enjoy themselves.   
  
“Yeah, I did.” He answered, “I’m guessing you wanting to call me has something to do with it?” He asked, a knowing smile appearing on his face.

****

Immediately, almost all of the girls either blushed or nodded enthusiastically. Coco, unsurprisingly, decided to make a crass comment.

****

“Or, maybe we just wanted a booty call, stud? You ever think of that? You’ve got a VERY spankable ass in those jeans.” Off the sighs and eye-rolls she got in response, Coco is placed her hands on her hips and huffed. “Oh come on, prudes, I can’t be the only one thinking about wanting to rip those jeans off with my- OW!”

****

She was cut off by a clip around the ear from an exasperated Velvet, who did it without looking away from Jaune. “Apologies for my team leader… being herself.” She stated simply, offering an apologetic smile, but Jaune just chuckled and waved it off.

****

“It’s fine, I’m used to it by now, Vel. But thanks anyway.” He reached over to pat her on the head, which had Velvet fighting the instinct to lean into his hand and whimper happily. “Regardless, I would be more than happy to take you all to this dance...if you’re interested, that is.”

****

Despite the fact that he was  _ literally dating  _ them, Jaune couldn’t help but feel a twinge of uncertainty while asking the girls out. His past experiences with dances hadn’t gone particularly well, namely his old high-school’s dance which ended with him and Daniel getting semi-tipsy on spiked punch in the corner of the school gymnasium while the rest of his classmates had fun. Not exactly the night he had pictured.

  
These memories simmered away a moment later, as Ruby Rose practically tackle-hugged him, squealing happily as she did so.

****

“Of course we’re interested!” She insisted, beaming up at him. Jaune returned the smile, before a second set of arms looped around his waist, belonging to Pyrrha, who rested her head on his shoulder.

****

“Nothing would make us happier, Jaune.” She added, offering her own soft smile to the knight. Any doubts in Jaune’s mind disappeared right then, and he allowed himself to relax in his friend’s arms. The added support of the rest of the girls only helped his feel better.

****

“Hell yeah, can’t wait to see what moves you got out on the dance floor, Lover Boy!” Yang jeered, shooting Jaune a playful wink.

****

“I’ll admit, I’m curious myself.” Weiss confessed, followed by a nod from Ren.

****

“I bet fearless leader can dance up a storm!” Nora cheered, visibly vibrating from excitement.

****

“I don’t doubt it, with all the other “moves” he has.” Marcie snarked, resulting in Neo nodding in agreement while Emerald admonished her partner’s use of innuendo. 

****

Jaune couldn’t help but smile to himself. He really did have the best friends anyone could ask for. Considering how happy they were right now...maybe his news about Cinder could wait. Just for a bit longer…

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

Jaune straightened his tie for what felt like the hundredth time that evening, and gazed into the mirror before him with a nervous smile on his face. He was excited for the evening before him, but couldn’t help but feel a bit anxious.

****

“ _ Jaune, you have nothing to worry about!”  _ Summer said, trying her best to ease the boy’s nerves. “ _ You look great, and the girls couldn’t be more excited. Just go out, and enjoy yourself tonight.” _

****

_ Yeah, you’re right.  _ He replied, trying to focus on her words of encouragement.  _ We’ve all earned this, I should just stop worrying and get out there and enjoy myself. _

****

_ “See, there’s the spirit!”  _ Summer assured him.

****

With this thought and the mother’s encouragement in mind, the blonde knight straightened his bow tie and began to make his way to the ballroom. He’d been told the girls would be waiting outside for him.

****

 Even with his new attempt to steady his mind and calm his nerves, Jaune couldn’t help his nerves returning as he made his way toward the converted ballroom. He’d likely have to dance with all the girls at some point, or else he’d feel like he wasn’t treating them all equally. Hopefully they’d all have some previous experience with dancing, but if not… well, he’d just have to teach them on the fly.

****

Still, he hoped that he’d be able to give all his girls an enjoyable night, no matter how long it took him to do it. They were more than worth the effort, after all.

****

It didn’t take him too long to reach the ballroom from his dorm room, the knight took a fortifying breath and straightened out his hair and suit, before stepping inside the dance hall.

****

*Whistle* “Looking good, Lover Boy!” Came Yang’s boisterous holler, almost as soon as he’d stepped through the door, no less. Well, that wasn’t exactly surprising.

****

“Looking fuckable more like!” Marceline called out, not even a second afterward. “I mean DAMN! Have you  _ seen _ his legs in that suit!? God, I’d love to have them wrapped around my head as I-ah!” The girl's increasingly lewd comments were cut off with a slapping sound.

****

“Stop it Marc, or we’ll make sure you don’t get to dance with him.” Came her partner’s voice, exasperation tinging her tone. “Can’t you just say he looks good and leave it at that?”

****

“That’s no fun.” Came the voice of her fellow ‘bad girl’, Neo. “Come on, wouldn’t you just want to lick him all up, like a long and  _ thick _ lolly?” There came the sound of licking lips right after that, followed by a groan from the former thief.

****

At this point, Jaune finally laid eyes on all his girlfriends.

****

And his jaw fell open.

****

All of them had managed to find dresses in their colours. The trio’s were reasonably simple, Marcie’s being gray and black in stripes, Emerald’s being a uniform green, while Neo’s was triple-coloured to coordinate with her namesake ice cream. They were at least strapped, though Jaune couldn’t help but notice they looked a little snug around the chest area.

****

Noticing his wandering gaze, Emerald blushed a little, Neo winked and posed cutely, while Marcie just stretched, unashamedly giving him a full view of her bountiful cleavage. Off her mint-haired partner’s huff of irritation, she just suck her tongue out and said. “What? It’s nothing he’s not seen before when we were doing it in the shower.”

****

Fortunately, the girls’ ensuing argument was drowned out as another few arms looped around Jaune to pull him over. “Come on Jaune-Jaune! How do we all look?” Came Nora’s voice right in his ear. Months ago, he might have jumped and flinched at her volume, but now he just smiled at his teammate’s usual antics.

****

Finally getting a good look at both his team and RWBY, Jaune’s jaw dropped again.

****

“So, what do you think, lovely leader?” Nora asked, voice unusually soft as she released his arm, bounding over to stand beside Ren and Pyrrha. The former was wearing a simple green dress, the latter was dressed similarly, though in red with a gold sash, her circlet still in place. Nora herself was wearing a frilly pink dress, complete with a bow at the back and a fluffy skirt. Much like the trio, his teammates’ dresses seemed to accent their chests very well indeed, such that Jaune had trouble keeping his eyes where they should be.

****

“So, how do we look Jaune?” Lian joined her partner’s question with one of her own, the lotus ninja had both hands behind her back, some of her long and soft locks falling over one eye. In Jaune’s opinion, it made her look surprisingly cute. “Do we look alright?”

****

“You look beautiful, really beautiful.” He answered honestly, causing blushes on all three of them. Nora’s was the lightest, Pyrrha was the next, while Ren’s was the heaviest, which was quite surprising.

****

“Oh… thank you, I-I just picked this out last minute.” The slim girl whispered.

****

“No you didn’t, Renny!” Nora interrupted. “You spent hours trying to find a dress for the dance, remember?” Ignoring her partner’s panicked look, the pink bomber ploughed on. “You said you wanted a dress that would, as you said, ‘knock fearless leader dead’!”

****

“Nora!” Lian hissed, now looking rather hurt. “I didn’t want him to know that!”

****

“Sorry, Renny.” Nora had the decency to look apologetic.

****

“Hey.” Jaune approached to put a hand on Ren’s shoulder. “I think that just shows you care, and you still look lovely regardless.” He assured his teammate, squeezing her shoulder.

****

“Thank you Jaune.” She whispered happily.

****

“Yeah, you all look lovely, you really do.” The knight insisted to all three.

****

“Thank you Jaune, we really worked hard to find dresses you’d like.” Pyrrha said, only for Nora to cut in with “because she wanted to seduce you tonight, lovely leader! We all did!” This caused the spartan to ‘eep!’ with her face turning pink as she squeaked out “Nora!”

****

Jaune just laughed. “Well, I guess I must be doing something right  then, if you want to seduce me tonight.” He leaned forward to plant kisses onto their cheeks. “Well, suppose I should be on guard then, hmm?”

****

“You bet, Jauney.” For the second time that day, Yang’s voice came flitting into his ear as the brawler’s arms wrapped around his neck, while her bosom pressed against his back. “You’re swimming with hungry sharks tonight, and if you’re not careful we’ll eat you all up.” A pair of lips pressed lightly against his ear as she finished talking, while her arms withdrew to let him turn around.

****

Finally getting a look at team RWBY, Jaune couldn’t help but smile at their dresses. Blake had gone for a dark blue dress that covered up both her front and back, while Yang had done the same with a yellow dress, though hers exposed her shoulder blades and upper back. Noticing his stare, the brawler winked at him.

****

“See something you like, ladykiller?”

****

“Actually, yeah I do.” He smirked back at her. “What about you? He posed a little in his tux, just for her.

****

“Heh, oh yeah… that’s what momma likes.” Yang licked her lips with shameless abandon.

****

“Take it off, Jauney!” Came Marcie’s excited yell, before Emerald began to chew her out again.

****

Ignoring the ex-assassin’s predictably crass comments, Jaune turned to inspect Ruby and Weiss. The younger Rose was wearing a lovely red dress, with a rose-themed hairpin in her styled hair, all in all she managed to pull it off quite well. The Schnee heiress, on the other hand, was wearing a similar dress, though in white, both covering them up nicely and not displaying anything too risque.

****

_ “Oooohh, don’t my girls just look lovely?”  _ Summer cooed happily.  _ “They both look so beautiful in those dresses, even if Yang’s is a little more… revealing than is really necessary.” _ There was a note of disapproval in the mother’s tone at the end.

****

_ Hey, don’t worry about it, at least you know the only person she’s trying to seduce with that dress is me. It’s not like she’ll be leaving with anyone you don’t approve of tonight, is it? _ The knight said.

****

_ “Well, I suppose you’re right there, but you make sure they get their dances, okay? And keep any of those other boys’ hands off them!” _ Summer insisted.

****

_ You got it. _

****

“So, how do we look, ladykiller?” Yang’s voice brought him back to the present, the lilac-eyed blonde grinning at him with a hand on her hip. Blake and Weiss both looked a little eager to hear what he thought, while Ruby was just grinning happily up at him.

****

“You look lovely, especially you two.” Jaune said, indicating Ruby and Yang. Leaning in and lowering his voice, he added. “Summer says you look really lovely… even if Yang’s dress is a tad ‘revealing’.”

****

“Hey, it’s not like anyone else is gonna get at the goods tonight, is it Lover Boy?” Yang asked. “But I’m glad that Mum likes our dresses.”

****

“Me too!” Ruby chirped, before wobbling a little, windmilling her arms to steady herself. “Wah! How does Weiss walk in these lady stilts!?”

****

“Practice.” The team’s ninja and heiress both replied in unison.

****

“Indeed, practice makes perfect, after all.” Came another, more mature and authoritative voice, once that had Weiss whipping around in surprise, with her boyfriend and team following not long after.

****

“Oh, Winter!” The younger Schnee exclaimed, quickly offering a curtsey to her elder, who simply waved her off.

****

“There is no need for that, Weiss. This is an informal social setting, after all.” Winter said, approaching the group with her partner’s arm looped around her own. The Specialist’s hair was free of its usual bun, instead flowing freely down her shoulders until it reached her waist. Her uniform was replaced with a gorgeous blue strapped dress that managed to hug her body in all the right places, such that Jaune had to force himself to keep his eyes level with her face.

****

“Hey, eyes off my girlfriend, you’ve got enough as it is.” Daniel cut in, the young man winking at his friend nonetheless. The gunslinger had ditched his own uniform for a grey-white tuxedo, complete with bowtie and slicked-back hair. “Well, at least you can actually dress to impress, when you wanna.”

****

“You look pretty nice yourself.” The knight and gunslinger both shook hands, laughing all the while. “You know, I never thought we’d end up here when we were kids.”

****

“Yeah, never thought I’d manage to melt the Snow Princess’ heart.” Daniel admitted. “I thought she’d be all stuck-up forever.”

****

“I was not  _ that _ bad, Daniel.” Winter huffed. “Besides, I’m much better now.”

****

“Indeed you are, and I’m very pleased about that dear.” Came a third, even more mature voice. “I’m happy that both of you have managed to find someone who makes you happy.” This caused Weiss, Winter and their boyfriends to turn toward the newcomer, four sets of eyes going rather wide at the sight.

****

Striding towards them, wearing a surprisingly form-fitting blue and white dress, complete with blue sash and the Schnee emblem on the front and back, was Willow Schnee. Not only that, she was arm-in-arm with none other than James Ironwood, who was still wearing his military dress uniform.

****

“Mother!” Both Weiss and Winter exclaimed. “You look amazing!” The specialist continued. “My word!”

****

“Why thank you, Winter honey.” Willow replied, with a smile on her face. “Both of you look very beautiful as well, as do the young men on your arms.” She turned her smile on Daniel and Jaune. “Thank you for making my little girls happy, and for putting up with the more… prickly aspects of their personalities at the start.”

****

“Mum!” Both younger Schnees cried out, cheeks pinking in embarrassment.

****

Willow simply giggled in reply, a light titter, before continuing on. “Oh, I’m sure they weren’t too bad. I just wish that MY date would have taken some advice from you boys, and ACTUALLY dressed up.” She turned to send a short glare Ironwood’s way.

****

The general was non-plussed. “Well, I told you, I didn’t have any actual suits on hand other than my uniform.”

****

“Oh relax, James.” Willow smiled at him, patting her date on the shoulder. “I think you look very sharp in it, but you really should lose the tie.” At this, James frowned and clutched at his tie, almost defensively.

****

“What’s wrong with my tie?” He asked.

****

“It’s too formal, James. This is a dance, not a gala.” Willow insisted. “I should know, I have BEEN to many galas in my life.”

****

“Still, I really think I should-”

****

“James.” Willow stern voice interrupted the man’s defense. “Please, give me the tie.”

****

“...... fine.” The man sighed, pulling off his tie and handing it over to the Schnee matriarch, who reached up to undo the top two buttons of his uniform.

****

“There we go, that looks much better.”

****

Seeing this, Daniel sniggered. “Damn sir, you’re totally whipp- gah!” His snarky observation was cut off as Winter clipped him lightly around the ear, admonishing him with a light. “Behave, Daniel.”

****

Jaune suppressed his own grin, especially at the general’s smug look when faced with his specialist’s own chastisement. He would rather not risk Weiss’ wrath.

****

Of course, his grin quickly turned into a look of surprise and split-second dread, as a cheerful voice called out his name.

****

“Friend Jaune!”

****

A few moments later, the knight found himself knocked to the ground as he was tackled off his feet by a high-speed Penny Polendina to the chest. The blonde groaned and looked up, only to see the smiling ginger staring down at him with those bright green eyes.

****

“Urgh… hi there Penny.” He greeted her, still shaking off the slight pain. She was  _ heavy. _ Well, he wasn’t really surprised, given that she was made entirely of metal.

****

“Hello there, Friend Jaune!” The synth replied, her usual cheer present in her tone. “I am pleased to see that you have turned up to the dance, as I have! Are you excited for the opportunity to dance?”

****

“Yeah… I am.” Jaune wheezed a little, mostly from the android girl’s sheer weight. “Uh, Penny, you think you can maybe get off me, please?”

****

“Oh! My apologies, Friend Jaune!” Penny apologised, levering herself off of the blonde knight before reaching down to yank him up. As he stumbled to his feet, Jaune noticed that most of their viewers were looking a mix of shocked or amused. Even Ironwood had a small smile on his face. “I was simply excited to see you, I apologise!”

****

“Heh, it’s fine Penny.” Jaune reassured her. He would have continued, but another, stricter voice cut him off.

****

“Ma’am! MA’AM! Where are you?!” 

****

Ironwood just sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and turning toward the voice. “Penny is fine, cadet Soleil, and I’ve told you that you don’t need to worry about or chaperone her at this dance, this is time for you to take away from your duties.” The headmaster lectured the new arrival.

****

Turning, Jaune found a dark-skinned girl standing in front of Ironwood, though she was turning toward him and Penny. She had on a blue and white dress with gold stripes, which also had a medium length white skirt built into it. She was wearing a pair of blue heels and white stockings. Jaune could also see what looked like a small red gem in the middle of her forehead.

****

All in all, she was a fairly pretty girl… at least, she would have been if her face wasn’t currently twisted into a disapproving frown.

****

“Ma’am, I asked you to not wander off.” She narrowed her eyes at Penny, who seemed to shrink back.

****

“I am sorry, miss Ciel.” The synthetic girl replied. “But I simply wanted to introduce you to my friend!” She indicated the blonde knight, her usual cheer returning slowly.

****

“Ah, this is the… ‘Friend Jaune’ you spoke of?” Ciel questioned, raising an eyebrow.

****

“Yeah, that’s me!” Jaune offered his hand to the girl, who took it firmly. “So, you’re one of Penny’s teammates?”

****

“Yes I am. I am Ciel Soleil, assigned partner to Penny Polendina for the Vytal Festival.” She rattled off, before becoming a little bashful as she continued. “Truthfully, I was… looking forward to meeting you.”

****

“Oh, really?” Jaune tilted his head.

****

“Yes.” Ciel continued. “Penny speaks highly of you, and you seem to have amassed quite the reputation for heroism among the students of this academy. For example, I understand that you participated in the capture of the terrorist agent Cinder Fall?”

****

This managed to floor Jaune, and shocked the girls around him. How had she learnt about that?!

****

“Uh… y-yeah, I did that. But how did you-?”

****

“Penny explained it to me when she discussed the topic of you with me.” Ciel explained, adjusting her dress a tad. “I must admit, you are quite accomplished for a first year student, you appear to have a great deal of potential, if your achievements for the current portion of this year are any indication.” 

****

“Oh. Well, thanks.” The knight replied.

****

“You are welcome.” The girl actually bowed her head slightly. “I will take my leave now, please ensure that miss Polendina is unharmed through the night.” With that, the girl turned on her heel and strode off through the crowd, each step measured and careful.

****

“Wow.” That was all Jaune could really say. “That’s your partner, huh?”

****

“Indeed. Miss Ciel has always been one to adhere closely to a proper schedule. My teammates have insisted that she needs to ‘loosen up’ as it were.” The ginger admitted.

****

“I had hoped this would be a chance for Cadet Soleil to unwind.” Ironwood commented. “She is rather uptight and rigid, even beyond the standards Atlas Academy expects from cadets.”

****

“Sounds like you in your academy days, James.” Willow patted the man’s cheek with a smile, causing him to blush slightly, even grumble under his breath. “That was not necessary information to be shared.”

****

“That does sound like James.” A new voice threw in. Turning, the group found none other than Headmaster Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch, arm in arm, walking toward them. Much like Winter, the combat instructor had her locks out of their usual bun and cascading down her back and shoulders. 

****

She wore a simple yet surprisingly shapely black dress, with identically coloured stockings and heels. Ozpin, on the other hand, wore a green two-piece tuxedo, with matching shoes. The thing that surprised the group most was the absence of his seemingly omnipresent cane and glasses, with his hand clasped by his side, while his other was linked with Glynda’s. Both of them were smiling, quite a rarity in their case.

****

“Oh, I didn’t know you two were coming.” Willow observed. “James, why didn’t you tell me about this little development?”

****

“This is the first I’m hearing of it, and indeed seeing of it.” The general admitted, though he was still smiling nonetheless. “Well, congratulations anyway, you two.”

****

“Thank you.” Both teachers chorused, before they began to move off into the crowd, though Ozpin did wish them all an enjoyable night. This left the group staring after them for a good while, most of the students among them stunned that the duo had anything between them.

****

“Wow, didn’t see that coming.” Yang admitted.

****

“Aaaww, but it’s so nice!” Ruby squealed. “Miss Goodwitch looks really pretty when she smiles!”

****

“Yeah, maybe she’ll finally stop being such a hardass in combat class.” Marcie said.

****

“Oh, I wouldn’t be too sure about that.” Ironwood observed, causing the group to glance toward him. “Glynda always was one to put the maximum effort into anything she sets her mind to, including teaching her students to fight.”

****

“Glyndie was a ‘hardass’ even in school.” Willow confided to them. “But she was only like that because she cared about her education. Even now, she’s probably only so tough with you so she can make sure you know how to fight. So that she doesn’t have to lose any students, she hates it more than most teachers when that happens.” 

****

“Huh, guess I’d never really thought of it like that.” Yang admitted.

****

“Well, you can’t deny that professor Goodwitch gets results with her methods.” Weiss cut in. “Even if she might seem strict, she only cares about our growth and wellbeing.”

****

“You see, that’s my girl.” Willow gushed. “Always on the ball.”

****

“Oh, t-thank you mother.” Weiss stammered, cheeks reddening a little, she was clearly unused to being praised so openly like this. Jaune thought it was adorable.

****

“Oh that’s alright dear.” Willow assured her younger daughter, before wrapping her arm around Ironwood’s once more. “Well, I’m sure I’ve embarrassed my children enough for today, come on James, let’s see how much of our dance lessons you remember. Do have fun with your boyfriends, dears.” With that, she began leading the general off toward the dance floor. Meanwhile, Weiss was still blushing and smiling.

****

“You alright Weiss?” Ruby asked her partner, who nodded in reply.

****

“Yes, it’s just… strange to have my mother praise me like that. It’s… been a long time since she’s done that.” The snow-haired girl admitted. “But I would like for it to happen again.”

****

“Well, now that our mother is staying in Vale, it most assuredly will.” Winter cut in, a smile on the young woman’s own face as well. “I must admit, it is very refreshing to see her acting like our mother again, I… missed her doing that.” The Specialist brushed some stray locks of hair away as she spoke.

****

“Well hey, you just need to keep being you, and I’m sure your mum will be proud of you, there’s no way she won’t be. You’re not just Specialist Schnee to her, you’re her daughter.” Daniel assured her, hugging his girlfriend from the side, who leaned into the affection quite eagerly.

****

“Thank you Daniel.” She murmured, before linking her arm with his again and beginning to follow her mother’s path to the dance floor. Jaune watched them go, only to feel his own arm being hugged, looking around, he could see it was the younger Schnee girl holding it.

****

“Something you need, Weiss?” He asked.

****

“Yes. I was wondering if, perhaps I could have this dance?” The heiress replied.

****

“Heh, sure thing.” The knight said, before sweeping the surprised girl up in his arms, his blue eyes glinting with sudden determination. “Think you can keep up?”

****

“Of course I can.” Weiss huffed, before Jaune began leading them to the dance floor.

****

“Hey, don’t forget to save some of that for me, Lover Boy!” Yang called after them.

****

“I’d like a dance too.” Blake cut in, the cat girl biting her lip nervously.

****

“Yeah! We want dances too fearless leader!” Nora cried, with Lian and Pyrrha both nodding after them.

****

“You’re not getting away without giving us a turn on that dance floor Jauney.” Marcie insisted, folding her arms with a stern look on her face.

****

“Yeah, we want to see your moves. Wonder if you’re as flexible as me?” Neo commented, before deliberately and rather provocatively stretching her chest out, much to Weiss’ indignation and her teammates’ amusement. The heiress proceeded to pull Jaune toward the dance floor more rapidly, though not before he heard one last comment from Penny.

****

“Friend Jaune, may I also have a dance?” The synth asked.

****

“Yeah, sure Penny!” Jaune managed to call back, before he and his partner stepped into the center of the room.

****

And lost themselves to the music.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

****

“You having a good time, buddy?” Daniel asked converstionaly, shooting his blonde friend a smile as he sipped on some punch, the pair standing off to the side as the rest of the students danced. Jaune himself had danced with all members of Team RWBY, NPR, the former villain trio, and even Penny. 

****

Despite the fun he was having, the knight was starting to get winded, and had stepped aside for a quick drink.

****

“Yeah, tonight has been nothing short of amazing.” Jaune replied, before frowning slightly as he threw out his empty cup. “A lot better than the last dance we went to.”

****

Daniel quirked an eyebrow at his friend, before snapping his fingers as he recalled the night in question.

****

“Oh right, that dance back home! I don’t remember it being that bad!”

****

“That’s probably because you were wasted at the time.” Jaune deadpanned, resulting in the gunslinger tilting his head in thought before nodding in agreement. “I guess it wasn’t that bad, it just kinda sucked not having a date back then.”   


“Hey, I get it.” Daniel responded, before a smirk appeared on his face. “But look on the bright side, you have  _ several  _ dates here tonight.”

****

Jaune allowed his own smile to form, admitting that his friend was right. The past didn’t really matter, not here anyway. Daniel bumped the knight’s shoulder loosely, getting his attention before gesturing to the far corner of the room.

****

“Looks like you might be in for one more. I think she needs a friend.” Daniel advised him.

****

Jaune followed his friend’s gaze, which fell upon a distraught looking Amber, currently leaned against the far wall, staring at the ground. Admittedly, she’d chosen a lovely brown, yellow and white dress that complimented her figure very well, complemented with some brown heels, white earrings and a golden necklace. Jaune was not ashamed to say that she looked amazing.

****

Of course, that didn’t matter how amazing she looked if she was upset. And if she was upset…

****

“ _ Oh dear, poor Amber.”  _ Summer chimed in.  _ “We need to go and see if she’s okay, Jaune.”  _ The knight couldn’t help but agree wholeheartedly with his companion, Amber did look like she needed some comforting.

****

“I gotta go.” He strode off toward her immediately, leaving Daniel smiling and waving him off.

****

“No problem brother, I’ll hold things down here.” The gunslinger assured him.

****

As he approached his newest friend, Jaune couldn’t help but feel a tad irritated at how people seemed to be avoiding her, they were treating her more akin to a plague than a human being. Why was that?

****

Well, hopefully he could find out what was wrong. With this objective in mind, the knight straightened his shirt, then continued to make his over to the Fall Maiden.

****

“Hey, Amber.” He called to her as he approached, putting a friendly smile on his face so as not to alarm or upset her further. “You okay over here?”

****

“Oh, hey Jaune.” Amber replied, offering him a small smile and trying to dry her eyes as best she could. “I’m fine, just not really feeling it tonight, you know?” She continued, clearly trying to assuage his worries.

****

“Um… no, I don’t.” The knight said, his own expression shifting to concern. “And it doesn’t look like you’re fine Amber, it looks like you’re lonely.” Sighing, Jaune took hold of his friend’s shoulders and gently turned her to look at him fully. “What’s going on here Amber? Why are these people avoiding you?”

****

After a moment or two, the Maiden crumpled, her eyes shimmering with tears as she stepped away from him, her expression collapsing into a trembling frown. She even started sniffling a little, trying to ward away the tears as she began speaking.

****

“T-these people are afraid of me Jaune.” She admitted, sniffling and wiping her eyes, causing Jaune’s heart to clench in sympathy. What did she mean? Why were they scared of her?

****

“What? But why?” The knight asked, stepping closer and placing a supportive hand on her shoulder. Amber was quick to place one of her own hands over his own, a small and grateful smile on her face despite her distress. “Why are they scared of you, Amber?”

****

In reply, the girl held up her other hand and wreathed it in flame. “Heh… I’ll give you two guesses.”

****

“It’s because of your powers?” Jaune asked. The knight was a tad confused at this new information, were they really going so far as to shy away from Amber just because she could summon some fire and ice? Sure, her abilities were strange compared to everyone else’s, but that was no reason to shun her like some freak!

****

Of course, given the state of his life since coming to Beacon, perhaps he wasn’t the most objective person in the world when it came to ‘strange’. But still, it was rude of them to just avoid her like this, especially at the Beacon dance!

****

“It’s not just my powers.” Amber said, sadly. “It’s what they’ve seen me DO with my powers that has them afraid.” Off her friend’s quizzical look, she elaborated. “I killed the Grimm Dragon, Jaune. That was the largest and most powerful Grimm those students will likely ever see in their lives. Even the Atlas fleet couldn’t do much damage to it until your friend pulled that nutty stunt with his suit. 

****

“Then I come in and run rings around it, I block its fire breath with freak air currents, impale it with icicles I can pull from nowhere, then turn it to ash with lightning I can shoot from my hands or summon from the sky.” Amber’s laugh was sad and a little bitter. “I took down that thing in about a minute in front of them, like I was some fairytale hero, and now look at me. I’m here on my own, while everyone else has a partner.

****

“Turns out that when you kill a mythically ancient Grimm with your equally mythical and ancient magic powers in front of several Academies’ worth of students, those students tend to find reasons to avoid you afterward.” The Fall Maiden finished with a sniff.

****

Jaune sighed and pinched his nose with his free hand. He could see what was going on now.

****

“Amber. They’re aren't afraid of you.” He said, simply.

****

“What?” The girl glanced at Jaune curiously, her eyes still rather raw with her previous tears. “What do you mean? Of course they’re afraid of me, why else would they be avoiding me?”

****

“Because they think they can’t measure up.” Jaune said. “I’ve… I’ve seen this before Amber, they’re not  _ scared  _ of you, they’re all scared of not being good enough for you. That’s why you’ve not got a dance partner.”

****

“What do you mean, Jaune? What do you mean by ‘not good enough for me’?” Amber asked.

****

“Amber, you said it yourself. You killed a Grimm that those students had barely even heard of before, a Grimm that none of them could possibly have hoped to fight. You proved that you’re a powerful, amazing woman.” Jaune explained, a slight blush appearing on his cheeks. “Gods, I can barely think of ways I can measure up to you.”

****

Amber’s cheeks were ablaze in seconds, mostly due to Jaune’s praise. “O-oh. Well, that does make more sense, but...it doesn’t change that I’m still alone, does it?”   
  
Jaune’s expression softened once more upon hearing her defeated tone, before it lit up again as an idea struck him. He reached out and grasped Amber’s hand, eliciting a shocked sputter from the girl before she met his gaze.   
  
“Amber, could you give me a few minutes? I’ll be right back.”

****

Amber tilted her head in confusion, but nodded slowly. “Um, sure. What are you-”   


“You’ll see.” Jaune answered vaguely, offering her a smirk before taking off into the crowd, leaving the maiden alone once more.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

It had been at least 20 minutes since Jaune had departed, and Amber was feeling lonely again.

****

Even with her friend’s assurances that people were not, in fact, frightened of her, Amber couldn’t help but notice that people were still avoiding. She had hoped that Jaune coming up to talk to and console her might encourage some people to follow his lead.

****

But no, here she was, still on the sidelines, still alone.

****

Until, of course, she was nearly bowled over by the pink hurricane that slammed full force into her chest.

****

Barely managing to stay on her feet, Amber still stumbled before regaining her balance. Looking upward, she found an orange haired girl with teal eyes, a bright smile and a frilled pink dress standing in front of her. 

****

“Hi there!” The girl chirped, interrupted Amber’s thoughts in the process. “You looked lonely over here, so I came over here to say hi, fearless leader asked me to before he went off to do something!”

****

‘Fearless leader’? Who was-

****

After a moment, it clicked, she was one of Jaune’s teammates, wasn’t she? Nora Valkyrie? The girl with the large warhammer who liked pancakes, and apparently had more energy than a whole power station.

****

“Oh, hello there. You’re Nora, right?” Amber greeted the new arrival.

****

“Yeppers, that’s me!” Nora saluted. “Jaune-Jaune sent me to keep you company until he gets back! Well, he didn’t  _ send _ me, he just asked me to keep an eye on you but you looked lonely so I just decided to come over here and talk to you. Jauney said that people are avoiding you, but I dunno why they’d do that, ‘cause you’re really kickass and you killed a dragon and you’ve got front bumpers that have their own gravity field that make even  _ me  _ jealous and-”

****

Amber tried to keep up, she really did. But after awhile… it all just started blurring together. The girl didn’t just move like a lightning bolt sometimes, she  _ talked  _ like one too! How did Jaune and his team keep track of her!?

****

Fortunately, Nora stopped talking when she got a message on her scroll… which she proceeded to pull from her cleavage like it was the most ordinary thing in the world. The orange-haired force of nature checked the message, while Amber was still gaping at her little stunt. 

****

Against her own better judgement, Amber gave her own bust (barely contained by her dress, even after she reinforced it with honest to god ARMOR PLATES) a glance. Somewhere in her mind, a voice whispered to her, telling her that SHE should try hiding things in her breasts sometime. But why would her mind-

****

_ “Go on Ami… it’d be a nice little hiding place! I bet you could fit a whole shop’s worth of Dust crystals down there if you really tried, you’ve got the best rack I’ve ever seen so you could do it easily! _

****

Oh right… it wasn’t her mind, it was Alexa.

****

_ Oh. Th-thank you Lexi…  _ She couldn’t keep the embarrassment out of her reply, no matter how hard she tired.

****

_ “You’re welcome Ami!”  _ Her fellow Maiden insisted happily.  _ “I tried that too back when I was still alive, I managed to fit quite a few things in my boobs!” _

****

“Hee hee, you thinking about it too?” Nora’s voice pulled Amber out of her mental conversation, to find the Valkyrie grinning at her. “I’d say go for it, you could probably fit a lot more down there than me with your front bumpers!” She winked at the flustered Maiden. “Not that you need anything to make yourself look sexy! If I wasn’t happy with our fearless leader, I’d totally go out with you.”

****

“O-oh… t-thank you, I suppose…” Amber sputtered out, quite taken aback with how casually this girl was coming onto her and complimenting her chest, something that most girls struggled to do without blushing.

****

“You’re welcome, magic girl!” Nora chirped, before seizing her arm and dragging Amber behind her, heading in the direction of the dance floor.

****

“W-wait! Nora, why are you-?”

****

“Because fearless leader texted me, he says he wants me to bring you to the dance floor, he’s got a nice surpriiiiiise for yooooou~” The pink bomber sang cheerily, practically skipping her way across the ballroom while dragging the stunned Fall Maiden behind her.

****

“L-look, Nora…” Amber protested one last time, as they reached the dance floor proper. “I-I know that you’re just trying to help, but you don’t need to do this, really! I can just-” And then her voice died in her throat, mostly thanks to her shock at what she was seeing. Nora ginned and winked at her, before skipping away and leave her alone on the dancefloor.

****

Well, not exactly alone.

****

Standing there, in front of her, was Jaune.

****

And he was wearing a dress. A white, strapless dress.

****

And by the GODS, did it show him off well. Especially his legs… and arms… and abs… what she wouldn’t give to have those arms just pinning her to a bed right n-

****

_ N-no! NO! Stop fantasising! Just calm down girl, just focus on him… BUT NOT LIKE THAT! _ Amber screamed mentally, fighting to stop a blush from inflaming her cheeks. This was not at all helped by the spirits in her head deciding to speak up.

****

_ “Oh my gods… he’s YUMMY!”  _ Alexa panted, the woman was practically drooling as she took in the sight of Jaune in his dress.  _ “Mmmm-mmm! Look at those legs! Those arms! Those ABS! You could grate cheese off them! Ami, AMI!! You gotta seduce him, okay?! You gotta seduce him RIGHT NOW!! Go and get your man, girl!!”  _ The blonde Maiden all-but ordered her successor.

****

_ “I-I must admit, he certainly does wear that dress rather well, even if it conceals nothing… that is quite the sight. O-oh my…”  _ Mira stuttered, the red haired captain was fanning herself repeatedly, with both her and Alexa’s mindscapes being paradoxically moist and bathed in heat as well.

****

All in all, it took Amber significantly longer than she felt was appropriate to get herself under control.

****

“J-Jaune!” She managed to choke out at least, a shocked smile blossoming on her face. “W-what is this?!”

****

Jaune simply shrugged, a small grin of his own appearing as he replied. “Well, a promise is a promise.”

****

“W-wow…” Amber was speechless, but in a good way this time. “I mean, when you made that promise to go in a dress if I didn’t get a date, I didn’t… I didn’t think you were going to-” She cut herself off with a small ‘eep’ as Jaune strode forward to place his hand on her shoulder.

****

“When I made that promise, I gave you my word… and an Arc never goes back on their word.” He stated, proudly. And Amber knew, even then, that he meant it. He could make even the most outrageous of promises, and he would turn that promise into a commitment as solid as the ground under his feet.

****

“Thank you, Jaune.” Amber said, choking up a little, the tears in her eyes how formed from happiness. “Thank you so much.”

****

“You’re welcome Amber.” Jaune replied, before taking her hand in his own. “Now, may I have this dance, my lady?” He asked, with a small smile on his face.

****

“Yes, you may.” Amber could help herself from giggling at how cheesy it was for him to ask her like that. Still, she liked it, she liked it a lot. “But um, I’m not very good at danc- wah!” Her admission was cut off as Jaune clasped her right hand in his left, while his right hand wrapped around her back and found its place at the base of her spine.

****

“Don’t worry milady, I’ll teach you.” Jaune winked at her, flashing her a charming smile that had her heart thumping in her chest and her cheeks glowing, even as her own giddy smile widened in reply.

****

As they began to dance the night away, their eyes met once more, and Amber couldn’t be more thankful for Jaune being a part of her life.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

“Thanks for walking me back to my room, Jaune.” Amber said quietly as she and the knight in question stood outside her dorm room. 

****

After their dance, Amber had actually felt a bit tired, and informed jaune she was going to turn in for the night. Unexpectedly, Jaune then offered to walk her to her dorm, and even “keep her company” if she wanted.

****

By the time they got back to the dorm room Amber had been given by Beacon’s staff, she was understandably a little nervous.

****

Here she was, about to finally… well,  _ lose her virginity _ . In her opinion, it was about time too! Being a virgin at 25 (well, technically she was back at 19 now) was far too long for someone to go without getting any. Her newly youthful form was also a problem for her, since with that youth came a bevy of hormones and teenage desires that had been  _ quite  _ difficult for the Fall Maiden to resist.

****

Combine that with meeting a nice and handsome guy, who’d not only saved her life, but also been a really good friend to her since then, and Amber’s nerves were warring with her growing desire. Of course, it hadn’t helped  _ at all _ that he’d shown up to the dance in a dress, a dress that did VERY little to conceal his arms, or legs, or abs…

****

_ Oh who am I kidding?  _ She whined mentally.  _ It’s not just ‘desire’ anymore… I’m thirstier for him than a Vacuan for water in Summer! I need him to make me scream! _

****

Amber almost slapped herself, trying to calm her wandering mind before it slipped further into its aroused and needy thoughts. Especially with Jaune  _ right there! _

****

_ C’mon, get ahold of yourself, girl!  _ She bit her lip to suppress a whine, while reaching for her keycard to unlock the door to her room.  _ All you need to do is hold it together for a few minutes more. _

****

Opening the door to her dorm, Amber turned on her heel to face the dress-wearing knight, offering as kind a smile as she could muster. “So… guess this is the end of the line, huh? Thanks for walking me back, Jaune.”

****

“It’s not a problem, Amber. I’m happy to help a friend out.” That made her wince inwardly. Is that really all she is, a friend?

****

Well, that was going to change tonight.

****

“Well, if you’re happy to help… then maybe you can help with something else?” She asked shyly.

****

“Um, okay. What else can I do?” Jaune asked, curiously.

****

“Maybe you can… keep me company tonight?” Amber asked, unable to keep a hint of need out of her voice. “As in, just the two of us?”

****

This caused the boy’s mind to screech to a halt. Well, Summer had made him aware of Amber’s crush on him, but he’d thought that he’d be able to take her out on a few more dates first before they… took  _ that _ step. “Oh.”

****

“I-I mean, I know you have those other girls to… to be with.” Amber continued, her nerves shining through. “That you’ve basically got the first honest-to-god harem on Remnant. I just wanted… I just want to be a part of it.” The girl admitted. 

****

“If it’s too much, then I underst- mmph!” She was cut off as June leaned forward to give her a short kiss on the lips, causing an almost adorable squeak to slip from her mouth as her cheeks reddened.

****

“I don’t think that’ll be a problem.” Jaune smiled at her.

****

“Really!? That’s great!” Amber cried, a little too excitedly, causing her to blush again. “I-I mean, that’s really nice… thank you.” She tried calming herself, only to squeak again as Jaune ran a hand over her cheek.

****

“Heh, you’re really cute sometimes, you know that?” The knight grinned at her. “ Never thought I’d find someone cuter than Ruby, but you’re giving her some serious competition right now.”

****

“S-shut up!” Amber stuttered, pouting and huffing at his assessment, which really only made her look cuter. “I’m not cute, I’m the Fall Maiden, I can destroy whole hordes of Grimm by myself! I can wield actual magic! I can-” On seeing Jaune’s steadily rising lips as he tried and failed to suppress his laughter.

****

She scowled at him, but there was almost no actual heat behind her glare. Jaune chuckled nervously, afraid he might’ve taken it too far. “Heh, sorry. Usually I’m the one on the receiving end of a joke or innuendo, it was… kinda liberating making the jokes for once, sorry-”

****

A finger on his mouth stopped him, and the knight looked up to find Amber staring at him, her scowl gone. Of course, it had been replaced by a hungry look in her eyes and a few lip bites.

****

_ Wow, she’s really eager. _

****

“Don’t worry about it, Jaune. You can always make it up to me…” She suggested, giving him another lip lick. “And I know just know you can do it.”

****

“Yeah?”

****

“Well, you’ve made sure I’ve had a nice evening so far… maybe you can give me an even better end to the night?” She asked, her hands now trailing up to finger to straps on her dress as she gave Jaune a hopeful look.

****

“I don’t think that’ll be a problem.” Jaune agreed, closing the dorm door behind them.

****

“Heh, lovely.” Amber admitted, rubbing her legs together in excitement. “So, you’ve obviously had more, um…  _ experience _ , with this kind of thing. Would you take the lead here?”

****

“Of course, whatever makes you comfortable.” Jaune confirmed, offering her his hand. She took it gingerly, allowing her dress-clad knight to guide her over to her bed. 

****

As she sat, Amber felt her heart thumping in her chest in excitement. She hazed into Jaune’s eyes, which practically glowed as he leaned down so that they were level.

****

“So, what would you like me to start with?” He asked huskily, practically making her shiver in anticipation.

****

“Um...c-could we start with some kissing?” She asked nervously. Despite the lust in his eyes, Jaune smiled kindly, and nodded in confirmation. Just like that, she lunged forward and pressed her lips to his.

****

And just like that, something  _ burst  _ within her, and a pleasure stronger than she’d ever known flowed through her body. The kiss deepened, her tongue practically shooting into his mouth as soon as it opened. Her arms snaked up around Jaune neck, as she pulled him closer.

****

After a minute, the pair separated, their ragged breaths echoing within the room. After they caught their breaths, an uneasy silence followed. 

****

“So...how was that for a start?” Jaune asked, jolting slightly as the dress he had been wearing suddenly fell from his body, leaving him in his boxers alone. Amber raised her gaze to meet his, revealing her eyes glowing a bright orange as a delighted smirk played on her lips.

****

“ **Oh, I think we can get to the main event right now.** ” 

****

Before Jaune could react, he found himself on his back, now laying in the very place that Amber had been laying moments before. The maiden in question was currently perched over the startled boy, summoning her magic and forming ice restraints around Jaune’s hands, pinning him to the bed.

****

“ **Comfortable?** ” Amber asked, tracing her hands down Jaune’s chest and making him shiver in anticipation, before grasping at her dress straps once more. “ **You make me feel spectacular, Jaune. I think it’s time I paid you back for that~”**

****

As she spoke, the maiden shed her dress, followed swiftly by her bra, allowing her breasts to bounce freely before the knight. She relished in the way his eyes widened as he took in the view, his cheeks burning a bright red.   


“ **Fufufufufufu...I’m glad you enjoy the view.”** She hummed before lowering herself just above his boxers, which were currently propped up by his fully erect member. “ **Now, just lay back,** **_and enjoy the ride.”_ **

****

With that, she drew back his boxers, smiling wickedly as she lowered herself onto his shaft, before letting herself fall, taking its entire length. She let out a shril moan, one that was followed by both pain and pleasure overriding her other senses.

****

“ **Oh Gods,** **_YES!”_ ** She howled, resuming her movements as she raked a hand through her hair. “ **It feels...amazing!”**

****

Jaune released a grunt of agreement, enjoying the ride just as much as Amber was. The way her walls squeezed his member was unlike the rest of the girls. There was a power to her hold. An insatiable  _ hunger. _

****

And he loved it.

****

“Ah...Amber...Gods, you feel...so good!” He practically growled, barley catching the maiden’s amused giggle through his euphoric daze. Her movements started to speed up, becoming rougher and more intense, resulting in her practically slamming herself down on his pelvis, taking in his full length with each thrust. If he had any complaints, he didn’t voice them.

****

Minutes passed as the knight and his maiden lost themselves to their lust. Jaune couldn’t quite recall when his bonds had melted, nor when they had shifted positions. All he knew was that he was now taking Amber from behind, and that he was reaching his limit.

****

“Agh-Amber…I-I’m close!” He hissed, slowing slightly before a gust of wind hit him, thrusting him deeper inside of her.

****

“ **Ah...ah...I’m on the p-pill!** ” She cried, a delirious smile on her face as she reached her climax. “ **JAUNE!** ”

****

With that, Amber let out a wail of pure pleasure as her juices sprayed all over the bed. Likewise, Jaune let out his own shout as he finished inside her, before falling back and slipping out of her.

****

“Huff...huff...wow...that was...amazing…” Jaune wheeze, desperately trying to catch his breath. For the first time, he found himself truly winded after the experience. He wasn’t even sure he could go another round.   
  
“It really was…” Amber hummed sweetly, snuggling up with Jaune and placing her hand on his chest. “Of course.... **it doesn’t have to end yet.** ”

****

As she spoke, Amber’s hand began to glow, and suddenly Jaune didn’t feel tired anymore. Hell, he actually felt invigorated! He also noticed that he had returned to full mast, Amber smirking as she wrapped her other hand around his shaft.   
  
“Don’t worry, just a bit of restorative magic to keep you nice and energised… I don’t want this to stop Jaune, I want to keep going.” She explained sweetly before leaning down and flicking her tongue on his member, prompting a groan from the knight. “ **Now...** **_ready for round two?_ ** ”

****

Jaune wasn’t even allowed an answer before Amber practically pounded into his lap, releasing a moan of pleasure as he entered her once more. For a moment, azul eyes met brown, and the world seemed to slow. An unspoken agreement passed between them, and they entered another lip-lock, just as passionate as the previous, while Jaune resumed thrusting.

****

Muffled moans and squeaks filtered past Amber’s lips as she felt Jaune’s member move inside her, his thrust gentler, yet all the more satisfying. She felt...whole. Like this was all she needed to be happy. Not the sex, just him.

****

“Mphf-Jaune...I-I love you…” She whispered before she could stop herself. For a second, she pondered whether or not she should have said that. The choice was made for her, however, as Jaune pulled back from the kiss, and flashed her a broad smile.

****

“I love you too, Amber.”

****

Those five words were all it took to send Amber’s heart into overdrive. She hadn’t felt a happiness like this years, not even comparable to how she felt when Jaune had kissed her for the first time. And with that happiness, her lust also returned with a vengeance. While Jaune’s thrusts had ceased with his response, she made sure to make up for lost time as she started bouncing her hips, resuming the fraction that made them both moan openly.

****

Not long after, the urge for release rose once again. Jaune didn’t even need to day a word as Amber quickened her pace, ending in a duo of satisfied groans as both she and the knight finished in unison. For the second time that night, the pair separated, allowing them to catch their breaths.

****

_ Christ, she really ran me hard.  _ Jaune thought to himself, before a tired smile grew on his face.  _ Well, at least we’re done for toni-! _ _  
_

His thoughts came to a screeching halt as he felt a familiar warmth rise from his...lower regions, glancing down to see that Amber was indeed using her “healing” trick again, one hand cupping his balls while the other stroked his shaft.

****

“H-holy shit...You... you're insatiable..."He groaned, shocked that she still had the energy to go on.

****

"I spent the last three years in a coma, Jaune." Amber breathed, her eyes still glowing a pale orange. "And before that, I was still a virgin. Can you really blame me?"

****

"...no." He admitted quietly.

****

"Exactly... I have a LOT to make up for, you up to helping me with catching up?" The girl asked, hovering over his manhood once more, licking her lips. "Don't worry, I'll make sure to keep you nice and energized the whole way through, I've got PLENTY of power to spare."

****

Well, it was clear what SHE wanted him to do.

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

“So, how did this year’s dance go, sweetheart?” Taiyang Xiao Long asked, holding the scroll up so that he could see his daughter’s face better.

****

“It went really well dad!” Ruby gushed happily. “We all had a really great time, and both Yang and I got to dance with Jaune! We weren’t very good at first, but he was really sweet about it and didn’t mind when we stepped on his toes.”

****

Tai just laughed at that, a soft chuckle. “You know, I never would’ve thought you’d struggle with dancing Petal, since you can fight with that scythe so well.”

****

“Dad!” Ruby huffed. “It’s not like I’ve had any practice with dancing! I’ve practiced with Crescent Rose for years! Of course I won’t know how to dance right away!”

****

“Well, you’re right there. So, how’s Yang doing?” 

****

“Well, you can ask her yourself, hang on.” Ruby turned away from the screen to yell out. “YANG! It’s dad! He wants to talk to you!”

****

A muffled “Hang on!” sounded in the distance, followed by a few moments of Ruby and Tai waiting for the brawler to show up. Eventually, Ruby’s scroll was passed over and the screen settled on Yang’s face.

****

“Hey pops!” She greeted him.

****

“Hey there, Sunflower. So, did you have fun at the dance as well?”

****

“Yep, it was a real blast! I tell you what, Lover Boy really had some moves out there on the dancefloor, I didn’t know he could dance so well!” Yang said. “Then again the guy grew up with seven sisters, so he must know a lot about things that people might call ‘girly’ hobbies.”

****

“I see. Well, at least I know that he’s got a healthy respect for woman, so I’ve got nothing to worry about regarding him treating you properly.” Tai offered his daughter a smile. “Is he treating you properly, isn’t he?”

****

“Don’t worry dad, Lover Boy’s a great guy, he never does anything that we aren’t comfortable with. Actually, the same goes for us, we never do anything he’s not comfortable with either.” Yang explained. “That’s how we make things work, we respect and love each other.”

****

Tai smiled once more, rather wistfully this time. The parallels between Jaune’s relationship with his daughters and his own relationship with Raven and Summer in their Beacon years were openly apparent. He just hoped that Jaune’s relationship didn’t end the same way.

****

For the sake of all three of them.

****

“Well, I’m happy for you, Sunflower, I really am.” The father insisted. “You and Ruby both. I’m glad you found someone who makes you happy.”

****

“Thanks, pops.” Yang replied. “So… what are your plans for the evening?”

****

“Well, I thought I’d go and say hello to your mother.” Tai admitted.

****

The younger dragon tilted her head before smiling at him.

****

“Okay, well… tell her hi from Ruby and me, okay?” Yang asked, to which Tai nodded.

****

“I will Sunflower, love you. Tell Ruby I love her too, okay?”

****

“I will, bye pops, love you.” With that, her face disappeared from the scroll’s screen as the call ended, leaving Tai alone in the house once more.

****

“Arf! Arf!” Well, not exactly alone.

****

“Hey there, boy.” Tai leaned down to pat the corgi on the head. Zwei barked a few more times, leaning his head into his master’s hand as Tai began scratching his chin. The father chuckled at the dog’s antics.

****

“Well, are you ready to go and see your mum, to say hi to her?” He asked.

****

Zwei whined in response, heabutting Tai’s hand affectionately and looking up at him. Tai just smiled sadly in reply.

****

“I know boy, I know… I miss your mum too.” He said, sadly. “Well, come on then.”

****

As Zwei ran off toward the front door, Tai himself took a detour into the kitchen. Reaching a vase on the tabletop, the ex-Huntsman plucked the bouquet of roses out of the vase and wrapped them up in plastic around the stems. Returning to the front porch, he found Zwei waiting dutifully for his master.

****

“Ready to go, Zwei?”

****

He received a yip in reply.

****

“Alrighty then.”

****

……

……

****

It didn’t take them long to reach the cliffside. Zwei lead the way almost the entire journey, the corgi regularly circling around his master in wide arcs, watching for any nearby Grimm that might be lurking in the forest.

****

A few times through the walk, Tai heard the tell-tale snarls of a Grimm… which were quickly cut off by the barks and snarls of Zwei himself, the corgi acting quickly to defend his master. Tai smiled slightly, glancing up at the sky.

****

_ You trained him well, Summer. He really looks out for us. _

****

With a sad smile on this face, the ex-Huntsman began approaching the small headstone, Zwei trailing closely behind his master all the while. Kneeling down, he inspected the headstone from all around for a good few minutes. Once he was satisfied that there was no damage, he placed the bouquet of roses in front of the headstone and sat down.

****

“Hey there, honey. It’s me again.” He started, as Zwei came to sit down next to him. “Just thought I’d give you a quick catchup on what’s been going on with our kids lately.”

****

Tai waited moment before continuing on.

****

“I’ve been worried about them lately… after hearing about what’s been happening at Beacon, how could I not be?” Tai sighed deeply, rubbing his forehead. “You know they were attacked by an honest-to-Gods  _ Dragon _ a few weeks back? And that’s on top of them having to deal with a terrorist attack and that Grimm invasion as well. God, when did Hunter school become more dangerous than actual Hunter missions?”

****

The father of two paused for another moment, while Zwei nuzzled against his side. Tai offered the corgi some ear and chin scratches in reply, earning him some pleased whines in response.

****

“Well, at least they’ve both found someone to help them with the danger, and I do mean some _ one _ . Honestly, when I heard that they were both dating the same boy… well, I didn’t know what to think.

****

“You’d like him though, he- Jaune’s a good kid, got a good head on his shoulders and he makes sure to look out for Ruby and Yang. Honestly, after what we did in our Beacon years, I’d be a hypocrite to think he shouldn’t date them both, that he couldn’t make them both happy.” Tai explained, his smile turning more pleasant as he went on.

****

At least his children would have more success in their love lives than he had had. At least they’d have someone there to help them when they needed it, to pick them up when they fell down, to make them feel wanted and loved.

****

Tai still longed for the days where he had someone like that to help him.

****

“I’ve… not been doing that well honestly, honey.” He admitted. “I… ran into Raven, you know she’s been coming to visit you?” His expression soured as the memory resurfaced, one of his hands clenching into a fist. “ I keep thinking ‘what gives her the right to come here, when she didn’t even come to your funeral? What makes her think she can just worm her way back into our lives like this’!?”

****

Then, just as quickly as it had arrived, his anger dissipated. The father’s fist collapsed limply at his side and he slumped down.

****

“But you know something else? Even after thinking all that… I miss her, honey. I miss Rae.” Tai chuckled sadly. “How sad is that, Sunny? The woman left me and I still can’t over her.

****

“I just… wish I knew why she-”

****

The man’s voice was cut off by a sound behind him. Glancing behind him, Tai was both shocked and a little irritated to see a swirling red and black portal had materialised a few away from the gravestone. 

****

There was only one person he knew who could conjure portals like that.

****

Getting to his feet, Tai approached the portal with a small scowl on his face and Zwei at his side.  _ I thought I’d told her not to show up while I was here.  _ He growled mentally, hands clenched into fists once more.

****

“Alright Raven, what the hell do you want this-?”

****

He stopped talking in shock, his eyes widening as he saw two figures half-stumble, half- _ fall _ out of the portal onto the grass in front of them. One of them was obviously Raven herself, while the other was a significantly younger girl with short brown hair, a ragged sleeveless jacket and vest with equally torn shorts.

****

That was not what concerned him, however, as he began to make his way over to the pair, with Zwei hot on his heels.

****

What concerned him were the myriad gashes, lacerations and open wounds he saw on both  of them, and how heavily they were bleeding.

****

“Raven!” He called out as he drew nearer, prompting the other girl to quickly set the bandit leader on the floor, stumble upward and point her dual pistols directly at the ex-Huntsman’s face.

****

“Hey! Don’t come any closer, or I’ll-”

****

Tai didn’t bother listening, he just ignored her. 

****

“Get out of the way!” He snarled as he practically knocked her aside, ripping the pistols from her hands and tossing them away as he did so. The girl stumbled and landed on the grass once more, but before she could stand, she was accosted and pinned by a growling Zwei.

****

“Oh Gods, Rae.” Tai gaped as he knelt down beside her prone and barely moving form, finally seeing the extent of her injuries. She was covered in dozens of gashes and wounds, both shallow and deep, all of them oozing with blood. The tell-tale sparking around her injuries told Tai that her Aura was broken. “What happened to you?”

****

“Mmrrgghh” A weak groan slipped by her lips as the woman tried to speak, her crimson eyes fluttering open to stare into her ex-husband’s blue ones. “T-Tai…?” She managed to gasp out, before she let out a pained cry when she attempted to move.

****

“Hey, don’t try to move, Rae.” Taiyang told her gently. “What’s going on? What did this to-?” He cut himself off as her body began to go limp and her eyes slipped closed, with her breaths becoming increasingly laboured. She was weakening.

****

“Damn it!” He cursed, swiftly slipping his arms under Raven’s knees and middle back. As soon as he knew she was stable, he began gently lifting her up. He noticed Raven’s nodachi lying nearby, and whistled to Zwei.

****

“Zwei!” He called, before gesturing his head over to the fallen sword. “Fetch, boy!”

****

The corgi did as ordered immediately, bounding off of the fallen bandit girl with a yip and racing toward Raven’s fallen sword. Of course, this allowed her to scramble to her feet. She retrieved her pistols just in time for Tai to get to his feet, still holding Raven’s limp form in his arms.

****

“Put her down!” The girl ordered. “You put her down right now, where do you think you’re taking her!?”

****

“To get her some medical attention, which she really needs right now.” Tai explained calmly, though he was allowing some of his irritation to seep in. “Unless you want her to bleed out, right here, then you’re going to step aside.”

****

The bandit girl narrowed her eyes. “What if I don’t believe you?”

****

The ex-Huntsman’s blue eyes turned orange and slitted. “...then she’ll get the help she needs anyway.”

****

The implication was clear, they both knew it. The girl visibly gulped at the man’s utter lack of concern for her threats. She wasn’t used to anyone just standing up to her so brazenly like that.

****

Hearing another pained groan from Raven pushed Tai into action once more, the man simply striding right past the stunned bandit, making for his house and the medical supplies he kept there. Zwei followed his master a few moments later, sparing a growl for the girl.

****

Shaking her head, she began to follow Tai and Zwei a few moments later, no longer even bothering to try and threaten him since it was clearly not going to work on him.

****

Hearing yet another soft moan of pain, Tai held Raven’s limp form tighter as he pressed on.

****

“Hold on Rae.” He pleaded. “Just hold on.”


	66. Escalation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Willow takes up training to re-discover her huntress skills, while also testing Daniel's worth as Winter's boyfriend. Meanwhile, Jaune reveals his new mission to the girls... as well as the partner he's been assigned for the duration of the assignment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there everyone, Jack here.
> 
> As you might have noticed, this chapter took 2 weeks to get out, which is quite a bit longer than our usual standards. We'd like to apologise for the long wait, but also warn that this might be the new standard for the next few months, since both Mega and I are now back at school and university respectively. We won't have as much time as we used to have to write this story.
> 
> Hopefully you'll understand.

“You feeling alright, Jaune? Can’t help but notice you’re falling behind.” Amber quipped, shooting the limping knight a knowing smirk. After their evening together, Amber had recovered easily by the morning, while Jaune was clearly still worn out, if not weak, after their night. By contrast, Amber was so bouncy that she was practically floating along the corridor.

****

“Oh, I can’t imagine why.” He droned, glaring slightly at the Maiden before sighing and cracking his neck. “You really gave me a run for my money last night. I don’t think I’ve been this tired since I pulled an all nighter applying to Beacon.”

****

“Sounds fun.” Amber snarked, winking at her companion playfully. “I’m assuming our night was more fun for you, hmm?”

“No question about it.” Jaune replied, before leaning forward and pecking Amber on the cheek, resulting in the maiden releasing a surprised squeak, before giggling and grabbing her knight’s hand.

****

“Well don’t you know how to flatter a gal?” The dark skinned beauty nuzzled into Jaune’s shoulder. “Must be how you got so many girls to fall in love with you. It certainly worked on this girl, at least.” 

****

The two walked for another few minutes, before they reached JNPR’s dorm room. The pair came to an abrupt stop however, as they recognized someone else was waiting outside the dorm as well.

****

“Daniel?” Jaune asked, at the sight of his friend.

****

The gunslinger jolted as his name was called, turning towards the approaching knight and Maiden and smiling. Of course, Jaune was instantly on edge, since his smile was one that the blonde teen knew quite well.

****

It was the ‘time to tease my best friend’ smile.

****

“Well hey there lovebirds, couldn’t help but notice that you snuck out of the dance a little early last night. Somewhere you two needed to be?” He asked playfully, bouncing his eyebrows up and down.

****

Jaune made to open his mouth, but Amber got there first.

****

“Oh, we just left early so that we could spend the night having sex in my room.” The Fall Maiden said, utterly nonchalant even as the boys’ eyes bulged at her casual attitude. “I really, really, _really_ hated being a virgin you see. Luckily, this lovely guy here-” At this, Amber snuggled into Jaune’s shoulder again. “-was willing to help a desperate and thirsty little girl like me out, and we had a _lot_ of fun in the process, right Jaune?”

****

The knight in question, utterly taken aback by Amber’s rather sudden boldness regarding their activities last night, simply spluttered and choked for a moment or two before finally squeezing out a “Y-yeah, I was.”

****

“See, so we did need to be somewhere after all.” Amber told Daniel slyly. “Why the interest? Didn’t you and your lady have somewhere to be?”

****

Daniel gaped for a moment, before tilting his head and offering the dark-skinned girl a small nod and a smile. “Well, look who got all confident all of a sudden… guess last night must’ve been really good huh?”

****

“Mmm hmm.” Amber agreed, hugging Jaune a little tighter. “It was really fun, Jaune really made my first time feel special, didn’t you Jaune?” She asked her new boyfriend, looking up at him with those large brown eyes of hers.

****

“Well, I just did my best to make sure you had a nice time, is all.” Jaune replied, the blonde scratching his neck with a small smile on his face. “After all, you said you wanted to be one of the girls in my life, so you deserve the best I have to offer, like the others do.”

****

“Aaaaww, such a sweetie.” The Fall Maiden giggled softly, peking Jaune on the cheek happily. “That’s why I like you.”

****

“Yeesh, alright lovebirds, no need to rub it in, you know?” Daniel sighed, albeit good naturedly. “Anyway, I didn’t just come here to tease, believe it or not, I actually came here to ask a favour.”

****

“Hmm?”

****

“Yeah, do you still have _Destiny_ on you, by any chance?” The gunslinger asked.

****

“Oh, sure!” Jaune reluctantly disentangled himself from Amber’s embrace and made his way toward his team’s dorm. Swiping his scroll to open the door, the knight began searching the shelves around his bed. In a few moments, he’d found the gun in question.

****

Daniel took the time to examine his weapon after Jaune handed it back, the gunslinger twirling it over and over in his hands, inspecting every inch of _Destiny_ for any scratches or wearing. After a full minute of humming and hawing, the young man smiled and glanced back up at his friend.

****

“Well, glad to see you took good care of it for me, when did you learn gun maintenance?” He asked.

****

“I didn’t.” Jaune admitted. “At least, not entirely. Ruby helped me with the bits I didn’t understand, which… ended up being most of it actually.”

****

“Well, I appreciate it all the same, thanks buddy.”

****

“You’re welcome. So why do you need it back anyway?” Jaune was curious now.

****

“Oh, the boss asked me to train someone, get their combat skills up to snuff. I’m not allowed to use the Sentinel, so I kinda need my old gear back.” Daniel explained.

****

“Oh, so who’s the lucky man or woman then?” Amber cut in from her position leaning on the wall.

****

Daniel just chuckled and scratched his head.

****

“Well…”

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

“Thank you for walking with me to my first training session dear.” Willow said, a kind smile on the Schnee matriarch’s face as she strolled leisurely toward one of Beacon’s training rooms, reserved for her by Ironwood so that they could gauge her current combat skills.

****

The ex-Huntress had been out of the game for quite some time. Couple that with the skill decay that 7+ years of alcohol abuse had likely inflicted on her, and Willow knew that she would have quite a long way to go to regain her previous level of skill.

****

Thankfully, she would have James to help her every step of the way, he had graciously volunteered to supervise her training regimen personally. The snow-haired woman had been concerned of course, she didn’t want her problems and needs to affect his duties.

****

He had waved off her concerns with an easy smile, he was happy to help and he’d always managed to keep on top of his paperwork before, so he was perfectly fine to spend some time helping her.

****

“It is no trouble at all, and you are quite welcome mother.” Winter replied, with no immediate duties to perform, the specialist had decided that accompanying her mother to the first scheduled ‘training bout’ would be a good use of her time. At the very least, she wanted to make sure that no one tried to take advantage of her, no matter how unlikely that possibility might be.

****

Of course, the elder Schnee sibling was also rather worried about how her mother would handle the training regimen that Ironwood had devised for her. On the one hand, she had been quite a powerful Huntress when she was still active… but that was a long time ago, before all the alcohol abuse had started ruining her life (more than being married to their father already had).

****

Taking in a short breath, Winter could only trust that Ironwood would notice if her mother was unable to handle the regimen they’d initially devised, and would scale it back to manageable levels. It was likely that he would if that was necessary, given how invested he’d become in the Schnee matriarch’s wellbeing.

****

_Still, I hardly think a little extra concern will be a bad thing. This is a chance for mother and I to finally reconnect after all these years, I would not want anything to ruin that._

****

“Well, I am glad that you’re staying in Vale for the time being, mother.” Winter commented, spurred on by her previous train of thought. “At least this way we have some time to catch up.”

****

“I’m glad too dear.” Willow agreed. “But I’m afraid it might have to wait a while longer.” She tilted her head to indicate that they’d arrived at the training arena during their talk. Willow gingerly touched the rapier hanging in the scabbard at her side, since her old Huntress equipment and weapon was still in her room at the Schnee mansion, she was using a replacement that James had graciously provided for her.

****

“Of course. Well, good luck with your first traini- eep!” Winter’s farewell was cut off as her mother wrapped her arms around the stunned younger woman, giving her a tight hug.

****

“Thank you, dear… for giving me another chance.” Willow couldn’t help but sniffle slightly, as she thought back to all the times she’d neglected her children in favour of retreating into a bottle, her ‘coping’ method to finding out that Jacques had never really cared for her or their kids.

****

“It isn’t a problem… mum.” Winter hugged her back, allowed a couple of tears to leak out as she did so. Having her mother taking an active role in their lives once more felt nice, it felt _right_ , it felt like the first steps to rebuilding their family (sans Jacques, of course). “Well, if you’ll excuse me, I do have an assignment from General Ironwood, good luck with your training in the meantime.”

****

“Oh thank you, do give James my thanks too, won’t you?” Willow asked.

****

“I will.” Winter assured her.

****

After one last hug, the pair separated, with Winter striding off toward her meeting while Willow pushed open the door to the training arena. Fingering her rapier one last time, the snow-haired matriarch squared her shoulders and set her gaze.

****

Time to see just how many of her previous skills she remembered.

****

Stepping into the training arena, Willow found herself facing off against a young man, standing on the opposite side of the building. He was dressed in standard Atlesian light infantry armor, while also wielding a sword in one hand and a handgun in the other. Of course, that was not the feature that Willow found most interesting. Rather, it was his face that she focused on, since it was a very familiar face.

****

“Oh, hello again Mr Wilson.” She greeted the young man. “Will you be training me for today?”

****

“Oh, yeah. I’ll actually be the guy assigned the train you for all our training sessions.” The gunslinger replied. “The general gave me the assignment… guess he really cares a lot about you, huh? How about you, cos I might have been mistaken last night, but thought there was some tension between the two of you at the dance.”

****

“I disagree.” Willow stated. “There was no tension between us, not from my view. I care for James a good deal and I enjoy his company very much. He always was quite the gentleman around women, I’m glad he has kept that aspect of his personality through the years. I do hope that my company is as pleasant for him as his is for me.”

****

The matriarch smiled as she finished her explanation, while her designated ‘training instructor’ was attempting to pick his jaw up off the floor. He’d seriously not been expected such an honest explanation in response to his attempted teasing, still… he had to respect and appreciate how straightforward the snow-haired former Huntress was.

****

_Guess I know where Winter gets it from._ He chuckled to himself, before addressing his new trainee as they took their positions in the arena. “Alright then, since you’ve been uh… ‘out of the game’ for a while, I figured that I’d go easy on you for the first few spars until you start picking things up again. Sound good?” He asked as he took a ready stance.

****

“Oh, that is very kind of you, Mr Wilson.” Willow replied sweetly, though this did not last too long. She began to take her own ready stance, her expression and stance losing all previous sweetness and shifting to resemble a predator eyeing up its prey. At the same time, the air around her began to light up and shimmer as multiple Glyphs, each bearing the Schnee family crest, manifested around her.

****

A white-blue mist began to pour forth from the Glyphs, quickly coalescing and then hardening into the solid forms of at least a dozen Grimm, including Ursae, Beowolves and Beringels, all of them quickly rallying around Willow. As they began to growl and snap their jaws at the stunned gunslinger in front of them, their mistress addressed him once more.

****

“As I said, your restraint is very much appreciated, Mr Wilson.” This time, the Schnee matriarch’s smile bordered on _bloodthirsty_ . “But do not expect _me_ to show the same restraint.”

****

As her summoned Grimm began advancing on the gunslinger, Daniel couldn’t help but gulp.

****

_Heh… maybe this will be more difficult than I thought._

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

“Sir, you called for me?” Winter asked as she arrived at and knocked on the door to the training arena’s observation room. It was unlocked, but that was no reason to ignore proper etiquette.

****

“Ah Specialist Schnee, do come in.” Ironwood replied, standing with his hands clasped at the base of his back, facing away from her. Winter made her way into the room and moved to stand alongside her commander, looking down into the sparring room alongside him.

****

Currently, Daniel was being attacked by at least four spectral Grimm constructs, with the other eight or so still gathered around the Schnee matriarch. Winter didn’t bother to hide her surprise at how proficient Willow was still with her summoning.

****

Even after seven years as an alcoholic, she still remembered quite a bit of her old Huntress training.

****

“Quite impressive, isn’t it?” Ironwood asked softly, interrupting his subordinate’s thoughts. “I’m actually quite impressed with how much she’s remembered, even after all this time, especially when it comes to her summoning. ”

****

“Y-yes, I am quite surprised as well.” Winter admitted. “Out of interest sir, how skilled was my mother when she was at the academy?”

****

At this, a faint smile crossed the Atlas general’s features. “Willow was… quite the skilled combatant. She did take quite some time to pick up even the basic techniques of swordplay, but once she did it didn’t take long for her to begin advancing her skills. And when it came to her Glyphs, she was able to master summoning incredibly quickly, by the end of our first semester Willow could already maintain at least three Grimm constructs at once almost indefinitely.” Ironwood explained, nostalgia coating his tone.

****

“I… I see.” Privately, Winter could not help but feel a tad jealous of her mother. It had taken the elder Schnee sibling well into her third year at Atlas to even begin tapping into the summoning aspect of her Semblance. That her mother could do it so much earlier and so much better… 

****

The specialist shook her head to banish the thoughts, rather ashamed at being jealous of her own mother. If anything she should feel proud of her, especially since she’d retained at least some of her Huntress skills despite being an alcoholic for the past 7 years, that was an impressive achievement.

****

Taking another glance down into the arena, Winter saw Daniel dispatch one of her mother’s Beowolves, only for a Beringel to knock him a few feet away before he could parry the blow. “Well, mother seems to be doing quite well, but is there a reason you asked me here sir?” Winter decided to get things back on track.

****

“Ah yes, of course.” Ironwood actually looked apologetic, “My apologies Specialist Schnee, I was simply caught up in the nostalgia of watching your mother back in action, it brings back quite a few memories of our time as teammates.”

****

“Oh, that is quite alright sir.” Winter hurried to apologise, not wanting to seem rude. “I’m actually quite fascinated with the level of skill she’s retained after all this time, I think it would be acceptable to accelerate her training regimen.”

****

“Well, I’m glad that you agree with me on that point, Specialist Schnee.” Ironwood agreed. “Since your next assignment will be overseeing, and occasionally participating in, your mother’s training.” On hearing this Winter’s eyes widened slightly.

****

“I-I see. Would… would that include this one, as well sir?”

****

“Yes, it will Spec-” Ironwood cut himself off in slight confusion as he turned to face his subordinate and saw the rather conflicted look on Winter’s face. “Specialist, is everything alright?”

****

Winter started slightly, before meeting her superior’s gaze. “Ah, forgive my distraction sir, I was… simply worried, but it’s nothing to concern yourself with, I assure you.” At this, Ironwood raised an eyebrow and frowned slightly.

****

“Specialist, if you have concerns or worries, then I would like to hear them, especially if it might affect your performance on duty.” The general insisted gently.

****

“Very well sir.” Winter sighed. “I am simply worried about Dani- I mean Specialist Wilson being the one to directly train with my mother for most of her training sessions.”

****

“Oh? Why is that?” Ironwood tilted his head.

****

“Well…” The general was rather surprised to see a red tinge dusting he cheeks of his subordinate. “I am rather afraid that my mother will use her training sessions as a method of… _vetting_ Daniel as my potential suitor.” Winter almost visibly cringed at that thought.

****

“Ah.” In an instant, Ironwood’s curiosity was replaced with something that resembled nostalgic dread far too closely for Winter’s liking. “I… that does sound familiar.” He probably intended it as a whisper, but Winter picked up on it anyway.

****

“What do you mean ‘familiar’, sir?” There was a hint of worry in Winter’s voice, worry that was derived solely from the look of worry the Specialist could see on her superior’s face.

****

“Well, the reason why Willow’s actions sound familiar Specialist, is because I know where she got that mindset from.” Ironwood admitted, the man rubbing his right arm slightly. “In our second year at Atlas, Nicholas Schnee paid the academy a visit. He was rather… _concerned_ about Willow’s relationship status, so he decided to evaluate her potential suitors as well.”

****

“Oh?” Winter cocked her head. “So did he-?”

****

“He sparred with them. All of them. Without any rest between fights.” Ironwood had a worryingly far off glare. “That did include myself… it was not a pleasant experience.”

****

By now, Winter had turned back to view the ongoing spar between her partner and her mother, though she could not help but listen to her superior’s tale intently. “So, what does this mean for the present, sir?”

****

Ironwood allowed a small, nostalgic smile to cross his face now.

****

“It means that if your mother is any more like her father than she already is, then Specialist Wilson might find her a very tough opponent indeed.”

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

Daniel narrowly dodged a slash from a summoned Ursa, quickly plunging a knife into its head and firing a shot from Destiny into a second one. He lept back and threw two knives at approaching Beringel summons, earning some distance between himself and Willow, who was still summoning more constructs with her sembalace. 

****

“Heh...you’re giving me quite the workout, ma’am.” He quipped, allowing a nervous laugh to slip from his throat. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were mad at me or something.”

****

“Oh, I’m not angry, Mr. Wilson.” Willow assured, a thin smile crossing her lips. “I’m just trying to decipher how you managed to acquire my daughter’s affections.”

****

Daniel was a bit surprised with the mother’s bluntness, but let out a wry laugh as he dodged another attack from a Grimm construct, followed by another series of shots from his hand cannon.

****

“Honestly, ma’am?” He asked, offering the woman a small smile as he shrugged his shoulders. “Your guess is as good as mine. Why Winter actually chose me, over anyone else competing for her affection, I’ll never know.”

****

The honest answer surprised the eldest Schnee, just enough to throw her off her guard. She barely had time to raise her rapier, a series of sparks shooting off as Daniel’s knife skimmed the blade.

****

“Try not to get too distracted, ma’am.” He commented, holstering Destiny and bringing out his broadsword once more. “We’re still training, after all.”

****

“Hm. Yes, of course.” Willow coceeded, before tilting her head thoughtfully. “However, would you allow me one more query?”

****

Daniel shrugged his shoulder, and allowed his signature smirk to appear on his face. “Sure thing, ma’am. Query away.”

****

“You care greatly for my daughter, correct?” Willow asked, drawing her blade upward and going into an offensive stance. Daniel quirked an eyebrow, but nodded in confirmation before the eldest Schnee continued.

****

“If you truly love her, I need to know you can protect her. Winter may not be a delicate flower, but she’s not invisible either. So, Daniel, if it ever came to it, what would you do to protect my daughter?”

****

Uneasy silence fell over the room momentary, as the gunslinger and the mother started each other down. Daniel drew up his own sword, and offered three words in response.

****

“Whatever it takes.”

****

With that, he charged at her, their blades meeting sending sparks flying.  However, the exchange was short, as Willow suddenly dipped, sweeping Daniel’s legs out from under him and sending him spralling to the floor. He started to rise, before the tip of Willow’s sword tapped his chest, keeping him in place.

****

“And I believe that our spar is finished.” 

****

Daniel looked over to the board, and discovered that she was right. His aura was in the red, while Willow’s still sat at a crisp 40%. He let out a small chuckle, before taking Willow’s offered hand and rising to his feet.

****

“Yeah, guess we are.” He muttered, tilting his head and allowing his neck to crack. “So...what happens now, exactly?”

****

“Well, I’d assume we’ll take a few minutes to recuperate, then we start again.” Willow mused, smirking a bit at Daniel’s apparent surprise with her answer. “After all, we have more to discuss, don’t we, Daniel?”

****

Another weak chuckle left the gunslinger’s throat, but the smile on his face was genuine as he nodded in agreement, sheathing his sword and pulling _Destiny_ from it’s holster.

****

“Sure do, ma’am. We sure do.”

\--------------

Line Break

\--------------

“So, what’s this all about Jaune?” Pyrrha asked, finally. There was a chorus of affirmatives and supportive questions from the various girls in the JNPR dorm room after she spoke. On her own bed, Nora and Ren both nodded along with their teammate’s question, while Velvet and Coco (seated alongside them) also pitched in their own questions, with Coco’s inevitably derailing into a proposition for sex, which got her a reprimand from Velvet.

****

“Yeah, you called us all together for a reason, is there something wrong?” Nebula asked, the NDGO leader squashed onto Ren’s bed alongside team RWBY, with all eight girls fixing the blonde knight with looks of concern and support.

****

“Yeah, we’re here for you if you need anything Jaune. You can count on us!” Ruby chirped eagerly, the scythe-wielder leaning forward slightly.

****

“Wow Rubes, that eager for some more action with Lover Boy?” Yang teased, ruffling her younger sister’s hair playfully.

****

“Yang! It isn’t like that! Ruby cried, swinging around to shoot her sister a betrayed look. “If Jaune needs help then I’ll help him, what’s so wrong with that?!”

****

“Yeah blondie, Rosie’s right.” Surprisingly, it was Marceline who came to Ruby’s defense, the grey-haired beauty speaking from her position on Nora’s bed alongside Neo, Emerald, Penny and Amber. “If Jauney’s in some kind of trouble and needs help, it’s our duty as his thoughtful and caring girlfriends to help him out however we can.”

****

Almost everyone in the room was rather taken aback by the usually crude girl’s rather polite and supportive statement, at the very least because she didn’t decide to attach an innuendo or sexually suggestive comment to it like she usually did. Of all the girls, no one was more surprised than her own partner.

****

“W-wow, Marc.” Emerald actually whistled and shot her teammate a small smile. “That’s actually a good point there, and you didn’t even ruin it with-”

****

“Plus, if Jauney’s mission involves a lot of fighting, then he’ll be all pent-up and aggressive for a while afterward, which means that if we go along it’ll be easy to convince him to bang us all really hard. I can’t wait for him to leave me with bruises down there.” Marcie continued flippantly, prompting the other girls to gape at her and Emerald to slap her hand against her face.

****

“Guess I spoke too soon.” She grumbled, as Neo patted her back in sympathy. “Why can’t you just… _act like a person_ , for even a DAY?! Why do you have to be OBSESSED WITH SEX!?” The chocolate-skinned girl nearly roared at her teammate.

****

“Uh, because _someone_ has to be the slutty freak among all you shy prudes.” Marcie replied, unfazed by her partner’s wrath. “I mean _come on_ , if I didn’t ask for details about what you all got up to with Jauney, then would you all _actually_ discuss it by yourselves?”

****

“I definitely would.” Coco cut in, lowering her shades. “And I resent the implication that I’m a ‘shy prude’, that honour goes to Bun-Bun here, despite my best efforts to get her to loosen up.” The fashionista moaned overdramatically, even patting Velvet’s head. “Where did I go wrong with you, Bun?”

****

Velvet, for her part, just sighed and put up with her leader’s insanity.

****

“Well, unlike you, _some_ of us actually have standards.” Weiss sniffed, turning up her nose at the busty ex-assassin, who merely smirked.

****

“Really Weiss-cream?” She snarked, prompting a supportive ‘Aaay! My girl!’ from Yang. “You sure it’s not just because you don’t want to admit that your night with Jauney was a bit shorter than all the others, because he didn’t have much to, well…” She stopped talking, but instead moved her hands up to her chest and began squeezing her large bust together while licking her lips.

****

“Y-you lewd DEGENERATE!” Weiss nearly shrieked over the other girl’s cackles, before Ruby and Blake both intervened to try and calm her down. Any further arguing was interrupted by Jaune himself, stepping forward with uncertain frown on his face.

****

“Girls, girls! I called you here for a reason!” He hollered, causing most pairs of eyes to snap toward him in shock. From there, it only took a few moments for the room’s occupants to settle down, though Weiss still shot the occasional glare across the room at Marcie, who simply stuck her tongue out in reply.

****

“So, what’s going on Jaune?” Blake asked, trying to get the meeting back on track.

****

“You’re not in any trouble are you?” Ren asked, the ninja girl tilting her head with a concerned look on her face.

****

“Ah, no… nothing like that, I promise.” Jaune assured them, not wanting anyone to jump to any nasty and false conclusions. “Just a new assignment I’ve been asked to go on from the Headmaster, is all.”

****

“Oh, that’s quite surprising.” Amber commented, cupping her chin with a hand in thought. “On the other hand, I suppose after everything you’ve done for him, it makes sense that Oz would trust you with greater responsibility now, still….” Her expression shifted to one of concern. “You know you don’t have to do these assignments for him, right Jaune? You know you can stop if you think they’re too dangerous, don’t you?”

****

“Yeah, you don’t have to go throwing yourself into danger all the time!” Nora agreed fervently.

****

“Especially if you can’t handle it and you wind up getting hurt…” Velvet chipped in, the bunny girl’s big brown eyes tugging at the knight’s heartstrings as she met his gaze with them.

****

“ _They’re not wrong, Jaune.”_ His own personal Huntress spirit chimed in, her soft voice reverberating around his skull. “ _You do keep putting yourself in danger and getting hurt, and that hurts them… hurts me, it hurts to see you get injured.”_

****

“Yeah, I know.” Jaune admitted. “But still… I think I can handle this assignment.”

****

“You’d better take proper precautions though, mister.” Gwen spoke up, crossing her arms and glaring at him.

****

“Yeah, we’ve not even had our dates yet!” Octavia backed up her teammate. This was swiftly followed by all of team NDGO levelling the knight with stern stares. “So you better come back in one piece, okay?”

****

“Heh, alright Tavi, I’ll try to come back in one piece.” Jaune assured her, the nickname causing the girl to squeak slightly as her cheeks lit up in a blush. “I promise I won’t put myself in too much danger until you’ve all been on as many dates with me as you want.”

****

“Wait, hold on! ‘As many dates as you want’?” Yang questioned with a huff. “Why do THEY get multiple dates and not us, we were your girlfriends first!”

****

“And what about us?” Marice asked in a mock-offended tone, as she gripped both her teammates and pulled them closer so they could all stare at Jaune. “I mean, we’re bad girls Jauney, we’ve not had much love in our lives, why can’t _we_ get more dates from your sexy ass?”

****

“Because you didn’t ask.” Jaune replied in an almost deadpan voice.

****

“...... well damn, you’re right there.” The ex-assassin grumbled, releasing her teammates. “Well in that case, you better come back from your mission okay Jauney, it’d really suck if you died on us before we got another date.” Though her voice was light, Jaune could see the worry in her grey eyes, as well as her lip bite.

****

“Don’t worry Marc, I don’t plan on dying anytime soon, I’ve got too much to live for now.” The blonde assured the girl, who couldn’t help but smile and blush a little at the inference.

****

“You better not, you better come back to us okay.” She mumbled softly.

****

“Well, as sweet as that is…” Pyrrha interjected, with a healthy blush on her own face at her boyfriend’s words. “I have to ask, what sort of mission is this Jaune?”

****

“Oh uh… I’m not actually sure yet. Headmaster Ozpin told me that it’s probably going to be a reconnaissance or extermination mission, so it’s nothing any of us haven’t done before.” 

****

“Cool, we can finally get to kick some butt and take some names!” Ruby cried, pumping her fist into the air.

****

“Yeah sister!” Nora responded, bounding over from her position on the bed to high-five the younger girl, the ginger bomber vibrating with excitement all the while. “We’re all gonna show those monsters who’s boss!”

****

“I can’t wait to get back into the action again.” Nebula admitted, with DGO all nodding along with their leader. “The last time we saw some action was weeks ago, when that dragon attacked the school with all those Grimm.”

****

“So, I think it’s clear that we all want to get back into the action.” Yang summed up, waiting for nods of agreement from the other girls and Jaune before continuing on. Some were more enthused than others, with Ruby, Marcie, Nora and Neo’s heads becoming blurs as they nodded frantically. “Well, what about you Fairy Girl? You eager to get back in there?” She addressed the Fall Maiden.

****

“Well…” Amber rubbed her arm and tilted her head, including a rather uncertain lip bite as she worked out the rest of her answer. “Honestly, I’ve kinda been itching to get back out there, too. I mean, with all the people who were after me either imprisoned or-” She stole a glance at the ex-villain trio. “On the right side now, there’s really no reason for me not to go on missions with you guys.” This time, she cast her gaze toward the sole blonde knight. “Maybe… I  can go on your mission with you, Jaune?” She asked, somewhat bashfully.

****

“Can we go too, fearless leader!?” Nora asked, practically bouncing up and down in front of the Arc scion. “Please, please, please?”

****

“Team NDGO is at your service! I-if you’ve have us, that is.” Nebula’s bold proclamation lost a bit of steam as her cheeks were overtaken by a blush, the normally reserved girl rather embarrassed at how excited she’d gotten.

****

“We’re gonna be coming along too.” Neo declared, with Emerald and Marcie nodding along quite eagerly. “We’ve all been dying for some action.” With that, the ice cream themed ex-enforcer turned her gaze toward her favourite blonde dork. “So, can we come Jauney?” She asked, in a deliberately cutesy tone while batting her eyes for effect.

****

Instead of the expected agreement, all Neo and the other girls got from Jaune in reply was a small sigh and sideways glance.

****

“Jaune?” Pyrrha asked, leaning over to place a hand on her partner’s shoulder. “What’s wrong? Do you… not want us to come with you?” The scarlet champion asked, her voice smaller and sounding slightly hurt, prompting Jaune to place his own hand on her shoulder in response.

****

“It’s not that Pyr, I promise! I’d really like all you girls to come with me, it sounds like a good bonding experience for us all, but… well, I’ve already been assigned a team and a combat partner to work with.” Jaune admitted, shocking quite a few of the girls. “Headmaster’s orders.”

****

“O-oh…” Pyrrha looked dejected, though understanding. “I see. Do you at least know who they are?”

****

“Yeah, there’s my friend Daniel, Weiss’ sister Winter-” At this, Weiss’ face lit up. “- and a team of Atlas’ ‘Freelancer’ soldiers backing us up. All in all, we should’ve have any problems.” Jaune said, trying his best to assure the girls that he’d be fine.

****

“Oh, well that doesn’t sound too bad. So… who’s your partner?” Ren cut in, the green ninja cocking her head inquisitively.

****

At this, Jaune’s face collapsed.

****

“Um… Jaune? Are you okay?” Blake asked, the cat faunus leaning forward with a concerned look on her face.

****

No reply, as the knight was still too busy taking steady breaths while gazing straight ahead.

****

“Jaune… a-about your partner?” Pyrrha tried again. “Is it perhaps someone you don’t get along with?”

****

“You could say that.” He mumbled.

****

“Is it a girl?” Neo asked, raising an eyebrow.

****

“Yeah.” The knight replied, still in a slight daze.

****

“Is she hot?” Yang asked. Upon receiving glares from roughly half the girls in attendance, the blonde brawler rolled her eyes and threw up her hands. “What!? I’m only asking the question on all our minds right now!” Tellingly, NDGO, the trio and Pyrrha all coughed/took a breath/sighed and looked away for a moment, simply confirming Yang’s speculation.

****

“Um, y-yeah. She’s hot, in more ways than one.” Jaune muttered.

****

“Is she hotter _than us_ ?” Marcie flat-out demanded, the girl’s eyes narrowing dangerously. “That’s the important thing here, right ladies?” Her teammates, plus Yang, Nora and _Pyrrha_ of all people, were quick to nod along with her, even Emerald put more effort into going along with her partner’s usual antics than normal.

****

“Uh, n-no. She’s not hotter than any of you.” Came the boy’s quick reply, he might’ve been a tad out of it thanks to still processing his new assignment from Ozpin, but even he knew there was only _one_ right answer to that question.

****

“Well, good. At least we know she’s not gonna try and steal our Jauney from us.” Marcie stated.

****

“If they try, they’ve got another thing coming!” Many heads were turned towards the speaker in surprise, which was in itself not a surprise considering that it was _Velvet_ who had spoken. At that point, it did not take long for the usually shy bunny Faunus to turn red and pull her ears down over her face to whine in embarrassment.

****

“Right, so now that we’ve established that Bun Bun has a definite mean streak when it comes to our favourite sexy knight over here-” Coco cut in. “I think it’s time for the all important question… what’s her name?”

****

It should have been the simplest question in the world to answer, especially after the other questions the girls had already been barraging him with. For Jaune however, the answer was somewhat… more difficult for him to produce.

****

And with good reason.

****

“Uh, w-well… her name… yeah.” He rambled slightly, mentally scrambling as to whether or not he should tell them the truth or just lie about his ‘new partner’.

****

_“Jaune, they’re going to find out eventually.”_ Summer’s soothing voice argued in his mind. _“Either you tell them now and prove you trust them, or you hold off on telling them until they find out on their own, and they might feel hurt that you didn’t share that information sooner.”_ The Huntress spirit argued.

****

_… you’re right._ Jaune replied. _I mean, they’re all my girlfriends, so I can trust them… hopefully they won’t freak out too badly._

****

“Jaune? Are you alright?” Pyrrha’s voice brought him back to the here and now, as the scarlet spartan reached over to squeeze his hand in a show of support. Squeezing her own hand back in reply, Jaune took in a breath before continuing.

****

“Yeah Pyr, I’m alright. Anyway, about my partner for the assignment…”

****

“So you don’t get along with this girl, you can still kick ass by yourself!” Yang assured him, the brawler smiling confidently. “I mean, how bad can this girl be? It’s not like she’s a terrorist or something, right?”

****

No one missed Jaune’s wince and visible cringe. Almost every pair of eyes shot wide open as they processed what that wince implied.

****

“Jaune?” Ruby asked quietly. “Is she really a, a-”

****

Jaune didn’t reply verbally, but the look in his eyes told the girls all they needed to know.

****

“Jaune, who is it?” Nebula asked, looking worried.

****

“Yeah, who is it?” Marcie almost growled, looking a dangerous combination of worried for the blonde knight’s safety and angry that someone was letting him team up with a _terrorist._ Emerald and Neo were hardly any better, the former’s face had collapsed into a frown, while the latter had pulled her blade from her parasol and had begun sharpening it quite audibly.

****

“It’s…” Jaune took one more fortifying breath while closing his eyes. After a moment, he opened them again, glancing around the whole room to address the girls important to him.

****

“It’s Cinder. I’m partnered with Cinder.”


	67. You Have The Right To Remain Silent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the wake of the Ack-Ack nightclub raid, Detective Orion and Task Force Brimstone get some juicy intel from one of Ripper's lieutenants. And a new objective comes into play for Vale's finest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, gang. Joe here!
> 
> I'm certain you weren't expecting a new chapter so soon after Chapter 66. But with Jack and Panda busy with school/Uni work, I've been given clearance to put up another police segment in between the plot thickening. This is a standalone chapter, so nothing major relating to Jaune and the others happening here. Just something to keep traffic flowing.
> 
> I know you all liked the last segment I wrote with the nightclub shootout, so here's my next piece of work contributing to the fic while the guys are busy. Hopefully this'll impress y'all as well with how hard I worked on this. Might be my longest segment so far at 5128 words. More the merrier, right?
> 
> Oh. And while I'm here, with this fan fic getting more traffic than my page, I wanted to take the time (with Jack and Panda's permission) to plug my own RWBY fanfic that's part of my headcanon. In a series that I have set up called RWBY: Bloodlines, which stars several ship kids I've conjured up in a post-War setting, but this one is a prequel before you see them in action. Instead, it's about Ruby and Oscar's relationship. So uh...Something for any Rosegarden fans if you're interested.
> 
> I'm almost done with the story, just one more chapter to go. In the mean time here it is: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20224753/chapters/47930323
> 
> You can also check out my other fanfics if you're interested. I would really appreciate the feedback in the form of comments as well, since I'm curious to see what y'all would think given how I'm co-authoring on a big story.
> 
> With all that out of the way, here's my latest police segment. Hope you guys like it. 
> 
> Peace!

The refurbished kitchen inside Lucien’s was lit up with the sound of the freshly cleaned stove being put to use for food, the smell of it wafting out the taste of eggs, bacon and toast. A side of rice to the side along with chives and grated cheese.

Detective Joe Orion was hard at work prepping breakfast for the staff in Brimstone. A nostalgic smile on his face as he distinctly remembered his time volunteering at a soup kitchen back in Year 10 of Secondary School, helping fill some hungry bellies at no extra charge.

There was something about the feeling of a hairnet holding down his crew cut hair which was shaved at the sides despite feeling practically nothing there when he wore one. Something that brought back simpler times before he graduated as a Constable, thinking long and hard what he signed up for, knowing that he wasn’t planning on backing out ever since he got his shoulder badge which bore his divisional code and individual number.

So the number wasn’t as catchy, nor as powerful as his later badge number when he was nearly voted to become Chief Inspector of the 77th. But it still served as a good reminder of what Joe was doing when he marched down the street after his Valedictorian speech.

“Who needs teleprompters?” He commented to himself, remember how he shut his off and improvised on how to be brave, full of honor, that kind of stuff which caught a dirty look from his instructors at the academy, but they were impressed with what he said to his classmates, nonetheless.

As Joe proceeded with dishing up breakfast for his colleagues, a knock at the kitchen door frame came in.

“Come in.”

Before he could reply, in came Winter Schnee. Dressed in casual clothing, her hair lowered without the bun in her hair as she stepped inside to greet the detective.

“Good morning, Detective.” She said.

“Oh, Specialist Schnee. Good morning.” He said. “How are you today?”

“I’m fine, thank you.” She said with a nod. “What about you?”

“Doing well.” He replied. “Couldn’t help but notice that you’re out of uniform. Coming in late while on shore leave?”

“Mm. Hardly. You see, the Vytal Tournament is starting back up. I also have family visiting which is why I am dressed this way. General Ironwood wanted me to check-in with you and the agents of the CTU regarding a recent mission at the Ack-Ack Nightclub.” Winter spoke. “How did that turn out, by the way?”

Joe turned the burner off, so as not to burn his meal and spoke.

“Mission was a success. We’ve got two Fang grunts in custody, including a well-known Lieutenant by the name of Ripper. First name unknown. But apparently he’s working for one Amanda Taurus. A big name in the Fang.”

Winter put a finger up to her chin as she looked back to one of the Atlesian Specialist Operations Command most-wanted lists regarding where she heard that name before.

“Taurus…Yes. I think she’s been brought up before in passing over at ASOC, maybe with one of Atlas Academy’s administrators.” Said the elder Schnee. “What is your Intel on her?”

Joe shrugged, shaking his head.

“Couldn’t tell you, ma’am.” He answered. “All we know about her is whatever comes out of Ripper’s mouth. And it’s hard to get him talking. If anything, the most we’re getting is from one of his goons who’s currently in custody being interrogated by the Chief Inspector’s office.”

Winter closed her eyes before speaking.

“Well, if he’s providing the best information possible, then it’s better than nothing.” She said. “If there’s one thing I remember from learning RTI; Resistance To Interrogation techniques is that it doesn’t take long for a standard officer to crack. Especially not if it’s those who are considered ‘grunts’ if you will.”

“You feel that the same applies to the White Fang?” Joe asked.

“No.” She said before opening her eyes. “But the way they take their mission so seriously I wouldn’t put it past them. Having dealt with them in the past, there are terror cells within the group that certainly operates on a more disciplined, militaristic level than the the rabble you and Special Agent Sevchenko encountered at the club.”

As he was serving up the breakfast meals onto the clean dishes, Joe noticed a look of annoyance flash in Winter’s eyes.

“And no, I’m not prejudiced towards Faunus unlike most of my brethren in the Atlesian armed forces.” She spoke. “I’m told that Mistral is the most racist Kingdom, so I feel that my presence is the least concerning for your Faunus liaison, Sergeant Bannister.”

“I…Never assumed that about you, ma’am.” The P.I. responded.

“I’m pleased you noticed quickly. My younger sister is attending Beacon and has a Faunus teammate, telling me that she’s a dear friend and ally. So I have no problem working with one.”

“The enemy of the enemy is my friend.” He commented.

“Indeed.” Said Winter, before noticing the busy kitchen around her. “Are you cooking breakfast for the agents in this operation?”

“Uh, yeah.” Orion said when looking back. “Would you like some eggs and fried rice?”

“May I have some?” She asked. “I hadn’t eaten breakfast yet.” She said, sheepishly clearing her throat after her stomach rumbled.

“Sure.” He said with a smile. “I guarantee that you’ll like what I can do with a fried egg.”

“That sounds wonderful, thank you.” She said with a nod, grabbing a mug and pouring herself a coffee as Joe fixed up the fried mix with chives and the main egg. The dish being served shortly afterwards with a side of toast as Winter was about to take a bite, her first taste being interrupted by another voice which stood at the side of the kitchen’s door frame.

“Well, here’s the man of the hour.” Daniel Wilson said, laying his elbow on the frame as he raised an eyebrow and winked at the private eye in congratulations for a job well done at yesterday’s authorized dance of lethal force. “Took two to tango, eh, detective?”

“Specialist Wilson.” He responded with a smile. “Thanks for the praise, but I assure you that I couldn’t have done it alone without the help of the CTU. It was nothing, really.”

“Regardless, I loved hearing about how you wounded that Ripper dude and taking him in. Nice shooting, Holmes.”

“Holmes?” He responded. Ears flushing at Daniel’s compliment, but his mouth tilted downwards in confusion.

“Yeah. You’re a detective, right? Reminded me of an old book series I read as a kid. I don’t know why, but it sounds familiar so you reminded me of the one from that story.”

“I’ll make a note to take that as a compliment, then.” He said. “Would you care for some breakfast? My treat.” Orion said, gesturing to his handiwork.

“Nah. I’ve already brought a quick meal for the meeting. Thanks, though.”

“My pleasure.” He said, smiling again. “I’m guessing you get a service member discount for the food vendors for the Tournament?”

“Ha! You wish.” Said Daniel. “If nothing else, I get a taste of the snow back home when I’m training with the Sentinel.”

Winter paused, nearly dropping her breakfast as she was about to sit down to eat on the top floor of the club with the other agents.

“D-Daniel!” She hissed; blushing at her boyfriend’s remark.

“What?” He said with a shrug. “I’m just telling the facts about what SERE training is like in Atlas.”

“Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape training?” Orion dryly pointed out.

“Yep. You wouldn’t believe how clean the tap water is up North. Assuming the snow isn’t dirtied up from the roads and vice versa it can hydrate you pretty quickly.”  
Winter facepalmed as soon as she reached her table, resisting the urge to smack him for such a lewd joke about their sex life behind the scenes.

“Dolt…” She snarled, being picked up by Orion’s superb hearing which he didn’t bother trying to ask out of respect since he could see right through the armored Specialist’s implication.

“Ah, well. No other place like Vale. Catch you later, Holmes.” He said as he headed towards the war room. The detective raising an eyebrow at what he could deduce from a mile away. Whoever this Holmes was from Daniel’s old mystery novels, he wished he could point it out loud like he could without getting reprimanded by who was technically a superior officer in his presence.

Winter sighed, before composing herself.

“I apologize for Daniel’s sense of humor, Detective.” She said, restraining herself from smacking her partner. “Being cooped up in the training sims with his Sentinel power armor has lowered his sense of class in the outside world.”

“I heard that!” Daniel cried out from the staircase.

“Or he’s pretty thirsty considering the jobs you both have.” Joe snarked underneath his breath.

“I’m sorry?” Winter asked.

“Nothing, ma’am.” He said as they sat down to eat before getting to brass tacks regarding the after-action report on the nightclub raid.

\------------

Line Break

\------------

Timothy Schwarz, a now-disgraced brother of the White Fang sat in his cuffs on the desk in one of the interrogation rooms in the 54th Precinct, under questioning from Detective Sergeant Carter Stanley, a gentleman from the Chief Inspector’s office, who was assigned to interrogation by Captain Clarence of the 5-4.

DS Stanley cautiously wagged his dog tail, the irony of someone sympathizing with a fellow Faunus fighting an oppressive government while the sympathizer (Stanley in this case) was in a position of authority not being lost on him. But drawing the line at harming civilians for a terroristic agenda, because it was his job to look into suspects who were going to be responsible for causing such trouble among the populace.

As he sat on the table, his tail wagging at a slower pace, Stanley looked at Schwarz. Unmasked, his red eyes looking down as his cuffed wrists, head shaking as he held a water bottle in his left hand.

“Not exactly one for the highlight reel, Tim.” The investigator spoke as he looked back to his prisoner. His English accent flourishing. “Asked by your order to hold up a nightclub, only to be taken down by the authorities. It must be quite the blemish on your record within the Fang.”

Schwarz angrily croaked at the cop’s remark, defiantly glaring into his eyes. His response would have been much uglier would he have not been handcuffed to the table. So he sat back down, his glare unchanging towards his interrogator.

“Do you have any idea what my brothers are gonna do to you when they find me?” The frog Faunus asked, his tone threatening, but clearly exhausted from how much he had been pressured by these jerks to start talking in exchange for his freedom. Or lack thereof, considering he had been aiding the most high-profile terrorist organization in Remnant.

“You know, you’re not the first not the first to bring up this to me.” Said Stanley. Unflinching at his tone. “I’ve heard just about all the threats towards my associates, so I’m afraid that your implications of what you will do to me are not special.”

Schwarz paused, the slumped in his chair.

“Is that so?” He defeatedly asked.

Stanley nodded.

“Oh, yes. Us organized crime officers, we don’t get the most colourful threats, but we’re still regularly thrown all sorts of dehumanizing bile. I’ve had your chaps threaten my offspring, my wife, my in-laws, and others they bring into the interrogation to try and demoralize me.” He said, fidgeting with his wedding ring at the mention of his family being threatened.

“Yeah? Why do you still do it, then?” The amphibian inquired.

The officer shrugged, sitting up from the table then sitting down across from the suspect.

“Call it a civic duty.” He answered, toying with the unlit cigarette in his fingers, which he offered Tim earlier but was refused. “I suppose I just worked hard enough to earn a place within the Chief Inspector’s office that involved me looking into the nitty-gritty of organized crime in the Kingdom. No offense, but you’re not exactly the toughest nut to crack from the White Fang that I have met.” He said, before taking a deep breath at what he said next. “That would be your boss. The Ripper.”

The frog sighed, looking down at Ripper’s case file which was unfolded out to him. The details of which were said before by Task Force Brimstone’s higher-ups but was said again in the Vale Police Department’s crime database.

First name unknown. Faunus breed, unknown. Age, unknown. Either this biggun was that good at being a ghost. Or maybe VPD did know his identity but was redacted for the sake of national security should a mole for the Fang leak his juicy details and cause panic. Something that Headmaster Ozpin and his affiliates did not want. And something that the cops and their Huntsman Affairs staff worked hard at to keep things quiet.

“Tell me something, Tim. How long have you worked with Ripper?”

Schwarz looked to the reflective window which obviously featured staff recording the interrogation for evidence, something that was going to be used against him in a court of law.

‘All suspects are guilty until proven innocent in a court of law.’ One of the old police reality shows frequently disclaimed at the beginning of each episode.  
 _That’s a big fuckin’ lie and you know it._ The frog told himself before answering his interrogator’s question. Taking note of the lie detector he was hooked up to.

“Uh, we met around the time of the Goliath purge in the Forever Fall.” He answered. Referring to Goliath Grimm over-populating the northern area of the Forever Fall and how a White Fang cell along with Huntsmen and the Valean Army temporarily reached a ceasefire agreement to cleanse the deathly pachyderms which caused trouble for settlers and folks in the north of the forest.

Carter nodded as he looked at the lie detector’s results that showed he was telling the truth. He took notes on his Scroll, and quickly searched to confirm the time of the purge. April 30th, 63 AGW.

“Ahh. So you were killing these massive buggers altogether?”

Schwarz allowed himself to smile nostalgically at what a sight that was for the history books, nodding as he continued.

“Much as I wanted to cook these Humans and these Faunus traitors, they were cutting through them like a hot knife through butter.” He said, his smile that usually indicated sadism now showing satisfaction. “We have several fighting positions set up, so we had no problem shooting down the Griffons while they were chopping these elephants up.”

Carter smiled as well. Not denying the Grimm body count that his would-have-been brethren in the Fang were he not a cop managed to rack up as Tim carried on.

“I must have gotten five of those things. We drove in the convoy trucks and the next thing I remember was turning them into mincemeat.” He said with a dark chuckle. “I couldn’t even remember smaller Grimm getting close. We were kicking their asses so badly.”

“You must have earned quite a pint once you got away.”

“I know, right?” Schwarz said, his smile turning into a frown afterwards. “Except, when the fighting stopped, most of us cleared out afterwards. Me and Ripper, we were the first ones to go because he was leading the expedition for a new base. All I remember as I was about to bleed out when my truck was flipped over was some Huntress calling for the rest of us to run for cover. Then as I passed out something was going off. I heard the Grimm roaring in pain. As I was barely gaining consciousness I heard stone crumbling, but I couldn’t make it out because I was so out of it.”

Carter looked back at the lie detector. Still getting truthful results as he looked back at the suspect, eyebrow raised.

“May I ask what you gathered from that day while you were evacuating?”

Tim shook his head, just as bamboozled as he was sixteen years ago.

“No frigging clue. Apparently I was told that the rest of the Goliath herd was petrified, then a barrage of artillery and gunfire shattered them afterwards. I know I saw it with my own eyes when I got on the Bullhead out of the Fall.” He said, staring at his cuffed hands. “But I could barely remember. Besides, I was bleeding out and needed help. I know you probably don’t believe me, but I was there so it’s the best way I could describe it.”

“Let’s say that I believe you, lad.” Carter observed, making room to show him the graph basically spelling out ‘hey-he’s-telling-the-truth.’

The police dog looked back at his reflection in the interrogation room window. The employees on the other side probably taking bets on how quickly it will take for the suspect to break after revealing that old story which clearly made him uncomfortable to bring up. Seeing his buddies drop like flies at the thunderous stampedes the mammoth-like Goliaths provided which forced them into retreat were it not for Valean intervention.

The Detective Sergeant, however, had a different motive since he believed his amphibian prisoner. He was singing like a canary regarding his history with Ripper. He wanted a lawyer, but he wasn’t whining about it unlike most suspects being interrogated. It was as though Carter was giving him a fair trial. Appropriate considering his degree in Criminal Law. Whatever one of his suspects wanted, Carter would provide within reason so long as they would sing.

“Now. What did your brothers say about springing Cinder Fall from custody?” He asked.

“What didn’t they say.” Schwarz replied humourlessly. “You’ve heard of Amanda Taurus, right?”

“I’m a Faunus, Tim.” The DS calmly replied with a flick of his tail. “Who hasn’t heard of Miss Taurus? My grandkids are frequently asking whenever the White Fang is in the news if I’m going to keep the mean old bull lady at bay.” He added with a tinge of worry.

“Wait. You know her breed?” The frog responded with a raised eyebrow.

Carter nodded.

“Oh, yes. We have no idea what she looks like here on the mainland, but her descriptions in our wanted lists and case files say that she is a bull Faunus.” Carter answered. “You bringing her up in this interrogation is nothing unique, lad. And we know damn well that she’s a ghost whose name spreads fear and anxiety in our Faunus officers.”

“Yeah, well, I have no idea what she looks like either.” The perp said back. “You could ask Ripper, and he’s currently giving you guys the silent treatment.”

The dog furrowed an eyebrow as he drew another file from his briefcase, holding it up with a pause for dramatic effect. His stiff upper lip attitude not changing from his body language.

“Well, what if I told you that Miss Fall had played your mates like a fiddle?”

“Huh?” The red-eyed suspect replied, eyebrows peaked with uncertainty.

“No? Then here’s Exhibit B.” Stanley said, throwing the file open revealing some incriminating evidence that would damn the Fang’s reputation among its’ sympathizers.

Cinder Fall and her goons. Meeting with mob boss Roman Torchwick.

Schwarz croaked again. This time in shock at the sight of this Human woman working with another Human, who the Fang avoided like the plague due to how deep his connections and his pockets were. The same mob boss who idly stood by while his brothers were cornered at the docks by several First-Year students at Beacon. Including a student that he recognized that he heard that Amanda frequently called for this traitor’s head.

Blake Belladonna.

“How…?!”

“Good question, glad you asked.” DS Stanley calmly spoke. “You see, Miss Fall had been anticipating students to come and apprehend your mates at one of the most popular centres for organized crime outside of the red-light district.” He said as he lit a pipe. “Interview tapes that have been provided by Headmaster Ozpin and General Ironwood reveal that she was working hard at using the Fang as well as Roman’s henchmen as cannon fodder while she plotted attacks on the Beacon campus such as the Grimm assault that occurred earlier over the Summer.”

As he explained this, he pressed the play button on a tape recorder. Out came a deepened male voice that was altered to conceal the identity of Cinder’s interrogator.

“How long were you planning on using the White Fang?” The interrogator asked. Voice deepened like in the old sci-fi movies to conceal his identity.

“As long as it took me to lure the Grimm towards downtown Vale and straight to Beacon.” Cinder answered condescendingly. “They’re skilled, but stupid. Thinking that they would honestly feel that they could retrieve me from this cell.” She went on.

*click*

The pause button was pressed this time as the Sergeant shook his head with a neutral expression at his captive.

“Sorry, Tim. But you and your brotherhood were effectively bamboozled.” He said as he finished taking a drag from his pipe. The tobacco substitute tickling his throat.  
If the captive’s throat could expend any further from shock, it wouldn’t fit the amount of terror he felt from this revelation.

“That bloody fucking thief!” Schwarz shouted. “She was going to take all the credit for our actions, our sacrifices in the name of our freedom!”

“Steal your thunder, as it were.” The bobby replied, resisting the urge to mockingly smirk at his prisoner.

As Schwarz slumped his head in sorrow again, he then noticed Blake’s image in the photo again. Her blade against Torchwick’s throat. Taunting her ex-brethren to take their best shot.

And then, his eyes widened further.

“It was her. She was at the…Oh no.” Schwarz whispered. “Oh no, no no no no! Stanley. I want my lawyer. We gotta talk custody.” He begged.

“Why is that?”

“See this student in black? Sleeveless vest, long hair and the bow?” He said. Pointing his finger at her.

“Yes, what about her?” Carter inquired.

“That’s Amanda’s former protégé. She’s been on and on about pointing out how she abandoned the Fang for a year now. Stating that she’s the enemy, she’s the reason we’re failing so much. The SDC train robbery in Forever Fall, the waterfront, Mountain Glenn, the Ack-Ack…” He said. Red eyes widening further. The black irises shrinking further as it dawned on him what his fate might be if Amanda ever waltzed her way into the front door of this Precinct.

“Amanda’s gonna kill me, man!” Tim shouted. “Please, I don’t wanna die. If she catches wind of this girl attending Beacon, I’m dead! Nothing is gonna stop Amanda from killing her own men to get Ripper out!” He carried on, hyperventilating and screeching as part of his throat sac trait of being part frog. “Get me my lawyer and put me in custody me then I’ll tell you anything about him! PLEASE!”

Carter flinched at his frightened tantrum. Thank Light that there were no Grimm around here, or he would be a dead man. He grabbed Schwarz’s shoulders and set him down. His face sterner this time.

“You will try and get your boss to talk if we get you somewhere safe?” He asked calmly.

Schwarz desperately nodded.

“Yeah. Okay, yeah. I’ll talk to him. Just please! She’s gonna kill me!”

As Tim was about to go through another freak out, the door was thrown open and a woman in a padded blue suit with a briefcase stepped in, nose pointed upwards in an annoyed expression.

“Timothy Schwarz, stop talking.” The woman said. A tone of elitism in her voice. “Sergeant. This interview is over. Please let go of my client this instant.”

Carter cleared his throat and stood up straight and adopting a nervous smile from how he manhandled the suspect.

“Hello there. You must by Mr. Schwarz’s attorney.”

The snooty lawyer nodded.

“That’s right. And how would you feel if I could ran you in for police brutality?”  
“My apologies Madame, but Tim here was starting to have a panic attack over his circumstances. I was only attempting to calm him down. No harm was intended.”

“Hmph.”

The Sergeant’s attempt to chide her for her rudeness was interrupted by his Scroll ringing, the caller ID reading “Unknown Caller.” Probably one of those phone scams.

“I must take this. Excuse me.” He said as he quickly stepped outside, gesturing the staff on the other end of the reflective glass to keep an eye on the lawyer. He cleared his throat and pushed the answer button.

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Line Break

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“Hello. This is Carter Stanley, Chief Inspector’s Office.”

“I thought you’d be given a desk job by now, Stan.” The private eye liaison joked.

“Joe Orion. What a surprise.” The dog admitted, smirking at the voice of his fellow investigator. “Flavus tells me that you were in a bit of a scuffle on the dance floor.”

Orion chuckled.

“Something like that. Listen, Stan, I need to know what our new friend Schwarz is saying. I put the cuffs on him, but we’re running blind on intel from Ripper ever since we cleaned up the nightclub.” He said.

Again, the Sergeant frowned at the sight of his prisoner freaking out.

“Well, he’s talking about his connections to the big fellow with a chainsaw.” He answered. “But now he just had a breakdown regarding the ugly truth about Miss Fall and how she was going to eventually drop his organization like a Menagerie tea party in favour of the next Grimm attack.”

“How bad was it?” Orion asked.

“How many cop films have you seen and become cynical to their tropes that portray the suspect as going bloody mad?” He dryly replied.

“Fair enough.” Joe said with a nod. “Where are you now in questioning?”

Carter looked into the window of the interrogation room. His captive having clearly just had a crying fit about the image of Amanda busting the door down while his attorney sneered.

“His attorney just showed up. Charming woman with a real class-A personality towards police.” He answered. “Didn’t even get to the usual ‘my-client-is-innocent’ spiel when you called me.”

“Is that relevant?” The chisel-jawed detective asked.

“She didn’t even say it before tea time, Joe. I’d call that a milestone.”

“I guess I missed that memo over at the 5-4.” He snarked back.

“Quite. What do you and Lieutenant Sevchenko wish to know?”

“We need to see the results of Schwarz’s lie detector graph as well as tapes of your conversation with him.” Orion answered. “We also need to know if there are any loose ends that need to be addressed regarding Amanda Taurus.”

“There is one thing, now that you mention it.” He said as he received a text notification on his smartwatch. Connected to his Scroll. “A Beacon student who is ex-White Fang may be in danger. Tim relayed to me that Miss Taurus might come for her next, assuming that she doesn’t barge the door down here at our Precinct to retrieve Ripper.”

Orion raised an eyebrow looking over to Sonny who stood by while he took notes regarding whatever instructions came next. Joe nodded as the SAC checked off asking for the interrogation tapes.

“Okay. Who?” The gumshoe replied.

“Right. Huntsman Affairs just relayed this information to me thanks to the faculty over at Beacon.” He said, texting Orion the dossier. “Her name is Blake Belladonna. First-year, age 18. Tim mentioned that she used to be Miss Taurus’ protégé. And that this young lady is supposedly at fault for many of the Fang’s recent blunders where Academy students were involved in intercepting their operations.”  
Orion then looked over to Lucas Folsom who listened into the call, nodding as he made a note for another student being at risk.

“Is she part of a Team?” Orion inquired.

“Yes.” Carter replied. “Miss Belladonna is a member of Team R-W-B-Y. Ruby. I cannot give further details as I imagine you would have to take that up with Professor Ozpin, but it seems that Task Force Brimstone must know this if it involves tracking down the bull.”

“Did Schwarz offer anything in exchange for protective custody from her?”

“Goodness, no.” Carter answered with a shake of the head. “Poor sap is still in talks with his attorney, but he did say he’ll speak to Ripper and get him to talk if he’s moved to a secure location.”  
Orion jotted the notes down along with Folsom as Sonny leaned in to see what Lucas was typing, then spoke back into the phone.

“Listen, Stan. I’ll pass this on to Sonny and the rest of the members of Brimstone. For now, I’m heading with him to Vale City General to speak with the mortician over the bodies that were at the Ack-Ack.” He said. “We’ll have to discuss a plan to keep Miss Belladonna out of trouble afterwards once I check out the bodies at the morgue.”

“You’re not planning on doing so with your sister’s help, are you?” Stanley inquired with his tail arched downwards knowing about Caitlyn’s famous temper. “With all due respect, Joe, I’m not certain how the lads over at the CTU will work with her so easily.”

“Hey.” He said defensively. “Not the first time she’s done it. A little inter-service nepotism isn’t so bad once in a while.”

“Oh, no, I agree with you. You remember how I worked with my son-in-law for the Fuchsia Kidnappings?” Stanley pointed out.

“Oh, yeah.” Orion recalled. “He said you were too quick on the draw without your old Webley revolver.”

Carter took offense.

“You wouldn’t understand, Joe!” He said in mock hurt. “You graduated as a State Trooper, I was a bloody parking inspector at first!”

But both P.I.s laughed.

“I haven’t forgotten Stan. I gotta get back to work, stay safe.”

“Farewell, Joe.” Said Carter. “You as well.”

As the liaison hung up, he looked over to Sonny who was awaiting an answer as what to do to head to the morgue with a little help for the investigation.

“My sister, Caitlyn works at Vale City General and has a friend at the morgue who can help us out.” Joe said. “Fair warning, though: She’s a bit cranky and doesn’t work so well with ‘elite’ cops.” He added with air quotes.

“You mean it?” Kira asked.

“Yeah, I mean it.” Joe replied. “But I can talk her through it, get her to lighten up a little for the sake of assisting us with an investigation of this scale. She’ll hear me out. Let’s roll.”


End file.
